Neurodiversity in IT

Modern day influencer Davis Clarke said it best: the corporate dream is helping others, doing the right thing and enjoying life every day. Seriously though, what does it mean to make the workplace more inclusive towards divergent people? Here are my five takes.

Be yourself

Everyone's brain is different, each has their unique strengths and abilities that'll bring the team the most value. People tend to please each other, and in doing so, we put our own mental health at risk. Instead of selling or masking ourselves, we should strive to be ourselves unconditionally.

Know your history

Alan Turing, the founder of our industry, was divergent. He never hid this and showed us the way to make complex problems simple. He had the ability to solve a thousand tasks in one big swoop. By seeing and guiding us towards the bigger picture, Alan Turing ushered in a bold new era of innovation. For his early death only the stigma surrounding our differences was to blame – Alan Turing was who he wanted to be, and it was glorious.

Take affirmative action

What people should realize is that Alan Turing's prosecution and stigmatization didn't end officially and institutionally until 2013. It's this recent year in which the Queen of England pardoned Mr. Turing and the new DSM-5 was published to not list homosexuality as gender distress any longer. We still have a lot of work to do to make things right. This applies to any natural spectrum a brain can grow into. Affirmative action means we actively try to compensate for past wrongdoings since we know stigmas tend to linger. A diversity hire, supporting your local pride and spreading awareness about our differences, like in this blogpost can help the workplace be more inclusive and fulfilling. Let's not take each other for granted.

Lead by example

It can be very scary to be oneself. Personally, I've noticed this firsthand by being on the spectrum towards what's referred to as ADHD. Mind you, ADHD is just another term from the DSM we just went over was responsible for Alan Turing's prosecution back in the day. We've got to stay mindful; the psychiatric industry knows this too. Like being gay, having ADHD isn't something to be fixed about a person. Even though it's called a disorder it's hurtful to one's self-esteem to view it as such. ADHD runs in the family; it's simply our nature and we learn how to live with it. That means that people with ADHD run into mental health issues not because there's something wrong with them but because we feel misunderstood and misfits in society. Affirmative action must be applied to all neurodiversity; stand up for yourself, what you believe in and how you can do your job best to your abilities.

Collaborate

Collaboration isn't that hard. Make sure all channels of communication stay open between you and your colleagues. There's no room for manipulation in the workplace; if people have a problem with you, it's their responsibility to reach out to you in a professional manner that's free from judgement – not the other way around. If you feel something can't be discussed out of fear of retribution, there's a good chance someone made you feel that way. People in positions of leadership need to ask themselves which conversations they are being left out of due to putting their time above that of others. Always maintain respect and an equal footing with each other and focus on the bigger picture together.

Final thoughts

Simply saying "I have ADHD" or "I'm on the spectrum" isn’t enough to make people understand how we work. We have our brain, but also our personal choices how to live our natural lives. That's why I enjoy working at a job that offers the right challenges. To those that feel they are not respected at their workplace, stay strong and remember that just because you are not fulfilled here, it doesn't mean there's no other place for you. Confidence is achieved through your victories, so find a place where you succeed and are being challenged. Me, I've been happily working at adesso team Bluefront for four years now.