Thousands of neurodivergent people are currently on years-long NHS waiting lists for assessments from psychiatrists for conditions like ADHD and Autism – but what happens afterwards?
Research has found that for almost 70% of people, their manager has more of an impact on their mental health than their therapist or their doctor.
The benefits in Neuro-Affirming managers, who understand how to work effectively with people regardless of neuro-type or formal diagnosis, are obvious.
Foundations of psychological safety, effective communication, and teams where everybody can thrive whilst working in their ‘zone of genius’ come from embracing different thinking styles in the workplace.
So why do three in ten neurodivergent staff consciously choose to hide their condition from their managers?
The risks outweigh the benefits
Once a person discloses their neurodivergence at work, they can’t take it back. They lose sole control over this information, which could be used against them.
This is because our society has seen a huge increase in neurodiversity awareness in the last few years, with an increase of 400% in adults seeking ADHD assessments since 2020, this hasn’t necessarily translated into action.
With 1 in 5 neurodivergent employees having experienced harassment or discrimination at work because of their neurodivergence, there is a very real risk that disclosure could end up in the employment tribunal. This is seen by the 30% increase in cases relating to neurodivergent conditions over recent years.
To address this, employers should publish neurodiversity, disability, and reasonable adjustments policies, ensuring that all staff receive effective training on these. This ensures that everybody is on the same page about the processes of disclosure and what should happen next.
They don’t see the point – or know what could help
There’s no guidebook on what to do when you find out you’ve unknowingly been living with a disability for your entire life. Diagnosis of neurodivergent conditions does not come with a script for telling your friends, family, or employer, nor a handy list of personalised adjustments that could help you.
On the contrary, people are often ‘diagnosed and dumped’. To one day ‘come out’ to their workplace and let everybody know that they are neurodivergent opens individuals up to potential judgement and discrimination.
They can’t predict how people will react, whether this is positively or negatively. Therefore, it may be safer to stay silent, and to ‘work on it by themselves’, especially in highly pressured environments. For example, in the legal industry only 6% of lawyers identify as disabled, compared to 16% of the general working population.
This means that managers may be more likely to learn about their neurodivergence when an externally obvious problem arises, such as those related to performance or burnout.
To counter this, employers can provide training and education about the benefits of disclosing neurodivergence at work. They can raise awareness about the lack of requirement for individuals to know what kind of support may help them, and share examples of reasonable adjustments made, such as via blog posts or podcasts.
They don’t trust their manager
Managers typically hold a significant amount of influence and control over people’s lives and careers. Their approval may be the deciding factor in promotions, pay rises, or performance bonuses.
They’re also likely to be overworked and under-supported themselves, with 82% of managers being hired with no form of management training. As only 23% of HR professionals were found to have had specific neurodiversity training, they may also be limited in the support they can provide to managers on such issues.
HR may find themselves in difficult positions if employees disclose a disability to them, but do not wish their manager to be told. Therefore, it’s vital to cultivate trusting and supportive relationships between managers and those they support.
Employers can do this by training managers on Neuro-Affirming communication skills, fostering vulnerable conversations and psychological safety at work. Neurodiversity education for managers can also help them to feel safe enough to implement different ways of working and start conversations, despite not having ‘all of the answers’.
They don’t trust their employer
Whilst neurodivergent people are said to be more likely than neurotypicals to be unemployed or entrepreneurs, there’s a lack of research on those in leadership positions within the workplace.
64% of FTSE 350 Board Directors and HR Professionals have suggested fear of stigma and reprisals prevent neurodiverse business leaders from sharing this at work.
The backlash against Diversity, Equality and Inclusion initiatives within the workplace may cause whiplash in trust for employees. This can foster a sense of neuro-inclusion initiatives acting as lip service, without any meaningful action baking this up.
Organisations are ultimately hierarchies: without role models at the ‘top’ proving that neurodiversity is supported and embraced, it’s unreasonable to expect otherwise of those who do not have the same privileges.
To create a truly Neuro-Affirming organisation, vulnerability is required from everybody. Trusting an organisation to hold space for us to show up authentically as we are empowers others to do the same, resulting in a true sense of belonging.
