To get an idea of the next big hiring trend. You only have to look at the major players in each field and see what they’re doing. In recent years, behemoths like Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, and Google have all set up dedicated autistic hiring teams . Their findings are highly promising, and there are win-win benefits for both the employees and the hiring companies.
Benefits For Neurodiverse Employees
Autistic workers bring many positive benefits to the workplace. High levels of concentration, a great eye for detail, are just some traits that research into autistic employees is finding. However, there are many benefits that neurodiverse employees get from being in full-time employment:
- Independence – even with low support needs, autistic individuals often receive a lot of help throughout their school career and beyond. It’s easy to fall into the trap of learned helplessness in these situations. Which in turn can make it hard to transition to full-time employment. However, with the right support from an autism talent management agency, autistic workers can develop their own independence. Which will boost their productivity and ability to grow and develop in the role.
- Self-confidence – there are a lot of negative stereotypes in the media and movies about autistic people, and this has been shown to have a dramatic effect on self-confidence in neurodivergent individuals of all ages. There are very few positive portrayals of successful autistic people and even fewer autistic workers forging their own careers. When you hire neurodivergent talent, you’ll be giving them a massive confidence boost that will be repaid to you in company loyalty and dedication to their work, often making them one of the hardest-working employees you’ll ever have.
- Role modeling – finally, the autistic community in Vancouver is tight-knit, and you’ll often find that most autistic workers have connections with other autistic individuals out in the community. The current employment rate for individuals on the autism spectrum in British Columbia consistently hovers around 20%, so anyone who breaks through the glass ceiling into full-time employment is seen as a role model for others who dream of their own financial and social independence.
Benefits For Hiring Companies
Hiring neurodiverse workers are not only a victory for the employees themselves, but it also brings a wide variety of benefits for your company, including:
- Improved communication – many individuals with an autism diagnosis deal in concrete, black-and-white language. This can mean that they struggle with social pragmatics, and one of the first pieces of staff training you’ll need to deliver is the importance of avoiding abstract linguistic tools like sarcasm and idioms. What you’ll find is that communication becomes much more streamlined between all employees.
- Higher levels of empathy – another essential staff training that an autism talent management agency should be able to provide for you is a myth-busting session about neurodiversity. Part of this will ask your staff to put themselves in the shoes of their new autistic colleague and examine what the company looks like from their point of view. This empathy will allow and even encourage your staff to examine how others view their interactions and make positive changes accordingly.
How To Hire Neurodiverse Employees
It’s clear to see the win-win potential of hiring neurodiverse employees. However, unless you have some in-house autism experts, it can be difficult to find, recruit and train high-quality autistic talent. This is when you’ll want to team up with an autism talent management agency. They will have a ready stocked candidate list of qualified neurodiverse candidates . And will work with you to interview and select the best employee for your position. Autistic talent management agencies can also be an integral part of the onboarding process. Including staff training about autism and inclusion.
