How the accountancy profession can embrace neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is a marker of diversity that is finally becoming recognised in education systems across the world. Organisations too are starting to question what this marker of diversity means for employee engagement, and taking steps to educate the broader workforce on the issue, and ensure neurodivergent employees in particular make the most of their talents.

Every one of us thinks and behaves differently; our brains are as unique as our fingerprints, and our neural pathways are constantly evolving. For a proportion of the population, nonetheless, there is a greater than usual cognitive variation in how their brains process information. This is neurodivergent talent that employers should be understanding and embracing.

For employers, recognising these cognitive differences can have a positive, often transformational impact on the talent pool available to drive their business forward in an era of fierce competition for the right skills.

The International Accounting Bulletin has led the discussion on neurodiversity in the accountancy profession including covering ACCA’s recent research on the topic. Neurodiversity is an issue of particular interest for me. I believe the accountancy profession can make great strides in the next few years in recruiting and recognising neurodivergent candidates and working with them to understand how to unleash the undoubted and unique talents this part of the workforce can bring.

ACCA has undertaken two key pieces of work in its ambition to promote the issue of neurodiversity in the profession through 1) Providing a guide for employers on neurodiversity and 2) listening to and sharing the stories of employees who are neurodivergent. Surfacing these examples is key to raising awareness and helping drive more neuro-inclusive organisations.

Employers of all sizes and all sectors – including accountancy practices – can provide support for neurodivergent employees. While this support is essential for creating an inclusive workplace it does not need to be complex. However knowing where to start is often the most daunting challenge.  

At an organisational level, employers should be focussing on creating an environment where all can belong, where there is a clear direction on neuro-inclusion, and where policies and processes consider neuro-inclusion in their development.

At an individual level, this means a focus on the specific support an individual requires.  

The north star for an organisation should be neuro-inclusive design – where adjustments and ways of working are part of standard practice and no longer need to be requested. 

Employers can embrace eight steps to embrace neurodiversity:

Win leadership buy in and support – the tone from the top can create a psychologically safe environment where all can thrive.

Provide education and training opportunities to build awareness – it cannot be emphasised enough that raising awareness and providing training is important to ensure there is understanding of what neurodiversity means for all within an organisation.

Ensure inclusive recruitment practices – The recruitment processes can be the biggest barrier to those who are neurodivergent suroecuring employment. Employers should consider a skills-based approach and a move away from traditional interview-based recruitment practices. Re-learn what many of us have been taught – if you are looking for eye contact, clear and concise communication and a firm handshake then a neurodivergent interviewee is much less likely to be offered a job.

Ensure job descriptions are inclusive –when recruiting, organisations should consider how they reflect their neuro-inclusive culture – simplify job descriptions where possible, use clear and inclusive language, and adopt a variety of communication formats.

Establish employee resource groups and communities – establish resource groups or communities supported by senior sponsorship that provide safe spaces for those within the organisation to ask questions and provide support for others.

Build brand visibility in the neurodiversity space – tell people about your neurodiversity credentials not to virtue signal but to tell the market about your commitment to the issue and how that means inclusivity is a core part of the employee value proposition. One easy step would be to take a look at how to learn from and take part in Neurodiversity Celebration week .

Develop clear policies to enable employee support – provide a framework for all employees in understanding the organisation’s position in relation to neurodiversity, as well as a roadmap for actions.

Create neurodiversity champions, and reverse mentoring programmes – advocates can be a source of knowledge, and act as a potential ‘go-to’ point both for the neurodivergent individual and the broader workforce. Reverse mentoring allows leaders and managers to understand more about neurodiversity. 

Employers should consider three main areas when making reasonable adjustments which, in jurisdictions including the UK, are legal requirements to ensure their employees are not substantially disadvantaged when performing their roles. The three areas are technology, physical environment and ways of working. Our understanding of these multiple issues – from the benefits of using AI to help with writing up meeting notes; designing office spaces to help with sensory sensitivities; or embracing flexi hours to allow employees to miss the intensity of rush hour – is growing all the time and increasingly these are seen as achievable changes

In ACCA’s report, we share stories of individuals who are neurodivergent within the accountancy profession and ultimately celebrate thinking differently. They represent organisations as diverse as accountancy firms EY and Cooper Parry, recruitment firm Michael Page Malaysia, HMRC and The Ritz London hotel. Numerous benefits to their organisations were cited, from brand recognition and winning new business to accessing previously untapped talent pools.

Listening to these individuals you start to appreciate at an individual level the challenges neurodivergent people face at work and in education; their relevant strengths; how organisations have implemented support at both the institutional and individual level; and thoughts towards the future of neurodiversity at work.

Many things are striking about listening to these stories, but one element that is common is the mention of coping strategies that people have adopted, often by masking – a defensive tactic where an individual conceals their natural personality and behaviours - and the work challenges that they face. We also heard some remarkable stories about how neurodivergent employees had ‘outed’ themselves in the workplace and had been able to educate themselves, their colleagues and the wider company. But this openness came at a price – it is tiring explaining yourself constantly.

As well as genuine difficulties, our research heard of the benefits that neurodivergent employees recognised in themselves. One accountant related how he felt that being neurodivergent provided him with strengths such as resilience, empathy, attention to detail and focus. You can read more about the fascinating individual stories here.

While I am positive about the increasing understanding of the many advantages of embracing a neurodivergent workforce, the present reality is that the world of work clearly isn’t an environment in which many neurodivergent people can feel comfortable and succeed. It’s an issue that has historically gone under the radar. Neurodivergent employees bring different strengths and capabilities to the workforce, which benefits not only fellow employees, but the business as a whole.