Workers call for improved management neurodiversity training

A significant percentage of workers in the UK believe the companies they work for do not provide effective neurodiversity management training.

That is one of the key findings of a survey conducted by Acas. A total of 35% of workers felt their companies did not have good neurodiversity training for managers – which is over one third of them. A further 18% told the survey they consider their companies to be ‘very ineffective’ when it comes to this. Nearly a third of them – 32% to be precise – stated they were unsure about what help their companies offered to workers with neurodiversity.

Sheila Attwood of Brightmine pointed out that research had found that line managers were not confident in handling the issue, so the new findings were no surprise.

She then added:

“Employers cite operational challenges that limit progress in developing effective neurodiversity support, including insufficient time or staff resources, low awareness or understanding of neurodiversity, and limited budgets”

One option for companies in this position is to use outsourced HR services in Northampton for everyday HR tasks. This would free up resources and time for their own HR teams to put together neurodiversity training programmes.

Attwood went on to say that senior managers needed to give visible backing to any training schemes, as this would lend them legitimacy. She also said the lived experiences of neurodivergent employees should be at the heart of training.

Among the common examples of neurodiversity are dyspraxia, dyslexia and ADHD. It refers to variances in cognitive behaviour and processing.