Neurodiversity Celebration Week: a framework for fostering neuroinclusive workplaces

Imagine that the following scenarios take place at your workplace:

Scenario 1:

An employee makes themselves a coffee in the kitchen while a co-worker finishes washing their dishes. This employee greets the co-worker and asks them how they are going. The co-worker replies: “I’m good, thank you. How are you?” As the co-worker speaks, they seem to be gazing at a point on the ground rather than looking at the other person…

Scenario 2:

A manager is about to enter a 1-to-1 meeting with a member of their team. The team member has flagged that they want to talk about some difficulties they are having when contributing to discussions in meetings. The manager has noticed this; sometimes the team member expresses lots of insightful views – usually when they’ve been given the opportunity to prepare in advance. But they are conspicuously quiet when there is less clarity about what will be covered in the meeting beforehand…

Scenario 3:

Members of the leadership team have been overseeing an organisational restructure. Sitting in their office, one of the leaders is planning how to inform members of a team that some of them will be redistributed to other teams. The leader is considering what the best approach to delivering this news is…

If members of your organisation found themselves in these scenarios, would they know how to take a neuroinclusive approach to deciding what to do?

What does a workplace that supports them to do this look like, and what should employers put in place to ensure everyone feels included and respected at work?

Neurodiversity is an established form of diversity in the workplace

For too long, workplaces have been built around a narrow view of a “normal” brain. The neurodiversity paradigm challenges this by recognising that brains develop and function in a variety of ways as a natural part of human diversity.

Rather than treating autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and similar diagnoses as deficits to be managed, this approach views them as variations from the neurological majority. These differences are not inherently positive or negative—they simply are. Embracing neuroinclusion means both acknowledging the unique strengths that neurodivergent employees bring and recognising challenges and requirements for disability-related support.

When organisations actively support these needs and value a range of cognitive styles, they not only create a more inclusive environment but also tap into diverse talents that drive innovation, enhance problem-solving, and improve adaptability in today’s business landscape.

A framework for promoting workplace neuroinclusion

To support neuroinclusion effectively within your organisation, I’ve found it helps to consider three operational dimensions—role, relationships, and environment, and overlay three guiding principles—flexibility, clarity, and transparency. When combined, these dimensions and principles provide a comprehensive framework for applying neuroinclusive change within any organisational context.

The three operational dimensions are:

• Role refers to responsibilities, contributions, skills, and strengths, along with the expectations of that role. Job descriptions, expectations, outcomes and measurable performance targets, and a focus on leveraging an individual’s strengths are critical.
• Relationships mean how people interact, including one-on-one connections, group dynamics, and the recognition of social norms that influence those interactions.
• Environment means the spaces where activities take place, including the norms, practices, and values that shape how things are done. Whether it’s offering quiet areas, flexible arrangements, or documenting workplace norms, creating an environment that adjusts to individual needs is essential.

To which the following three neuroinclusive principles can be applied:

• Clarity supports certainty: when expectations are clear, and success criteria and available supports are explicitly stated, people are better able to avoid confusion and work more effectively.
• Transparency builds trust: by staying open and bringing consistency and visibility to communication and practices, you create an environment where people feel informed and respected. You can’t share everything all the time, but by sharing openly when you can, you build trust to navigate the moments you can’t.
• Flexibility creates opportunity: Embrace different ways of working and thinking where possible. By supporting diverse approaches, you unlock potential and empower people to learn, grow, and perform at their best.

This integrated “matrix” of areas and principles is a powerful tool. For instance, by applying flexibility to the role dimension, a manager opens the door to alternative methods for task completion; by applying clarity to relationships, they create norms for structured team meetings with written agendas; and by applying transparency to the environment, they can communicate openly about workspace modifications and scheduling changes. Such adjustments are not just “nice-to-haves”—they are critical for enabling neurodivergent employees to work without the cognitive burden of masking.

The value of safe disclosure

Neuroinclusive workplaces create environments where neurodivergent employees feel safe to share their identities. In such spaces, disclosure becomes an outcome of inclusion, not a metric for diversity.

Evidence and experience tell us that when employees mask to conform to neurotypical norms — whether in communication, task management, or processing — the costs can be significant. Masking has been linked to burnout and serious mental health challenges[1]. Many employees hesitate to disclose their neurodivergent identity due to fears of stigma, past negative experiences, or unfair treatment. Yet when disclosure is met with supportive, inclusive practices, it can transform the work experience by reducing stress and enabling employees to perform at their best[2].

Discovering my neurodivergent identity later in life has enabled me to align my work with my natural processing style. Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky to work in environments offering both the variety I crave and the structure I need. Repetitive tasks quickly bore me, but I thrive in learning-focused conversations where I can offer strategic advice based on spotting patterns and connections that others might miss.

For me, safe disclosure means not being judged for behaviours outside the norm—such as my constant movement when speaking, my need to see lips due to auditory processing challenges, or struggling in noisy, open-plan spaces. The flexibility to work in the office or at home has been critical to doing my best work. Ultimately, safety is about not being misread for my sometimes blunt or unfiltered responses, or for interrupting out of genuine enthusiasm. It’s about recognising that, although I may “productively procrastinate,” I never miss a deadline.

Test it out!

For diversity and inclusion professionals looking to support neuroinclusion efforts in their organisations, the research is clear: small, manageable changes can yield significant benefits.

During Neurodiversity Celebration Week, let’s commit to creating workplaces where all brains are valued, disclosure is safe, and unique talents are enabled to fuel innovation and success. By emphasising clarity, transparency, and flexibility, we move closer to inclusive, genuinely empowering environments for everyone.

We encourage you to take action:

• Share this blog post with members of your organisation.
• Brainstorm what they might do in each of the scenarios presented.
• Discuss how you would apply the framework I’ve outlined to put neuroinclusion into action.

Let’s work together to create meaningful change.