Celebrating neurodiversity: shaping inclusive workplaces in 2025
Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025 (March 17th to March 23rd) is a great time to reflect on the importance of neurodivsersity; but remember, neuroinclusion is important all year round. It is also a reminder to review your policies and ensure they provide meaningful support for neurodivergent employees.
What is neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity refers to the diverse ways in which people think, learn and process information. It includes a broad range of cognitive differences – such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia and more – that make each individual unique.
The neurodiversity movement celebrates the strengths, talents and fresh perspectives that come from varied cognitive styles.
In the UK alone, about 14% of the population (or 1 in 7) have some form of neurodiversity. However, there’s a disconnect between this prevalence and workplace design, which frequently overlooks the requirements of neurodiverse employees.
It’s crucial for employers to recognise this and ensure there is a culture of inclusion and support for all employees, including those who are neurodiverse.
Opportunities of neurodiverse talent
Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace unlocks a wealth of potential – but for many employers, there is still significant work to be done to enhance neuroinclusion and raise awareness among managers, ensuring they are better equipped to improve the overall employee experience.
Opportunities
- Enhanced creativity and productivity: Studies show that neurodiverse teams can be up to 30% more productive than their neurotypical peers, bringing fresh ideas and innovative problem-solving skills to the table.
- Broad talent pool: With 76% of UK organisations facing skills shortages, as revealed in ManpowerGroup’s 2025 Talent Shortage Survey, tapping into neurodiverse talent isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential for staying competitive.
Barriers to success
- Recruitment disparities: According to City & Guilds Neurodiversity Index 2025 only 51% of employers adapted their recruitment processes to accommodate neurodivergent candidates. Organisations should clearly outline how applicants can request accommodations. Hiring managers need thorough training to recognise bias and understand reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent candidates throughout recruitment and onboarding.
- Lack of support: The Neurodiversity Index report also found that 1 in 3 neurodivergent employees are dissatisfied with the support they receive from their employers, and over half have taken time off work due to their neurodivergence.
- Employment disparities: According to the UK Government’s 2024 Buckland Review of Autism Employment, only about 3 in 10 of autistic adults are employed – one of the lowest amongst neurodiverse groups. This means many organisations are missing out on huge untapped potential and far too many people aren’t being given the same opportunities as their neurotypical peers.
- Inclusive climate: Only half of neurodivergent employees feel that their organisation or team has an open and supportive climate. This highlights the need for organisations to go beyond policy statements and actively build inclusive environments.
- Gaps in neurodiversity training: The same City & Guilds Neurodiversity Index 2025, found that 57% of senior leaders and 37% of managers report having received no neurodiversity training. This means that organisations are missing out on a wealth of talent and that many managers are being failed by their organisations – both will have a profound impact on business success.
Strategies to improve the experience of neurodiverse employees
When it comes to supporting neurodiverse employees, one-off initiatives aren’t enough. Embedding inclusive practices is essential. From clear policies and training to empowered leadership, here are some key strategies to create a workplace where everyone can thrive.
Leverage employee relations analytics
Fit-for-purpose employee relations software can unlock a treasure trove of employee relations data and analytics that can be used to identify areas for improvement for neurodiverse employees.
empower® ER analytics provides a clear, comprehensive view of your workforce, enabling you to identify and address employee relations challenges. By integrating case data with organisational structure and employee information, it delivers easy-to-understand dashboards that visualise key ER metrics and trends you can use to make more data-driven decisions.
Actionable insights from empower® directly enabled Wickes to identify the root cause of an issue they were finding, with a need for additional manager training to improve support for neurodivergent employees.
Armed with this insight from their employee relations data, Wickes partnered with the National Autistic Society. This collaboration provided their team with enhanced training and increased awareness of the unique talents and challenges of autistic colleagues, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive workplace environment.
Read the full case study here.
Empower managers with targeted neurodiversity training and development
Offering specialised training that helps managers understand neurodiversity, recognise the unique strengths that neurodiverse employees bring, and adjust their management techniques accordingly.
It can also be valuable to have development initiatives ongoing, such as regular workshops and feedback sessions, where managers share their experiences and best practices to most effectively support their neurodiverse team members.
Equality, diversity and inclusion training in particular can be hugely valuable to neurodiverse individuals who may present differently in interviews compared to neurotypical candidates. Understanding and implementing reasonable adjustments can significantly impact their performance and allow their true potential to shine.
You can find out more about our equality, diversity and inclusion training from our group eLearning experts, Learning Nexus, here.
Review and refine neurodiversity policies
Creating an inclusive workplace requires more than just good intentions; it demands well-defined policies that evolve with the needs of your workforce. Regularly assessing neurodiversity policies ensures they provide meaningful support and positive experience for all employees.
A thorough review can help identify gaps, such as unclear guidance on reasonable adjustments, limited manager training, or unintentional barriers in recruitment and career progression. By proactively refining policies, organisations can create an environment where neurodiverse employees feel valued and set up for success.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion consultancy services help organisations develop policies that go beyond compliance and embed awareness into company culture.
Embedding policies into the culture means transforming them from static documents into daily practices that shape interactions and decisions. It’s not enough to simply have guidelines on paper – the values they represent must be lived and experienced by everyone in the organisation.
When neurodiversity policies are woven into the fabric of the workplace, they guide leadership, influence team dynamics and create an environment where every individual feels empowered and understood. This cultural integration ensures that the commitment to neurodiversity goes beyond compliance; it becomes a core part of how an organisation innovates and supports every employee.
Join the movement
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a call to action to work together to create workplaces where every mind is respected, valued and empowered. For more insights and resources, visit Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Get in touch with us here to speak to an expert about how we can support your organisation.