The professional landscape is filled with challenges. Employers cite absenteeism and turnover as issues, while employees face all-time-high rates of burnout. This phenomenon arises all around the world. Recent news suggests that 70 percent of U.S. Gen Z workers may be diagnosed with burnout, while a study in Norway shows that, whereas only 5.8 percent of healthcare workers were burning out in 2012, that increased to 24 percent of the workforce in 2024. Globally, stress rates have never been higher, and the common challenge that both employees and employers are faced with now is to understand how to reverse the trend.
New Report on Neuroinclusion in the Workplace
The answer may come from an unexpected source, according to the new report I wrote and published with NeuroBridge, a neurodiversity support company. Studies on neurodivergence in the workplace have often focused on the specific challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals—those who may be diagnosed with neurodevelopmental or mental health conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, etc. The converging findings were that neurodivergent individuals faced more challenges than other employees and tended to struggle more professionally. The answer to these challenges was to provide accommodations or to train managers. In the United Kingdom specifically, the Equality Act made these measures compulsory, even without the need to disclose.
Emerging evidence shows that accommodations improve the well-being of neurodivergent individuals, decrease the likelihood of turnover and absenteeism, and improve stress metrics. Our recent report published by Neurobridge follows up on these findings and compares two companies: one where efforts to drive neuroinclusion were high, and another where it was not the priority.
We found that perceived neuroinclusion by employees improved retention of neurodivergent employees, who were disproportionately more employed in the inclusive company than in the non-inclusive one. Additionally, neurodivergent individuals felt less stressed and had fewer complaints when neuroinclusion scores were higher. But it doesn’t stop here.
Consistent with previous findings, our results showed that perceived neuroinclusion also predicted fewer job complaints and higher engagement among non-neurodivergent employees. In other words, cultivating a culture of neuroinclusion benefits not only vulnerable employees but everyone—and this appears to lead to better company outcomes, according to findings from Deloitte, Accenture, and Specialisterne in previously published reports.
What unfortunately remained true in both companies was that neurodivergent individuals were less likely to be considered for manager positions and were, on average, 2.5 times less likely to advance in their careers. The data also showed us that neurodivergent employees would not disclose their condition at work, and 58 percent of them said that they didn’t for fear of discrimination and stigma. This shows that despite converging evidence toward the benefits of accommodations and neuroinclusive cultures, a lot of work remains to be done. But it is not all negative.
What stands out about our new findings is that neuroinclusion was the leading predictive indicator of all employee well-being, outmatching diversity, inclusion, and training initiatives. What this shows is that neurodivergence, which scientific literature and companies alike have treated like a problem to be solved, may instead hold the answers to current issues faced not only by a subset of individuals but by every employee.
Why Is It Working?
Neuroinclusion promotes a culture where everyone can work at their best. It is a process that inherently admits and considers that all individuals have unique needs and that no job can operate within a one-size-fits-all approach. The reaction is thus to implement diverse ways of working where all employees can complete their responsibilities in a way that works for them and that reduces the friction experienced while doing so.
This process disproportionately helps individuals who are neurodivergent and who have, by definition, diverging needs. For example, a study found that individuals with ADHD who received accommodations not only saw many of their issues disappear but also started thriving. The study outlines the need for a person-environment fit that is at the core of what neuroinclusive practices are. This means that by operating in a culture that values different ways of working, thinking, and operating, eventually everyone will benefit from this person-environment fit approach.
Neurodiversity Essential Reads
Additionally, some neurodivergent-specific challenges may also occasionally arise for every individual. For example, a new parent who has difficulties sleeping may find themselves less able to concentrate during the day and will benefit from accommodations that are usually given to individuals with ADHD. By implementing neuroinclusive policies, everyone can have the flexibility and autonomy to request what they need to work at their best, regardless of the reason.
While this new data is incredibly valuable, this line of research is still recent and warrants further investigation before definite conclusions can be drawn. Regardless, if future results converge toward these new findings, it may mean that neuroinclusion could become the leading indicator for company and employee well-being.
