Inclusion Is Not Enough: How 'Neuro-Affirmative Workplaces' Create Happier Workplaces For Everyone Instead of expecting individuals to conform to an outdated 'one size fits all' model, neuro-affirmative workplaces actively support and celebrate all individuals for their differences, where everybody belongs.

"A few years ago, I genuinely believed that Microsoft asking me to deliver a training based on the book I'd self-published, 'ADHD: an A to Z', was a hoax.

When I delivered it, I was shocked to see how many people genuinely wanted to accommodate neurodivergence at work. Yet last month, Microsoft let their entire diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) team go, as they said diversity ideals were 'no longer business critical'.

Today, I'm not surprised to see the backlash against DEI, because inclusion is not the same as intention. I've met far too many passionate people who became token figureheads of 'change', set up to fail in a rigged system. Unfortunately, awareness is not the same as action.

These often fragmented initiatives are rarely backed up by genuine intention of change from 'above' that would threaten the status quo. People also cannot be forced to care about things they don't genuinely believe in, even if attendance is mandatory, defeating the entire purpose.

Inclusion sounds good when it seems 'easy', such as by ticking a box for a 'diversity hire'. In reality, it is very different.

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Overcoming our own bias about what we consider to be 'normal' requires us to be truly honest and vulnerable. This is uncomfortable, especially in 'professional' settings where we're expected to have all of the answers.

When it comes to neuroinclusion, there is no 'problem - solution' formula - there's just collaboration, compromise, compassion, and communication. These don't have neat price tags attached to them, because concepts like support, trust, integrity, and safety are inherently extremely difficult to measure or quantify.

This is compounded by the recent implosion of conversations about neurodiversity at work. Since 2020, there's been a 400% increase in the number of adults seeking Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments. This is only increasing amidst a backdrop of years-long NHS assessment waiting lists, resulting in mass chaos and confusion for people who need help - and their employers.

Neuroinclusion is very different from other kinds of representation, because it legally requires employers to pro-actively do something. Accommodating disabled individuals is not a 'nice to have' - it's a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010.

This means that neuroinclusion is around to stay, whether DEI teams are there or not.

Employers have two choices: the carrot or the stick. Disability discrimination damages are uncapped in the employment tribunal, with easily avoidable time-consuming, expensive conflicts emerging from minor misunderstandings.

This can be very expensive for employers, with a £4.6 million award recently granted to an employee who is disabled due to Post tramatic stress disorder (PTSD) and ADHD, after being repeatedly told by her employer that her 'brain doesn't work like other people's.' This is reflected in a 30% increase in cases of disability discrimination against those with neurodiverse conditions.

As conditions like ADHD haven't been diagnosable in UK adults since 2008, the majority of employers already have neurodivergent staff - whether they know about it or not. Human Resources (HR) Director Sarah Bradley recently won a discrimination case against her employer of 13 years for refusing to accept her resignation on the basis of her ADHD.

Alternatively, employers can choose to be truly Neuro-Affirmative, and back up these initiatives with genuine intention. This approach recognises that all of our brains work differently, actively supporting and affirming these differences for everybody to collaborate and communicate effectively.

Psychological safety for one person is psychological safety for all. This can be achieved by employers implementing actionable, tangible initiatives that move beyond diagnosis and disclosure.

Making reasonable adjustments by law should be the floor, not the ceiling. If something works for one person, why not allow others to do the same? The pandemic has shown how easily our concepts of 'normal' and 'possible' can change, and it's proving extremely difficult for employers to revert back to a purely office-based world.

Updating the ways of working to be fit for everyone in our current hybrid-working world is good business sense, not a DEI tickbox. For example, John Lewis now shares job interview questions for all interviewees in advance, benefiting not only those with formal medical diagnoses, but everybody.

Being neuro-affirmative empowers us to look at 'the way things are done' and see how they can be improved. It enables every individual to learn to question their own bias, regulate their emotions, respect differences, and communicate clearly.

In our increasingly polarised society, these skills have never been more important. Being Neuro-Affirmative isn't about being 'woke' - it's about the ability to cooperate and collaborate effectively with people, even if we don't agree with them.

Whilst neuroinclusion focuses on providing space for neurodivergent individuals, Neuro-Affirmative practices go further by focusing on everybody. They cultivate environments that support, celebrate, and harness diverse ways of thinking and being, resulting in more innovative, happier, and healthier workplaces for everyone.

Instead of expecting individuals to conform to an outdated 'one size fits all' model, neuro-affirmative workplaces actively support and celebrate all individuals for their differences, where everybody belongs."