HR Unscripted… With Jo Banks

Celebrating Neurodiversity in Business Success

In our next HR Unscripted…. and in conjunction with Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Kerry White is chatting with Executive Coach, Author and Trainer (including neurodiversity training) Jo Banks. 

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term which can be used to describe alternative thinking styles such as Dyslexia, DCD (Dyspraxia), Dyscalculia, Autism and ADHD.  In this article, Kerry and Jo will chat about the many aspects of neurodiversity (mainly ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia), including why it’s so important to celebrate Neurodiversity in the workplace, what Neurodiverse employees can bring to an organisation, and Jo’s going to provide some overarching advice on how to overcome any challenges.    

Jo, your early career was as a senior HR Professional and you established your coaching and leadership development practice in 2009.  Tell us a bit about you and your connection with Neurodiversity.

Well, it’s been quite a journey. I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 53. I always knew there was something different about me. For example, I’ve always been great under pressure. I can produce massive amounts of quality work in a short space of time and have always been able to see three steps ahead of everyone else. Not to mention, I have an uncanny knack for being able to ‘read’ other people.

On the downside, I have always been an overthinker, worried, and dwelled on rejection (or perceived rejection). I can get overwhelmed and exhausted when I’ve done too much ‘peopling’!

A friend mentioned that she had been diagnosed with ADHD and said, ‘You’re ADHD too!’. I hadn’t considered it before, but the more I researched, the more I became convinced that I was, and so I decided to go through the diagnostic process.

There’s so much for us to chat through, but let’s start with…. According to Neurodiversity Celebration Week, approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference. Do you agree with this statistic?

No, I think it's way higher!!  Especially if, alongside the “official statistics”, we take into consideration those who are aware they have a neurological difference but haven't received an official diagnosis and also those who are unaware and maybe wandering around thinking, “What the heck is wrong with me?”. That’s something I frequently see in my 1:2:1 coaching.

I think we’re definitely going to see this percentage increase over the coming years as awareness rises. 

This week has been about celebrating Neurodiversity.  So, let’s have a shout-out for what employees with neurodiversity can bring to a business.

Ooh, yes, now, where do I start?!  The biggies for me, especially for ADHD and Dyslexia, are crisis management, problem identification and solving, hyper-focus, entrepreneurship and adaptive thinking.

For those on the autistic spectrum, problem identification and pattern recognition, problem-solving, attention to detail, and hyper-focus are key traits.

Being super calm under pressure is a huge superpower for ADHD!!  Many people with ADHD can just switch it on.  It doesn't mean we're not exhausted afterwards, and we might be fit for nothing for a while, but we're typically unbelievably calm in difficult situations. 

This is largely due to ‘out of the box thinking’ (seeing things differently), often making us strategically three or four steps ahead of neurotypical people.  This is a fantastic trait to have in an organisation and at all levels.  It’s not just senior people who need to stay calm and collected, you know!

Then there’s detailed planning and focus, the crossing of the “i’s” and dotting of the “t’s”.  The completer/finishers are more likely found in those with Autism.  This planning and focus can lead to increased efficiency and innovative solutions – a must for every successful business, surely?

Pattern recognition is another great strength of Neurodiverse people.  Seeing and recognising patterns and trends can be a real asset when looking at future predicted outcomes and targets. 

People with dyslexia are often highly creative and exceptional storytellers. They have a unique way of viewing the world; approaching challenges from perspectives others might not consider.

While they do recognise problems and obstacles, their real strength lies in identifying opportunities that neurotypical individuals might overlook. Their ability to think outside the box allows them to see potential where others see limitations, making them innovative thinkers and problem-solvers.  

As with all employees, there will be challenges to face in the workplace.  But for Neurodivergent employees, these are sometimes misunderstood or hidden challenges.  Talk me through what you see as the main challenges they face.

Whether you’ve been diagnosed or not, masking and camouflaging is HUGE.  We feel like we need to conform to the norm (consciously or unconsciously), but this is often not only detrimental to our health and well-being, but you also won’t get the best out of us. 

ADHD’ers can be forgetful and struggle with poor timekeeping.  For ADHD and dyslexia, focus and finishing tasks can be a struggle, but this is often one of the strengths of those with autism!  And we’re no good at receiving negative/ constructive feedback – Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria is common in Neurodiverse people, as is injustice sensitivity.

Not understanding what Dopamine can and can’t do to an individual can be a big challenge.  Dopamine levels play a huge factor in ADHD.  Neurotypical people just don’t understand on the same level what low dopamine feels like and the challenges that come with it. They’ll never actually know the true pain that someone goes through when you have a task to complete and there's no dopamine available. 

Research is now showing that when a neurodiverse person has to do something they don’t want to do (usually because there’s no dopamine associated with it) the same pain-centres light up in the brain as physical pain.

People with dyslexia may struggle with written communication and become frustrated or overwhelmed with sequential or lengthy processes.  Neurodiverse people can also be sensitive to noise, light, and interruptions, which can mean a busy office or environment can increase our cognitive load.   

Task transition can also be an issue across the board. We find it difficult to move from one task to the next, especially when we’re hyper-fixated.

Relationships with peers and stakeholders can also be more challenging to maintain and dealing with conflict can easily cause a fight, flight, freeze stress response. 

Autistic individuals can tend to take things literally and may have difficulty with the nuances of verbal communication.  A show of frustration can be seen, even with small changes or disruptions, which neurotypical people won’t even bat an eyelid at.

As I mentioned before, Neurodiverse people are often three or four steps ahead of our neurotypical counterparts. However, we don’t often speak up in meetings to express what we know because we assume others can see what we can, so why state the obvious?  We forget not everyone thinks like us – “If I can see the obvious “problem”, so can everyone else”.

So, how can organisations celebrate Neurodivergent employees and overcome these challenges? And not just for one week a year but all the time?

Well, let’s think about your Employee Assistance Programme.  Does it include coaching and counselling for Neurodiversity?  I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to use Coaches who have first-hand experience of Neurodiversity. 

What about your attraction and hiring process?  Are your interview process and personality profiling tests discriminating against or blocking neurodivergent individuals?  Possibly? 

Oh, did you know an employee doesn’t need to be diagnosed as Neurodiverse to bring a claim against an organisation?  I’m not scaremongering. I’m saying this to educate and protect.  ACAS states this very clearly in their guidelines.

Educate EVERYONE from the top down and bottom up.  Make awareness and understanding the norm.  Businesses must create an environment that encourages honest discussions about workplace challenges.  This isn’t just for your diagnosed Neurodiverse people. It’s for everyone. 

There are numerous misunderstandings about neurodivergent conditions.  Offering neurodiversity training to all employees and creating safe spaces or forums for individuals to discuss their neurodivergent conditions and symptoms can help reduce stigma. Additionally, this approach can inspire innovative ideas on how to structure the workplace better to support those with neurodivergent conditions.

And on that, conditions in the workplace/home office can be tweaked - Source changeable lighting and make sure noise cancelling headphones aren’t frowned upon.  For those with Dyslexia and alike, providing anti-glare screens and Grammarly (where IT allows) can be a godsend. 

How about ensuring meetings aren’t just reams and reams of words on a screen, especially when giving presentations/training to a group of mixed neurodiverse/neurotypical (remember, many neurodiverse people don’t know that they are!)?  The list is endless! 

With the proper support, advice and tools, individuals can begin to understand their triggers and coping strategies.  They’ll know how to get that dopamine boost to help finish that project.  Or how long they can stay in a busy, social setting before feeling overwhelmed.  Maybe even how to regulate themselves back to a calm state when they feel overwhelmed or overstimulated, say, in the middle of a meeting. 

It's also helpful for team members to understand how to get the best out of their neurodiverse colleagues and how to support them. That’s, again, where training is crucial.

Jo, we could keep chatting about this forever, and we’ve only skimmed the surface of what the Neurodivergent population can bring to the workplace and how we can help them succeed. 

On a final note, can you summarise what organisations can do for their Neurodivergent workforce?

Awareness is key for all parties.  Discover and work with their unique strengths and focus on them.  Everyone is different. Having empathy and kindness, communication, understanding, and support is paramount. 

Please don’t roll all your neurodivergent people out and ask them to stand up and talk about themselves (you’d be amazed how many times I’ve heard of this happening and the negative effect it has!!!). 

Finally, we know that organisations with a mix of neurodiverse and neurotypical people outperform those without. Neurodiverse people are critical to organisations and society as a whole.

So, we should be supporting and celebrating neurodiversity, not making people feel that they shouldn’t talk about it or even worse, not tell their employer/potential employer because they think it will ruin their careers!

RedGreen Partners and Jo Banks will be partnering together to hold a series of seminars, beginning in the summer of 2025. 

To be one of the first to receive an invitation and further details, please email hello@redgreenpartners.co.uk with the subject header “Seminar”.

To find out more about Jo and to discover further work she’s produced on Neurodiversity, please visit www.jobanks.net.

Whether you’re looking for that next career move or recruiting into your HR team, RedGreen Partners believe that who you partner with can make all the difference. 

To have a confidential chat with Kerry White, Director at RedGreen Partners, please email kerry.white@redgreenpartners.co.uk or call 07831464981