Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is a highly variable condition characterized by behavioral, social, and communication challenges. Persons with autism also possess skills that can be advantageous to organizations. On the occasion of World Autism Day (April 2), here is a look at how organizations are tapping into the neurodiverse group.
Manan (name changed) is a 23-year-old man on the spectrum. After being diagnosed with autism at the age of three, his parents enrolled him in an integrated school in Hyderabad while they engaged him in occupational therapy at a center nearby. The holistic approach has enabled him to pursue higher education– graduation and post-graduation. After completing his BBA and MBA, he has been employed in a reputed firm as a financial consultant.
Manan is among the growing crowd of professionals being hired from the neurodiverse population.
Neurodiversity or ND is a collective term for the variation in the human brain, which is related to sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions. The term ND was coined by sociologist Judy Singer in the late 90s and popularized the concept along with journalist Harvey Blume.
Why neurodiversity at workplaces?
Neurodiversity in the workplace has become a diversity strand, considering the advantages the group can offer.
Deloitte Insights’ article talks about how by recruiting and nurturing neurodiverse people, along with a little training, organizations can leverage competitive advantage. The same article also observes that in the United States, the unemployment rates are higher in the group at 85% when compared to the overall rate of over just 4% in the general population.
India Inc. too has geared up to address the problem of excluding the group from the workforce.
How neurodiversity is making inroads
Take the case of Wells Fargo which has invested in a curriculum to place people in jobs identified for them.
In the Best of the Best conference 2021 by Avtar and Seramount, Sarada Vempati, Lead, Technology Infrastructure, Wells Fargo India and Philippines, spoke about how persons with disabilities, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention Deficit Disorder, is in the employable age. Excluding the group results in a loss of 7 % of the GDP.
She also added that with appropriate training, neurodiverse candidates can perform a range of tasks, especially those that are process-driven. “At Wells Fargo, strategic roles have been identified for neurodiverse candidates. Job analysis, sourcing and training of candidates, and investment in a curriculum have resulted in the absorption of a cohort of neurodiverse candidates. The focus is to build a pipeline in association with academic institutions,” she added.
The organization has been identified among the 100 Best Companies for Women in India, a yearly gender analytics exercise conducted by Avtar in association with Seramount. The BCWI-MICI study also looks at the diverse strands of the organizations, measuring them on broad parameters.
EY hired a group of neurodiverse talent for the first time in 2016 at the Philadelphia office in the US. The company has seen its contribution effective, especially in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, robotics, and process automation. EY India has adapted its recruitment process for the group, discarding the standard interview format and replacing them with informal and unscripted chats. Instead of technical knowledge assessment, the candidate’s aptitude for learning new things was gauged. Companies hiring the workforce include JPMorgan, Dell, Cisco, SAP Labs, Barclays, and ANZ Bank, to name a few.
Differences make all human beings unique, and companies have come forward to find the hidden talent among the neurodiverse workforce to offer them opportunities through customized processes rather than putting them through the standard procedures that may not identify their potential.
