While past efforts to open the workplace to neurodivergent individuals have focused on recruitment, one study argues that more attention must be paid to these individuals’ work experience, ensuring their well-being to keep them successfully employed.
Neurodivergent diagnoses, from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism to mental illness challenges, are rapidly increasing. While organizations are making efforts to welcome neurodivergent individuals as employees, there remains a significant disparity in their labour force participation compared to their neurotypical counterparts.
One UK study focuses on the in-work experience of neurodivergent employees, exploring factors in three areas that might support or impede performance: person, factors relating to the individual respondent, such as the number of diagnoses; environment, factors relating to the accommodations and surroundings in the workplace; and people, factors related to the relationships in the workplace. The study was based on surveys received from 985 neurodivergent employees across UK-based organizations. The results of the study were as follows:
Person. Only one-third of participants reported a single diagnosis, while two-thirds reported two or more. Having multiple diagnoses lowered the overall well-being and career satisfaction of respondents and increased their intentions to leave the workplace. Overall wellbeing levels were notably low across the entire sample, with participants identifying with mental health conditions and tic conditions reporting the lowest levels of wellbeing. On the positive side, participants who indicated higher levels of well-being also indicated higher career satisfaction and lower turnover intention (the desire to find another job).
Environment. Making adjustments to the work environment, either physical or temporal, such as flexible hours or remote work, is challenging since different types of neurodiversity require different needs. Autistic individuals prefer order, while ADHD individuals work best with spontaneity, for example. Remote work might benefit neurodivergent individuals who become overstimulated in a busy workplace, but reduce the communication and understanding best acquired through face-to-face interaction. Thirty percent of the respondents reported that their workplace had formal adjustments in place. Asked about adjustments tailored specifically to their needs, 34% said support was not tailored, 37% indicated adjustments tailored to some extent, and nearly 12% said their environment was tailored to their needs to a large extent. The responses showed tailored adjustments, improved well-being and career satisfaction, and reduced turnover intention.
People. Even more critical for successful in-work experience were the people factors, which included organizational knowledge of neurodiversity, support from colleagues, support from line managers, and psychological safety (feeling safe to take risks and be oneself at work). The presence of all four factors predicted career satisfaction. Management support, psychological safety, and career satisfaction had the most impact on turnover intention. The study also revealed a sequential effect: psychological safety fostered greater well-being, which in turn boosted career satisfaction, which in turn reduced turnover intention.
The study results indicate that while adjustments are a necessary human resource provision, they serve as a baseline condition rather than a primary driver for positive outcomes. To effectively harness neurodivergent talent and promote retention, organizations must adopt a proactive, relational, and neuroinclusive Human Resource Management (HRM) approach, an approach that involves positioning employers as “proactive carers”.
Implementing this approach begins with rigorous education and training on neurodiversity (including insight from the latest neuroscience research) for managers and employees across all organizational levels. This training can cover the prevalence of co-occurring neurotypes, their diverse functional workplace challenges and strengths, neuroinclusive communication styles, and the risks of masking and camouflaging.
Managers should also learn how to make adjustments to tailor the workplace to the needs of all employees, including those who may be neurodivergent. Finally, managers should be trained in effective listening and conflict resolution to instill a culture of psychological safety.
In addition to education and training, further steps can be taken:
Neuroinclusion, this study argues, should be built into core organizational strategy, policies, and processes, not merely “tagged on” to existing equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) or wellbeing initiatives. A collaborative, co-creational approach, involving neurodivergent employees, line managers, senior leaders, and specialists (e.g., psychologists and occupational health professionals), is essential for building psychological safety and fostering mutual understanding. This strategic integration ensures that neurodivergent talent is nurtured, supported, and heard, enabling them to thrive and achieve their ambitions within the organization.
Almuth McDowall’s profile at Birbeck University of London
https://www.bbk.ac.uk/our-staff/profile/8526424/almuth-mcdowall
Nancy Doyle’s profile at Birbeck University of London
https://www.bbk.ac.uk/our-staff/profile/9287921/nancy-doyle
Meg Kiseleva’s profile at the University of Cardiff
https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/kiselevam
Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Relational Biopsychosocial Perspective on Neurodivergent Talent, Career Satisfaction, and Turnover Intention. Almuth McDowall, Nancy Doyle, Meg Kiseleva. Human Resource Management (March 27, 2025).
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