In this blog we hear from CEIS and Just Enterprise Marketing Officer, Hannah Roussel, about her experience of joining CEIS as a neurodivergent employee.

Hannah has 5 years’ experience in marketing following nearly a decade running her own small business. In addition, she co-chairs the Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) for Scottish Government’s proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill. This role has provided Hannah with unique insight into how these and other disabilities can impact upon individual’s ability to live and work in today’s society.

Read on to hear about Hannah’s direct experience and pick up some key tips for creating a workplace that allows disabled employees to thrive.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – three words that you may feel you have heard a lot over the last couple of years. But, for those of us with protected characteristics, those words and the actions they represent can have an impact without measure.

I am one of the growing number of late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults, having received a diagnosis of ADHD in early 2021. This kicked off a journey of self-discovery that finally allowed me to make sense of the struggles I had encountered throughout my life and career, and view myself through a new, kinder lens.

Having done a great deal of work re-evaluating my strengths and difficulties, identifying my needs and motivations and thinking about the best environment I could be in to accommodate these, I found myself job-hunting at the start of last year.

I decided to prioritise workplace culture and wellbeing over salary or job title for my next role and concluded that the only way I could increase my chances of finding the right fit was to disclose my ADHD from the outset. I figured that it is so much a part of me in terms of personality, working style and skills profile, that I could not present my authentic self to any future employer without acceptance that my neurodivergence is part of the package!

With trepidation, I began ticking ‘that’ box on application forms and jumping through the various hoops each organisation mandated in order to disclose a disability at application stage. More than once (and for various reasons), I anxiously asked myself if I was doing the right thing.

Key takeaway:

It takes a lot for someone to disclose a disability – keep this in mind throughout the recruitment process and beyond. Nobody wants to admit to what could be perceived as a weakness or inconvenience, so make sure that you foster a culture of acceptance of difference and acknowledge the courage it can take for a candidate to potentially open themselves to discrimination during something as important as seeking employment.

Pre-hire/Interview

Having discounted myself from many job ads because of the wording used, I came across CEIS’ listing on Goodmoves.

The tone was set from the start with the fact that they offered hybrid working in the first two paragraphs of the advertisement and that full-time homeworking was available for accessibility reasons. Although I was not seeking this option for myself, it was encouraging to know that they were sufficiently aware of inclusive working practices to offer it from the outset.

Another positive for me was that they clearly stated their policies with regard to flexible working and their commitment to employee wellbeing. This was far more important to me than other so-called ‘perks’ offered by other employers.

There was also an inclusion and accessibility statement within the ad itself and candidates were invited to get in touch regarding any reasonable adjustments that might be required at interview.

My enquiry was met very positively by the hiring manager and he confirmed that I would be able to get a copy of the interview questions ahead of the interview itself. This was a great relief to me because whilst I can wax lyrical about how I would hypothetically approach something in the future and explain my reasoning for it, I find it very difficult to recall and relate past experience and examples on the spot as is often required in competency-based interviews. The extra thinking and processing time meant that I was better able to give an accurate reflection of my skills and experience.

During the interview, we spoke openly about my condition and I felt comfortable enough to ask to see the interview questions again in writing when I was struggling to process something and to ask clarifying questions where necessary. I came away feeling reassured that my ADHD genuinely wouldn’t be held against me when it came to weighing up candidates.

Key takeaways:

1. Review how inclusive your workplace and working practices really are.

• Do you already have an EDI policy in place, or at least plans to introduce one?
• Do you screen all of your policies through an accessibility lens?
• Is your hiring team up to speed on disability awareness?
• Do you offer homeworking, flexitime or other disability-friendly practices?

It’s important to be able to back up any outward-facing claims to be open to hiring disabled employees with genuine measures in place to support them. Whilst working from home or flexitime might have seemed like added ‘perks’ in the past, they can mean the difference between employment and unemployment for many disabled people who frequently have fluctuating conditions or who struggle in busy environments.

2. Pay attention to your job ad and person specification.

• Are you reusing copy and pasted text from recruitment campaigns of years past?
• How much thought have you given to the wording used and your list of requirements?
• Is everything listed under ‘essential’ genuinely relevant to the role? Neurodivergent people especially are more likely to take the list of essential requirements literally than their neurotypical counterparts and exclude themselves before even applying.
• Could anything be unintentionally discriminatory? Does the role really need to be full-time office-based and 9-5? Is a good sense of humour and an outgoing personality genuinely necessary for the role? Review your ad with a critical eye.
• Are you making it easy for candidates to request reasonable adjustments? For example, many neurodivergent people struggle to make phone calls – can they email instead?

3. Make the interview an opportunity for a candidate to show their best selves in their own way

• Be open-minded about reasonable adjustments. Every disabled person is unique and has a different set of strengths and struggles. Ask them what would help and be prepared with a list of common accommodations if they are not sure what they can ask for.
• Consider providing interview questions in advance as a standard practice for all candidates. Many companies are moving towards this model as you are more likely to get a better feel for a candidate’s genuine strengths and weaknesses rather than their ability to interview well or recall.
• Create a relaxed atmosphere for the interview itself. Try to create an atmosphere of trust so that the candidate can feel safe enough to open up and advocate for themselves where necessary. Why not even explicitly invite questions around accessibility and culture? Many disabled candidates will have had negative experiences with past employers and can be anxious about finding themselves in difficult situations again. Remember that you are also being assessed as a prospective employer!

Onboarding

Fast-forward to early May 2023, and my first day joining the CEIS marketing team. Following a warm welcome and a tour of the office, I was presented with a thorough induction pack which included not only an internally-produced user guide to Access to Work, the government-funded programme of support for disabled employees, but a comprehensive profile to complete to enable them to better understand how my condition affects me as an individual. It included sections to outline my work and communication styles and what I needed from them to enable me to do my job to the best of my abilities. I cannot tell you how my heart sang to see that the assurances that CEIS was an inclusive workplace at the recruitment stage were being followed through with practical action!

This opportunity from day one to openly discuss both the difficulties and strengths that come with my particular disability was a total game-changer and I believe set our working relationship up for success. I was able to get down to work with the confidence that CEIS had enough knowledge of me to avoid potential misunderstandings and feeling comfortable that I could raise any problems should they arise. I hope that it also gave my line managers a better understanding of how they could practically support me and alleviated any lingering concerns about bringing an ADHD employee on board!

Key takeaways:

1. Pay attention to your onboarding process

• Recruitment doesn’t end with the offer letter. Review your onboarding process (or create one if necessary) to include all the information your employee needs to get off to a good start.
• It is particularly helpful for neurodivergent people to have all the essential details of their role and the company’s working practices documented clearly and a clear outline of what the probation period will involve.
• Don’t rely on unspoken rules or ways things are done that can cause potential confusion and stress.

2. Ask, don’t assume!

• Remember that no 2 people are the same, even if they have the same condition. Use the onboarding process as an opportunity to learn all you can about the individual employee and provide a mechanism for them to outline their specific needs.
• Within this, also allow them a way to communicate what they need to work best and be open minded about what they say. Being disabled often means that you have years of experience developing strategies and workarounds that help you to function and flourish – from the outside these can sometimes seem unconventional or contradict established ‘best practice’. Judge an employee based on the outcomes of their work rather than their processes and you might just be pleasantly surprised!

3. Be aware that we may not always know what we need or what is available!

• This is particularly true for late-diagnosed neurodivergents as we have struggled for most of our lives without support and don’t know what accommodations exist or how they can help.
• Find out what accommodations typically help somebody with their condition and explore them together if necessary.

4. Do your homework on DWP’s Access to Work scheme.

• Make sure you read up on Access to Work (A2W) and the types of support it can offer in relation to the condition(s) your new employee is affected by. It is not as widely publicised as it should be and many people are still unaware it exists and how to access it.
• Provide information and support to your employee if they do wish to apply. The onus is on individuals to apply for and arrange any resulting support offered through the A2W scheme and, as with many things related to DWP, it is not always the easiest system to navigate.

Ongoing Support

A year on from joining CEIS, I am happy and settled, largely due to the excellent beginning and the trust it created. I have regular check-ins with my line managers and feel able to openly discuss any issues I might encounter. I also feel that my ADHD strengths such as curiosity, alternative ways of approaching things and innovative mindset are welcomed and given space, even if they might sometimes conflict with received wisdom!

I also continue to be impressed by the company’s commitment to continuous improvement in terms of EDI more widely.

My colleagues and I have been able to participate in extensive training delivered by Enable Works Scotland covering topics such as Disability Awareness, Neurodiversity Awareness and Unconscious Bias. These sessions have been invaluable not only in terms of increasing understanding, but also equipping us with the language and confidence to discuss what can be uncomfortable topics for many.

The fact that this type of training is going to be included as a core element of staff training across the board alongside the more typical mandatory Health and Safety training further underlines CEIS’ commitment. In too many organisations, EDI training is viewed as a one-off exercise which can lead to failure to embed its underlying principles in a company’s culture.

Alongside this programme of training, CEIS has undertaken an extensive accessibility audit which has led to significant improvements in both our outward-facing and internal communications. Several employees are now even trained in producing Easy Read documentation for people with learning disabilities which is a fantastic skill to have in-house and not something many organisations invest in.

Key takeaways:

1. Make time for regular check-ins

• Schedule time for a catch-up with your employee on a regular basis.
• Discuss with them what format this should take – it could be a fortnightly face-to-face, a monthly video call or whatever works best for them and you.
• If there are specific issues that you need to raise, try to give advanced warning to give your employee time to process their thoughts and enable them to discuss in a productive way.

2. Be prepared for support needs to change over time

• This is particularly true for fluctuating conditions, however, even life-long neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism or ADHD can present differently at different times. Strategies that work now may become less effective or your employee might discover new ones which work better for them. Be prepared to adapt and evolve along with them to ensure a continued productive working relationship.

3. Take steps to ensure that EDI is built into your work culture

• Whilst supporting individuals is a great first step, it’s important to make sure that your wider workforce has a good awareness of EDI issues so that employees with protected characteristics can work in a safe and supportive environment and that you stay on the right side of the Equality Act 2010.
• There are many training providers out there that can put together bespoke packages for your company and there is often funding available to help with the costs of this.
• Consider regularly updating this training and making it part of your onboarding process for all future employees.

Conclusion

I hope that this has been a helpful article and perhaps provided both some insight into how it feels to be a neurodivergent person joining a new workplace and some practical ideas you can consider for making your own workplace more disability-friendly. Many are neither costly nor time-consuming and can actually benefit all employees – not just those with additional support needs.

According to the latest statistics, only 53% of disabled people in Scotland are employed vs 83% for non-disabled Scots. By failing to make work more accessible, not only are disabled people themselves deprived of an equal chance to lead fulfilling and successful lives, but society and the economy are missing out on the talents and potential of a significant proportion of the population.

Let’s all do our part to make the disability employment gap a thing of the past.