REWARD
Ensuring neuroinclusivity at all stages of the employee life cycle
PART 3: ONBOARDING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
In the third in a series of articles, Cybill Watkins MCIPP MBCS, product legislation manager, Zellis, reviews how employers can support new neurodivergent recruits at work and help them reach their full potential
T he first two articles in this series explored the minefield of job applications and some of the struggles and hurdles a neurodivergent applicant may face. Now it’s time to review the life of a payroll professional and how to help the successful candidate flourish within the team. Starting a new job, whether it’s within the team you’re already established in or a different one, can be extremely daunting for anyone. Then add in the challenges of neurodivergent conditions and the whole process can become too overwhelming, pushing us toward inadvertently shutting down before we have even started. Onboarding What helped me the most prior to starting a new job was meeting my new manager informally a few times, as well as those that I would be working with most closely. It’s very important to have a rapport in place at the beginning, to know a person and how they work, how they think and how I can behave around them. It also helps when they can get to know me too, understand my strengths, struggles and fears, and know that I just want to please. These informal ‘chats’ have been
invaluable, especially as neurodiversity has only very recently been brought to the attention of employers. As a manager, it’s very important to get to know the employee and what support they may need from the beginning. It could simply be having someone they’ve already met greet them on the first day, away from the office, and walking them in so that they don’t feel overwhelmed being in a strange place with strange people. Or it could be something more, such as offering a quiet space, different lighting or even a phased start over the first week. Once the job offer has been made and accepted, you can ask what adjustments the employee will need. There are so many possible options, but these could include: ● a desk away from the main thoroughfare ● software additions ● flexible working, maybe an extra day at home or flexi hours ● limiting the number of people in a meeting ● changes to communication methods ● coaching / counselling sessions ● adjusted lighting, heating, visual stimulants ● time away from the desk after a long
period of concentration ● only dealing with queries from certain sources, i.e. not on the phone, time off straight after a significant event (paid). Many of those who have lived with traits may already have some idea of what they need, but managers should remember that the employer has a legal responsibility to make adjustments and recent court cases have proved that an employee doesn’t necessarily have to ask for them if the employer notices their struggles. Even before their first day, you can organise informal chats with the new team member to plan their first few weeks. On their first day, you can then set out a daily plan for meeting the team and key stakeholders around the business and make sure that they are happy with the speed of introductions, setting up workloads and any compulsory training that is needed. They could be someone who wants to delve into work without being phased by anything, but do remember there could be a neurodivergent struggle behind this. They may be so well tuned to masking that they won’t consider burnout or adjustments that would make their work life more comfortable. You should still
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | December 2024 - January 2025 | Issue 106 45
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