When you employ different thinking, you’re not just filling a quota, you’re taking the first step to fortifying your business for the long haul through innovative thinking, increased productivity, and out-of-the-box problem-solving skills that are the hallmark of the autistic mind.
Balancing the pressing demands of managerial tasks while ensuring every team member feels seen and supported is no small feat. If you are a manager working with unusual talents, these suggestions could help expand your leadership repertoire and enable your organization go beyond the ordinary.
Do you have verbiage in your job descriptions such as, “Must be a self-starter”? Do you expect all of your employees to ‘just know’ what to do with little to no instruction? If so, you may be unintentionally excluding autistic candidates.
Prevent miscommunication with regular follow-ups… One of the best “side effects” of providing accessibility for your neurodivergent employees is that what you do to improve their ability to bring their best work to the table also makes it easier for all of your employees to bring their best work and, as a result, elevates your company to the top of its game!
One of the barriers to neuroinclusion and overall well-being at work is toxic, cutthroat organizational environments. Yet, despite research evidence that positive cultures are more productive than cutthroat ones, many organizations continue to create systems that pit employees against each other. Why is this?
If you’re currently working with (or plan to work with) autistic and other neurodivergent people, it’s important to know how to be a good ally. Here are some tips to help you do just that.
While diversity initiatives in organizations may signal a commitment to creating inclusive workplaces, disability and neurodiversity are rarely considered in these initiatives, and the underlying problem of benevolent ableism often goes unnoticed.
More corporations are realizing the benefit of the passionate, innovative, and out-of-the-box thinking style that comes with the autistic mind, and they’re ready to employ different thinking.
Being aware that autistic people think and communicate differently and accommodating those differences are helpful first steps, but to build genuine rapport, where neurotypical and autistic employees have a good understanding of each other’s feelings, ideas, and communication style, actions are important, and consistency is key. Here is a brief rundown of the most common ways you can build rapport with your autistic employees.
