What does neurodivergence mean at work?

DW (English)

Not all disabilities in the workplace are recognizable, including cognitive disorders like dyslexia, ADHD or Asperger's syndrome. That's why it's important for affected employees to be able to talk openly about their condition. Three examples.

Transcript

00:00 Alaska!

00:01 Alaska!

00:02 Hello!

00:03 It may not be visible, but Alexis Evans has a workplace disability.

00:09 Dyslexia.

00:10 It's a condition in which the brain struggles to make sense of words while reading or spelling.

00:15 And it challenges Alexis' work as a social media manager at Berlin retailer Zalando.

00:21 It was initially really daunting to have like 200,000 followers looking at something that

00:27 I'd posted and it could be a mistake, you know?

00:31 Alexis is one of millions of workers around the world diagnosed with cognitive disabilities,

00:37 conditions that may not be visible to colleagues and supervisors, but affect the way that employees

00:41 fit into traditional work and office cultures.

00:45 And that puts the onus on employees to be upfront about their needs, something that

00:49 for Alexis at least, was not a problem.

00:53 It was really important for me to be open with my disability when I came here because

00:59 I wanted my lead to know that there were certain tasks that were going to take a little bit

01:03 longer that maybe she has to check a couple of times before I know I've completely got

01:08 it right.

01:11 But also because I want to work somewhere that is open and inclusive and makes people

01:16 like me feel like they belong.

01:19 I wouldn't want to work somewhere that doesn't.

01:22 There's growing evidence that an array of cognitive disabilities may be underdiagnosed

01:26 in working age adults.

01:28 They include attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, dyspraxia, which can affect

01:34 motor skills, autism, which has a wide range of manifestations, and dyslexia.

01:39 ADHD in particular may be more widespread among adults than once thought.

01:43 A recent study by the American Centers for Disease Control found that prescriptions for

01:48 ADHD medication grew among US teenagers and adults between the years 2016 and 2021, while

01:55 falling among children.

01:58 I wouldn't assume that there are in fact more people being affected by these disorders.

02:03 Instead, that more people are being diagnosed or feel confident making their condition or

02:08 diagnosis public.

02:14 Many of them have in fact been working for years without a diagnosis.

02:17 People like Diana Martin.

02:18 She's a usability engineer at Allianz in Munich.

02:22 Her doctor diagnosed her with autism almost two years ago after Diana struggled at work.

02:30 It's absolutely a relief for me because I was having difficulties at work.

02:35 There were simply tasks I couldn't fully understand.

02:38 And the person who would give them to me would say something like, "I don't need you to understand."

02:44 Or he'd be vague and say, "Just think of something."

02:48 But you can't say that to me, "Just think of something."

02:53 I'll probably show up with a cake in my hands, not what you had in mind.

03:00 Diana now works primarily from home.

03:02 The office and the workday built around it was becoming too exhausting.

03:07 It already starts with the commute.

03:11 Then of course the work environment.

03:13 There's just a higher cognitive burden for me here, which really limits my ability to

03:17 concentrate.

03:23 For employers, adapting to workers like Diana means embracing flexibility and encouraging

03:28 their employees to speak up.

03:34 I think as always, it really begins with open, honest, transparent communication and information.

03:40 And then action.

03:42 How can we best help someone?

03:44 How do employees navigate the building?

03:46 What does disability mean for the use of software, where of course accessibility is a big topic?

03:52 Yet many companies struggle to address disability in general.

03:55 In fact, a survey of 500 companies taken last year by disability rights group The Valuable

04:00 500 showed less than half had a disability inclusion policy.

04:06 Cognitive disabilities raise other questions for companies, like whether to adjust performance

04:10 evaluations and how to define what's typical in a modern workplace increasingly filled

04:15 with diverse people.

04:18 Peter Kahl is a product manager at Siemens.

04:21 He has Asperger's syndrome.

04:23 After years of therapy, his diagnosis provided clarity, but he doesn't believe that it sets

04:27 him apart from his colleagues for better or for worse.

04:33 The way I work is definitely different in some respects compared to someone who isn't

04:37 on the autism spectrum and who does things in a different way.

04:41 But that doesn't mean that there are advantages or disadvantages to it.

04:46 Some things come to me easier compared to other people.

04:49 Other things I struggle with.

04:53 For Peter, the biggest lesson from his experience has been realizing the importance of being

04:58 open with his supervisors.

05:05 When you acknowledge something, that you have a weakness in a certain area, and communicate

05:09 that openly, it's the first step.

05:11 There's nothing wrong with who I am, and it's not bad to talk about it.

05:17 And that puts the spotlight back on employers, to be open with their workers and to accommodate

05:22 them if they want the best talent.

05:25 Because there's a wider diversity in the workforce that companies are trying to understand.

05:29 And against that broader picture, employees with disabilities may not be such a minority

05:34 After all.

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