Sir Robert Buckland has pledged his continued support for specialist charity Neurodiversity in Business (NiB).
The former South Swindon MP, who lost his seat to Heidi Alexander in July's General Election spoke following the release of important research conclusions by the organisation alongside Birkbeck, University of London.
It found that two thirds of neurodivergent workers report more than one neurodevelopmental condition, and that levels of wellbeing are worryingly low across neurodivergent workers, with 78% of neurodivergent research participants reporting feeling overwhelmed at work.
Sir Robert said: "I worked closely with Dan Haris, the Founder of Neurodiversity in Business (NIB), as part of The Buckland Review of Autism Employment.
Dan Harris, Chairperson and Founder, NiB, said: “Our latest research highlights we need to take urgent action. The quality of support, including workplace adjustments, employee training, and psychological safety, remain inadequate. I’m proud that our research is being followed up by actions of over 1,000 members of NiB.”
The researchers say the findings are important as 15 to 20% of the UK adult population are neurodivergent, and many more will be diagnosed over the next few years as awareness increases, so organisations must expect a diverse workforce and offer a holistic approach that thinks beyond condition-specific initiatives.
Over 1,600 people across organisations and sectors were involved in the research, with perspectives from 1,436 neurodivergent workers, 132 employer representatives and 123 neurotypical colleagues obtained.
The research has been collated into a report which makes clear recommendations for practice and policy to put more focus on wellbeing support which is neurodiversity sensitive. It identifies the biggest factor for improving wellbeing as giving people the opportunity to train, develop and work at a level which reflects their skill, as well as reducing sensory distractions at work.
Line manager support and a perception of high psychological safety also makes a big difference in encouraging neurodivergent workers to stay in an organisation.
The report calls for organisations to be more aware of what neurodivergent workers find challenging, which includes dealing with criticism (68%), dealing with office politics at work (64%) and feeling overwhelmed at work (78%). Neurodivergent workers are twice as likely to disagree that conflict resolution processes at work meet their needs than colleagues or employers.
Compared to research undertaken by NiB in 2023 which surveyed similar people (but not colleagues) and asked similar questions, this research shows a drop in perceptions of psychological safety among neurodivergent workers as they reported being less likely to create and innovate using their special skills.
In addition to this, support for neurodiversity and provision of relevant training has dropped from 2023, and perceptions of unfairness have got worse – yet line managers were rated by neurodivergent workers as more supportive than last year.
Lead researcher Almuth McDowall, Professor of Organisational Psychology, Birkbeck said: “The findings show that a genuine culture and climate for a holistic and positive approach to ensuring neurodivergent workers thrive at work have a long way to go.
"We need to foster mutual understanding and above all support wellbeing – this is a crucial baseline to organisational effectiveness and success.”
Dr Nancy Doyle, Visiting Professor, Birkbeck University of London and Chief Research Officer, Genius Within, who co-authored the report as a leading expert on neuroinclusion practice, added: “We are going to see more, not less people with a diagnosis of neurodivergent conditions join organisations. This is because awareness is rising and some groups such as older women are historically underdiagnosed. Getting inclusion right is not a ‘nice to have’ but a business imperative.”
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