One of the most common questions businesses ask when beginning their recruitment process with neurodiversity in mind is how to get started.
DEI thought leaders from some of the world’s largest organisations make up a think-tank called Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable. The Roundtable meets to discuss and implement initiatives and share best policy and practice to help businesses across industries (and the world) recruit neurodiverse talent.
Members include JP Morgan, Cintas, DXC Technology, EY, Fidelity, Ford, Freddie Mac, IBM, Microsoft, Rising Tide Car Wash, SAP, Spectrum, Travelers, Ultranauts and Willis Towers Watson.
One of the most practical initiatives has been The Autism @ Work Playbook, part of a collaborative research project, Autism-Ready Workplace: Creating and Sustaining Autism Hiring Initiatives, led by Dr Hala Annabi, Associate Professor at the University of Washington Information School.
Dr Annabi and her team systematically examined the Autism @ Work programs of four leading employers: Microsoft, SAP, JPMorgan Chase and EY. They looked at how the firms established their programs and how they were sustained, as well as analysing organizational strategies, employment and resourcing models, and hiring and onboarding practices.
“At a time of overall high employment, a shrinking labor pool, and a scarcity of qualified talent in STEM, manufacturing and other sectors, businesses of all sizes and across industries are challenged like never before. Many individuals on the autism spectrum have the capabilities businesses need, and with an under- or unemployment rate nearing 80 per cent, they can become a key part of the solution,” says The Autism @ Work Playbook.
“We are focused on not only finding great talent for our companies, but in sharing and helping others begin their own inclusive hiring journeys started.
“There is no one-size-fits-all answer, so we wanted to pull together and share some common approaches and ideas for you to consider. Every company culture is different. So is its approach to recruiting, interviewing, onboarding and developing talent. However, we’ve found that many of the core questions and building blocks are similar.”
The playbook is a brilliant resource covering how to get started, the business case for neurodiverse hiring, models, recruitment, sourcing and training advice as well as onboarding, retention and career development suggestions.
You can download it here:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/disabilityin-bulk/2019/Autism_At_Work_Playbook_Final_02112019.pdf
One of the active members of the Roundtable is Lee Corless of JP Morgan, one of the founding organisations. Lee will speak at Diversity Network’s Neurodiversity Digital Focus Day on 28th September. You can register for your free place here: https://www.diversity-network.com/neurodiversity-focus-day/
Lee will speak about Harnessing the Power of Neurodiversity in a Business Context; join this webinar to learn about JP Morgan’s experience of increasing the neurodiversity of their workforce, including:
- The business case for hiring individuals on the autism spectrum
- The benefits of the programme and the challenges encountered
- The wider benefits of the programme and advice to organisations within the Insurance industry who are thinking about harnessing the neurodiverse talent
