As more candidates seek out neurodivergent employers, they’re struggling to find truly inclusive, accessible work environments.
Google searches for neurodivergent jobs — those that accommodate workers with conditions like ADHD, autism, dyslexia or Tourette’s — increased 13% in July, as those candidates often struggle with traditional hiring processes and in traditional work environments.
And yet: It is estimated that one in five Americans has learning and/or attention issues; a 2023 survey found that 53%of Gen Z identified as neurodivergent. According to a survey of 900 neurodivergent American employees by career platform Zety, 93% say traditional hiring practices work against them. Plus, nearly half admit to “masking” their symptoms in the workplace. Fifty-one percent have been subjected to insensitive comments.
“With 93% experiencing burnout due to unmet needs, and 88% saying they feel they must work harder than their neurotypical peers to be seen as equally competent, the data suggests there’s still work to be done,” says Zety career expert Toni Frana. “It demonstrates the importance of having a conversation. ‘What else can we do?’ ‘How can we take stronger steps in the direction of accommodating neurodivergent employees?’”
“For example, comfort with eye contact might be a little bit different for somebody who is neurodivergent,” she says. “That doesn’t mean they can’t complete the responsibilities and do the job really well. It just means there’s a difference in how they respond to people, and it’s important that [hiring managers and employers] understand that.”
This discussion has become prevalent in the workforce in recent years, and inclusive job postings have increased as awareness has grown, but there’s still a long way to go. According to a recent survey of 1,000 US-based hiring managers by resume writing and career advisor platform Resume Genius, just 39% say their company currently offers formal mental health and neurodivergent training.
“Mental health benefits benefit all employees, because if your team members are getting the help they need, then the machine can work more smoothly, and it creates a culture of dignity and support,” says Resume Genius career expert Nathan Soto.
“It’s getting better, but it’s not sufficient.”
The disclosure conundrum
According to the Zety survey, 66% of respondents disclose their neurodivergence during the hiring process, and 61% share it with their managers and coworkers once on the job. But the decision to disclose is rarely straightforward. The Resume Genius survey revealed that 86% of hiring managers self-report that such disclosures either would not affect, or would even positively affect the candidate’s chances. In fact, just 8% said it would raise performance concerns.
However, only about 22% say it’s common for candidates to bring up mental health benefits in job interviews, like access to counselling, mental health days, and flexible work arrangements. Candidate comfort also seems tied to the hiring manager’s age.
“We found 37% of Gen Z hiring managers said it is common for people to ask about this, but 47% of baby boomers, and almost the same proportion of Gen X hiring managers, said that they’ve never had any candidates ask about mental health benefits in job interviews,” Soto says. “It’s absolutely a possibility that candidates are self-censoring, based on the perceived age of the hiring manager.”
Soto adds that while most organizations will advertise an inclusive workplace, it can be difficult for candidates to establish which are taking the right steps, and which are just checking the box.
“If you ask anybody in a management position or C-suite, ‘Do you offer mental health training or neurodivergent mental health benefits for your employees?’ The correct answer is obviously ‘yes,’” he says. But, “what that looks like in practice could vary widely, or it could just be non-existent.”
Creating a more welcoming workplace
With few universal standards and measurements available, employers need to determine for themselves what qualifies as sufficient accommodations. And candidates are often left to evaluate employers’ inclusivity policies independently. That can mean scanning job listings for specific references to neurodivergence, checking LinkedIn for relevant posts by company managers and executives, and talking with existing employees about the work environment.
“One of the key problems is that managers will ask employees how they’re doing, and when they receive a very honest response from someone that is neurodivergent or struggling with mental health problems, they don’t know how to deal with it,” says Emily Banks, the founder and CEO of neurodivergent employment resource Enna Global. “So even knowing how to have that equitable, honest and inclusive conversations with employees can be a challenge.”
At minimum, Banks says American employers should educate managers about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which outlines their legal responsibility to provide reasonable accommodations. It also bars them from discriminating against employees diagnosed with mental disabilities. Banks adds that without special accommodations, neurodivergent candidates and employees face challenges across their professional lives: from high-pressure recruitment and interview practices to loud and distracting open office setups.
“It’s absolutely vital for employers to measure the data at every point of the recruitment and employee life cycle,” she says. “You should know whether neurodivergent people are making it to interview, if they’re making it to offer, if they are leaving within six months or a year, to determine whether you’ve got attraction or retention issues with the neurodivergent community.”
Banks adds that taking the necessary steps to better accommodate neurodiverse candidates offers measurable benefits to organizations, making teams more innovative, creative, and profitable.
“Having a neurodiverse workforce is better for everybody,” she says. “Fifteen to 20% of the entire population is neurodivergent. Many are just not diagnosed yet, so you already have a lot of neurodivergent people working with you — you just might not know it yet.”