How to support and motivate your neurodivergent employees

But what is ADHD, and how can companies best adjust to help people who have this diagnosis?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a condition that affects people’s behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.

Dan Harris, founder and chief executive of Neurodiversity in Business, says ADHD "really is simply different brain wiring". 

According to charitable organisation ADHD UK, approximately 2.6mn people in Britain have ADHD, broken down into a childhood incidence rate of 5 per cent, and an adult incidence rate of 3-4 per cent.

I struggled with open-plan office environments, often having to take work home or work longer hours to get the work done.Hayley North, Rose & North

Harris, who himself has ADHD, says that while people with it have many strengths, they currently experience many challenges “due to executive functioning differences".

His organisation carried out in-depth research together with Birkbeck University into how neurodivergent individuals, including those with ADHD, process information, approach work, and manage tasks, and how companies and other organisations can support them. 

The findings, revealed in March this year, suggested that employers should "take steps to understand what makes people stay or likely to leave".

The research team established that employees were far less likely to leave where adjustments are tailored, according to 50 per cent of respondents to the study.

Filling the skills gap

GAIN, the Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment and Neurodiversity, is another organisation working closely with people who are neurodivergent and companies who want to employ them, often to fill the skills gaps that neurodivergent people can match. 

Laurie Edmans, co-founder of GAIN and a financial inclusion ambassador, describes how “ADHD is most often diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, but can continue into adulthood.

"Some people with ADHD are hyperactive and very spontaneous. But the same people can also be especially creative and inventive, show great empathy and selflessness, tenacity and resilience, energy and enthusiasm.” 

Some strengths of people with ADHD include being able to work under pressure, deep concentration, creative thinking, energy and enthusiasm, multitasking, and task switching. 

I am able to focus intensely for periods of time and give all my attention to that one task.Hayley North

Edmans says that the work which GAIN has done with psychologists and HR professionals suggests that some roles which benefit significantly from these abilities and attributes include change management, risk management, in general.

In specific instances, candidates with these abilities can lend their skills well to investment businesses, portfolio management, data management and operations.

Similarly, in insurance, people with ADHD can thrive in fields such as loss adjustment, as managing agents and in underwriting.

“In short, many demanding and satisfying roles", Edmans says.

Benefits to financial advice

Financial advice, too, is a great profession for people with ADHD.

Hayley North is a chartered financial planner and founder of advice firm Rose & North. She was diagnosed this year with ADHD and Autism and is passionate about helping others understand what the world is like to someone who is neurodivergent. 

North, who now works for herself says: “When I was employed, I always struggled to get to work on time but delivered great results while I was there.

"I struggled with open-plan office environments, often having to take work home or work longer hours to get the work done.

"Obviously at the time I wasn't in a position to ask for support or a quiet room to work in, as this was simply seen as being high maintenance and awkward, when in fact it would have made it easier for me to do my job.” 

However, little seems to have changed in the past decade or so.

She continues: “I don't think most workplaces these days are ideal for those with ADHD. Frequent interruptions are unhelpful as I will have periods of almost laser focus on my work and once interrupted, I can struggle to get this back.

In terms of recruitment, we need to be thoughtful on job adverts.Peter Hamilton, Zurich 

"I have worked for myself for more than 15 years now and would never go back to working in an office or for others, as I need to be able to control my work environment and how I manage my workflow. It is extremely stressful not being able to work in the way that works best for me.”

However, she is more positive describing her strengths as a person who is neurodivergent with ADHD: “I am extremely creative - brimming with ideas, most of which I would never have the time or resources to execute but others could happily use.

"I am able to focus intensely for periods of time and give all my attention to that one task, great when dealing with clients one on one.

"I am very curious and always open to exploring solutions or alternative approaches and often bring a lot of energy into the room (which I then need time to recover in my own time). I also have a very broad range of skills an am always happy to pick up new ones."

Like many people with ADHD, North says she “can also very quickly get bored of something new, and from the many ideas only one or two will be things I actually run with.”

North believes this highlights the importance of diverse teams of people in working environments with different skill sets and ways of thinking that help each other make the most of strengths. 

Reasonable adjustments

Peter Hamilton is head of market engagement at Zurich plc and the government’s Disability and Access Ambassador for the Insurance Sector. 

He says Zurich has a reasonable adjustments process in place and provides manager training in disability confidence.

All the adjustments are very much tailored to the individual, but he says it is important to stress that the cost to the company is often minimal, but the benefits to the team member and to Zurich significant.

Hamilton advises: “In terms of recruitment, we need to be thoughtful on job adverts – do you really have to be a ‘good team player’ in every role? We need to be alert to making sure the process is clear and communicated in advance.

"Is an interview the right process? Can we provide a topics or questions  in advance and give the neurodivergent person a real chance to shine.  We’ve stopped using group exercises as part of our graduate recruitment, as that unnecessarily disadvantages some neurodivergent candidates

“The support we might provide someone with ADHD will very much depend on the individual."

According to Hamilton, this might include accommodations such as a flexible schedule, somewhere more private to work, noise-cancelling headphones, guidance and objectives for work being written down, breaks and time management (help), accommodations for meetings, career counselling, and training.

Additional help

To provide employers with additional help, NiB published The NiB Neurodiversity at Work 2023 Demand, Supply and a Gap Analysis Research Report, which was their 2023 research conducted by Birkbeck, University of London.

Harris describes this research as “the first of its kind, highlighting the needs and concerns of the neurodivergent workforce. We’ll be releasing additional research in April 2024.” 

He recommends employers read the 10 key takeaways from the report, then dive into the recommendations in more depth. 

1. Your neurodivergent employees have strengths that are key to innovation.
2. There’s an untapped need and opportunity to embed neurodiversity into DEI policies. 
3. Flexibility in workplace and working hours matters. 
4. Mental wellbeing requires urgent attention. 
5. Fear of stigma and discrimination is still widespread. 
6. Educating line management is essential. 
7. Neurodiversity-friendly career pathways are critical for retaining talent. 
8. Intention to leave is high for neurodivergent individuals. 
9. Intersectionality does have an impact.  
10. Self-disclosure drives access to adjustments. 

While there is plenty of positive work being done by some organisations to learn more about ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions such as autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, and dyscalculia and how to facilitate these conditions in the workplace, Edmans is realistic. 

He says: “Neurodiversity is a relatively new topic of conversation in corporate diversity, equity and inclusion spaces.

"As members of GAIN, companies recognise the value and importance of fostering neuro-inclusive workplaces, but are still in the process of learning what this means and how best to support neurodivergent employees.

"At the same time, many neurodivergent people have deep insights to offer but have historically been excluded from the spheres of influence where their voices can be heard.”

Anita Boniface is a freelance journalist