Neurodiversity is a naturally occurring variation of cognitive functioning with the most common conditions including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and developmental coordination disorder (DCD). In particular, “neurodivergents” refer to people with a non-“typical” cognitive functioning, while “neurotypical” refers to those who fall in the norm.
Although 15-20% of the world’s population is neurodivergent, their employment rate remains very low. This is due to the social and workplace discrimination and injustice suffered by neurodivergents because they are often perceived as having limited capabilities. The key factors contributing to the low employment among neurodivergents are (1) unconscious biases held by hiring managers; (2) systemic biases in recruitment and selection practices; and (3) perceived high accommodation costs. In Australia where the retail industry experiences high employee turnover rates and worker shortages (especially post-COVID) despite being the second largest employer, employing neurodivergent individuals would provide a strategic opportunity for the industry to future-proof against labour shortages.
Nevertheless, little is known about supervisors’ and co-workers’ awareness of workplace neurodiversity, the benefits and challenges of employing neurodivergent individuals from the perspectives of supervisors and coworkers, and how knowing neurodivergents and neurodiversity practices impact perceptions of benefits and challenges. Therefore, this study aims to bridge these knowledge gaps to help retail organisations allow for more inclusive recruitment as well as having a strategic approach against industry’s skill shortages.
Method and sample
Data were collected on Qualtrics via an online survey, resulting in 502 responses – 241 responses from retail supervisors and 261 from retail co-workers. Participants must be a current employee or supervisor of a retail store in Australia with 18+ age. The final sample was diverse in terms of gender, age, number of years in retail, and size of their employing organisation.
Key findings
- Supervisors are more aware of workplace neurodiversity than co-workers. This is attributed to supervisors having more information about their subordinates, being more sensitive to neurodivergent behaviours, and having training programs that improve their understanding of various forms of diversity, including neurodiversity.
- Supervisors perceive more benefits compared to co-workers when it comes to neurodivergent employees, possible due to increased job opportunities for neurodivergent individuals over the past decades and enhanced training for supervisors.
- In addition, supervisors recognise and appreciate the unique knowledge and skills that neurodivergent employees bring to the workplace. They consider such diversity an asset rather than a liability.
- There are equally strong perceptions by supervisors and co-workers of challenges that neurodivergent individuals face in terms of making a workplace disclosure about their conditions. Individuals may even mask their condition and hide their neurodivergent traits to conform to neurotypical social behaviours. Also, there are lacking differences in supervisors and co-workers’ perceived challenges related to equity and inclusion faced by neurodivergent individuals.
- Knowing neurodivergent individuals is positively associated with perceived benefits of neurodivergent employees because interpersonal contact helps supervisors and co-workers to put aside stereotypes and see these individuals as they are: intelligent, capable, and capable individuals with unique skills and traits.
- However, knowing neurodivergent individuals is also linked to higher perceived disclosure challenges since it might be hard to discuss this delicate subject when a relationship is formed. In terms of equity and inclusion challenges, knowing neurodivergent individuals may weaken the perceived challenges.
- Neurodiversity practices positively impact perceived benefits, reducing perceived disclosure and equity challenges, especially in small stores. In large stores, however, neurodiversity practices increase perceived equity and inclusion challenges due to lacking interpersonal contact.
Managerial implications
- Tailored neurodiversity awareness training should be provided for non-management employees. Both the social and business cases for neurodiversity inclusion should be emphasised in the training.
- To promote personal disclosure by neurodivergent employees, organisations may need to strengthen their inclusion policies and programs and offer neurodiversity stigma workshops. These will help reduce the stigma and biases held by co-workers due to their lacking awareness.
- There should be a wide range of training programs for supervisors to fully capitalise on the benefits of neurodivergent employees, which equip supervisors with skills to assist neurodivergent colleagues in placing them into roles that are specifically suited to their strengths and skillsets, while making simple accommodations to ensure they are well-supported e.g., training on how to support neurodivergent employees via workplace accommodation practices, how to effectively manage resources, how to manage organisational culture and inclusion climate, and how to prevent any negative impacts in the workplace.
- The study also recommends creating opportunities for exposure and conversations about neurodiversity among workers that can reduce stereotypes and discomfort, along with introducing neurodiversity practices. Especially, small stores will benefit from such neurodiversity practices through weakening stigma and perceived disclosure and equity and inclusion challenges. However, larger stores might not experience the same effect due to lacking interpersonal contact among too many employees.
Researcher
More information
The research article is also available on eprints.