Jeremy is a product manager at Sinch. He’s been working there for close to three years.
Before that he was a software developer for 10 years and built his own company that was acquired by Sinch. Sinch, is a global communications provider. Jeremy is autistic and has ADHD (AuDHD). He’s also the founder of Focus Bear, a focus enhancement app for AuDHDers.
Challenges
Working in an office environment Jeremy shared this brings with it several challenges.
These included being in large meetings, frequent travel, repetitive tasks, unstructured socialising, and office politics.
“I found that in a lot of my previous jobs, it would be an open plan office where I’m trying to write code and there’s people behind me having sales calls -it’s just impossible for me to concentrate in that environment.”
“I also found that in larger organisations, the office politics got very confusing for me and I got myself into trouble a few times because I didn’t really understand what was going on there.”
It also included sensory challenges such as working in an open-plan office and wearing a suit.
“Some of the challenges that I faced particularly with my autism were related to working in an office that isn’t sensory friendly.”
Awareness
Without awareness of our peers’ strengths and needs, misunderstandings, miscommunication, and unnecessary difficulties can be created.
“There were some previous organisations when I would be a little bit impulsive and ask questions of say the CEO, and I got punished for that and was told ‘respect the hierarchy, you can’t operate that way, we don’t care about your ideas’, which felt a bit demotivating.”
Many autistics like to be direct with communication and not enter into small talk. However, this is often seen to be rude and socially unacceptable.
“I was often judged as being blunt and overly direct”
With a focus on the difference in communication or social styles we may often miss what they actually bring to the business.
When we are all honest, we all have strengths and weaknesses, good days and not so good.
“There were times where I was very productive, and there were times where I got overwhelmed by certain tasks and didn’t really make progress on them.”
How did Sinch accommodate your needs?
“Working at Sinch has been good overall. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than every other organisation I’ve worked at.”
“I think one of the main things is being able to work from home for me, which means that I can set up an environment that is sensory friendly for me and I don’t have to worry about background conversations because there’s no one else here.”
Jeremy was given the opportunity to work from home which addressed many of his challenges like working in an open office, frequent travel, wearing a suit, and unstructured socialising.
His manager Simone was also able to support other challenges.
“I’m really grateful to Simone for helping me to understand some of the office politics and making me aware of certain things that I should be aware of and in some cases shielding me from things that otherwise might have gotten me into trouble.”
When neurodivergent staff feel supported, they often feel more comfortable and then become more productive.
“I also feel overall that the organisation, even though it is a large company, feels a lot flatter than some of the organisations of a similar scale that I’ve worked at.”
“And there’s a lot of openness for people at whatever level, asking questions and providing ideas, and that’s really important for me.”
Becoming more neuro inclusive
Once Jeremy had self-disclosed about his needs Simone reached out to HR for some support, and they started with external training. Simone explained,
“We had a session with an external neurodiversity consultant who came in and spoke about some general neurodivergent principles.”
Then Jeremy was asked to put together a training session.
“Then I was invited to run a session with a colleague who is also neurodivergent. We were able to talk about what it’s like for us personally and some of the things that Sinch is doing well and some things that could be done differently. Like potentially having structured social events and other things like that. By being more visible that really sparked some more meaningful conversations.”
This then leads to better understanding for all staff and the chance for a diverse workforce that thrives.
What are the benefits of neurodiversity in the workplace?
Simone shared,
“For me, diversity in all forms is really important. So, whether that’s cultural, gender or neurodiversity. I think having people that have different ways of thinking, different perspectives and experiences is really important.”
“There’s research that shows diverse teams bring better financial benefits for organisations. The strengths that Jeremy has are things like his hyper focus and problem solving, which is amazing.”
Having disclosed to Simone, she was able to better understand and support Jeremy in unique ways.
“Now that I know how Jeremy’s brain works, I can be more accommodating. Rather than be upset that he’s missed or been late to a meeting. I’ll just ping him on Slack and he pops up within 2 seconds. I think the best teams lead to better outcomes as far as having those conversations.”
Simone also shared something that Jeremy sees as a negative that she instead sees as a positive.
“Jeremy mentioned that he might come across as blunt in some situations. I actually think some of those conversations are wonderful. You know, like he’ll challenge certain things in a meeting, and we have a really robust discussion and I think we’re in a much better place as a result of those discussions.”
What strengths does Jeremy bring to the workplace?
Jeremy shared,
“The overall difference in perspective I think is helpful in that because my brain works a bit differently, I see things from a different perspective.”
“I tend to be a bottom-up thinker where I go deep into the details and then, I sometimes come up with interesting angles that are based on seeing it from a different perspective where other people might be more top down.”
“I tend to come up with a lot of ideas that would benefit others as well. My willingness to ask questions that other people might feel a little bit reluctant to ask is also a benefit.”
Most staff shy away from confronting conversations whereas many neurodivergent people see these topics as being honest.
“I don’t tend to have that filter at times, which can be problematic, but can also be a big strength at other times.”
What are some of the best ways to work with neurodivergent employees?
Simone shared,
“It’s definitely about having that safe open space where people can have those honest and important conversations.”
“Jeremy and I have had lots of conversations around, ‘what can we do to support you’?” which has helped build trust and improve our team dynamics.”
Neuro-inclusive Recruitment
Jeremy shared,
“It involves removing barriers that may not be there intentionally in both the recruiting process and in the workplace normally. Some of the changes that are most meaningful to me are thinking about how we can reduce the amount of surprise that is embedded within the recruiting process.”
“For example, sending out the interview questions beforehand and being clear about what the process actually is. We should avoid testing candidates on being able to speak off the cuff and instead let them show their skills through portfolios and work trials”
These examples can help in terms of neuro-inclusive recruitment process.
Neuro-inclusive workplaces
Jeremy shared,
“Many neurodivergent people (including myself) experience sensory issues in the office environment.”
“I think the best accommodations are going to be from the individual working with their manager and with their colleagues. They can then let the people around them know ‘This is how I like to work. This is what support I need. These are some things that I find challenging.’”
“Some of the difficulties I’ve faced is where there are a lot of unwritten rules about team and organisational culture. One thing that we’re starting to do in the team that I work in is having a team charter where we explicitly write down ‘This is the way that we interact. These are our expectations of each other.’ I find that very helpful because often conflict arises because I don’t understand those unwritten rules.”
“I do things my way and other people have their own way of doing it. I actually don’t mind doing it the other way if I know what it is. I just need to know what it is so I can align myself to it.”
Simone added,
“A neuro-inclusive workplace is about creating an environment where people feel safe to have those open discussions and to feel that if they do open up that there’s no repercussions against that. It’s about being in a supportive environment, and as a manager, it’s really difficult, right? Because unless these conversations happen, you don’t know how best to support your team members.”
“I’ve been really fortunate with Jeremy because he’s so open. But I completely understand that there are other neurodivergent people that might not feel they can be so open.”
“To be honest, that’s been a journey, at the start Jeremy wasn’t so comfortable sharing and since he has, that’s been really helpful. When he wrote the blog post [about dealing with his ADHD and autistic brain], I could then share that with his stakeholders and share, ‘this is how Jeremy’s brain works’. Now we can try and bring empathy and understanding.”
Simone added,
“it’s all about psychological safety, making an environment where people feel comfortable that they can bring their unique self to work, but also making sure that people thrive, both personally and professionally.”
Do you have any advice for employers who aren’t sure about hiring neurodivergent people?
Simone shared,
“Having Jeremy as part of the team has really helped us grow.
I would say don’t be hesitant around [hiring neurodivergent people]. Jeremy’s problem-solving skills and openness, has created much better outcomes for us as a team and a business.”
“For me, it’s having open discussions to find out what people need. There’s research that proves that diverse teams have better financial outcomes and are more innovative.”
So fostering neurodiversity in the workplace is your competitive advantage.
