Hiring Neurodiverse People
Neurodiversity means individuals grasp information differently. Neurodiversity is a recently explored scientific phenomenon, according to which some people have different learning capabilities than others.
What Is Neurodiversity?
Some people learn procedures more quickly than others and are known as neurotypicals, whereas others grasp facts more quickly and are known as neurodiverse. But the latter may need more emphasis on Learning and Development. It's just that some people's brains are wired to do things differently. So companies have to make sure that neurodiverse people are not ignored when it comes to training.
Companies should analyze the characteristics of neurodiverse people and provide adequate job roles accordingly. For example, neurodiverse people with extraordinary memory and visual-spatial skills could be excellent at geometry because they can analyze 2D and 3D figures. Therefore, there are many ways neurodiverse people can positively contribute to a company. And by practicing through eLearning, for example with simulations, they can also improve their soft skills. Most of the time, neurodiverse people don't get many opportunities to engage with others, so their social skills may be underdeveloped. In other words, they often lack social automaticity, while neurotypical people may develop a subconscious approach to external stimuli, including societal norms.
How To Create Content For Neurodiverse People
Companies have to make sure that neurodiverse people are not ignored. With their extraordinary capabilities, they have immense potential to transform a company. Companies have to design eLearning content suited to the needs of all kinds of learners. For example, the content used in the material can be in Sans Serif font, which is easier to read. Dyslexic employees often have problems with reading content written in smaller font sizes, hence it's good to provide them with the ability to resize text. They can also be given material with more extensive line and character spacing.
Neurodiverse students often have a different way of looking at information, so it has to be organized accordingly in the eLearning content. There should be the maximum use of images in text, which can help them understand the text even when they have trouble reading it. For example, dyslexic students can quickly go back to a section with the correct icons paired to it.
Because of the high incidence of neurodiverse people in the population of the U.S., companies can't choose to ignore them anymore. 1 in every 42 boys is born with autism in the U.S. now, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics. The incidence is also high among girls, with 1 in 189 affected.
Company HR also has to be trained on how to provide the proper workplace infrastructure for neurodiverse employees. For example, since noise overstimulation is a common problem, giving them headphones can increase their concentration in the workplace. Companies can also train managers to recognize neurodiverse employees and boost their participation. SAP has been running such a program for four years, and it has produced better managers who are sensitive to the needs of neurodiverse employees.
Why Is Hiring Neurodiverse People Beneficial?
It has been discovered that in software testing, neurodiverse people have 30% more productivity than neurotypical people. They are more suited to the software testing role because of their increased abilities at pattern recognition. These results were produced when Australia's Department of Human Services employed 30 neurodiverse people in these roles. Therefore, companies can reap significant returns by hiring neurodiverse people. Neurodiversity is a way of thinking differently, and hiring people who do so can contribute to a company in more ways than you think.
