06/15/2021
One great advancement that came out of 2020 was a heightened focus on how organizations (and their followers) are actively viewing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). According to the World Health Organization, over 1 billion people are currently living with a disability. Yet this population is severely underrepresented in today’s current DEI efforts. We can change this by shattering some of the myths and focusing on the benefits.
My business enterprise is primarily comprised of employees on the autism spectrum and people with other developmental disabilities. The advantages of hiring and retaining a neurodiverse workforce are significant and far-reaching. Hiring neurodiverse employees increases diversity, stimulates the economy, fills skills gaps to an underserved group of workers, solves big problems and so much more.
Benefits To The Company
Like any other candidate, a neurodiverse employee brings their own unique skill sets and strengths to the table. It is common for individuals to possess many or some of these valued traits: honesty, attention to detail, excellent memory, reliability and high motivation. They also may be quick learners and appreciate structure, routines and organization. Furthermore, hiring individuals with varying abilities creates a culture where all employees are respected and valued for their opinions and problem-solving skills and are celebrated simply for being themselves.
When consumers think a brand has a strong purpose, they are four times more likely to trust the company, and 79% of Americans feel a deeper personal connection to companies with values similar to their own. When clients or customers work with a company that embraces a neurodiverse workforce, they naturally boost their own image, build loyalty and achieve corporate social responsibility objectives.
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An additional benefit is the low turnover rate, as purpose-driven companies have 40% higher levels of workforce retention. As any leader can attest, a company would much rather dedicate time and resources to teaching new skills and promoting from within rather than continually training new hires.
Benefits To The Economy
Disabled people and their dependents account for 13.8% of total Social Security benefits paid annually. Gainful employment generates taxpayers, diminishes the need for Social Security and stimulates the local economy where the employee works and lives. The national unemployment rate of over 80% for those with disabilities is disproportionately high, and in some states, like New York, the disabled population is twice as likely to live below the poverty line — a poverty gap likely widened by the global pandemic. A DEI initiative that includes and embraces a neurodiverse workforce helps bridge this disparity one hire at a time.
Benefits To The Community
Discussing the benefits of neurodiversity, serial global entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson remarked that “The world needs a neurodiverse workforce to help try and solve some of the big problems of our time.” And he’s right, not just in business but our community at large. At my company, we have been presuming competence and seeing only ability for over ten years. That ethos has permeated our community and customer base, and now they champion and celebrate neurodiversity alongside us.
Benefits To The Employee
Sometimes I think about our neurodivergent team members and how different their lives would have been had they been born even a generation earlier. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which finally and comprehensively protected the civil rights of those with disabilities, was only passed in 1990.
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