How to adapt your workspace for neurodiversity

What Does Neurodiversity Mean?

Neurodiversity refers to the varying differences of an individual’s brain function and behavioral traits. This term is commonly used when referring to neurological
disorders such as Autism and ADHD.

                                                                                                                       15 - 20% of people are considered to be
                                                                                                                                                   neurodivergent

Why Is This Relevant In The Workplace?

When a person is considered to be neurodivergent, they may not be very productive in a conventional environment that someone who is not neurodivergent
wouldn't have a problem with.
Building your office space around inclusivity and being better equipped for your employees will make sure they are as productive as they can be, whilst feeling
comfortable and considered in their workspace.

Inclusive design in all aspects can be an attractive quality for a company when it comes to seeking out new talent. Designing a space to suit everybody's
individual needs is nearly impossible, however there are small changes you can make throughout your space to improve your neurodivergent staff's experience
as well as adding in completely new spaces.

Things such as providing headphones to combat sensory overload can make a drastic difference to an individuals experience of the workplace, a subtle addition
like this one also avoids the individual feeling completely alienated from the rest of their workforce.

In addition to this, from a business point of view, if your staff feeling completely comfortable and happy within their environment, they will often be the most
productive version of themselves.

The idea of being inclusive when it comes to neurodiversity doesn't stop there. Different conditions can effect different people in different ways. A more dynamic
approach will be much more effective, as it will suit a wider range of people.

The first step when creating spaces for neurodiversity is understanding some of the main working styles...
 

Independent/Logical

Key Strengths: Determined, Hardworking, Skilled at creating unique and visionary work
Areas To Improve: Poor communication, Often overlook planning

These types of team members are usually very structured in the way they work and often need their own
space to do their own work. They much prefer tackling any problems solo, these types of team members
often struggle with collaborative work.
An ideal job for this workstyle is and entrepreneur.

A structured working environment suits this work style the best for this group of people, whether that be
traditional desks or an independent office space depending on the task at hand.



Co-operative

Key Strengths: Great communicator, Highly interpersonal
Areas To Improve: Performing independently

A cooperative type of teammate is the opposite of the independent, they love team work and thrive when
giving or receiving feedback. These types of teammates much prefer to communicate ideas verbally rather
than writing them down. However, they may struggle when it comes to coming up with ideas when working
alone.
An ideal job for this workstyle is a project manager.

For this group, having a space that allows open communication with peers is essential. So being placed
strategically with their team or having a breakout table that allows for collaboration throughout the day is
essential.



Proximity

Key Strengths: Adaptable, Balanced
Areas To Improve: Not all tasks allow for an independent/teamwork balance

With this workstyle you often like an equal balance of solo work and collaboration. Typical people with this
workstyle will work out a task by themselves and then refer back to their team to gain some feedback. This
is one of the more adaptable working styles, however some tasks will not require any collaboration, which is
where this group may struggle.
This group performs well in all areas across the business from management to finance or marketing.

These team members are arguably the most 'easy-going' of the six, they can adapt to almost any office
design style. But they are most likely best suited to a traditional office layout.



Supportive

Key Strengths: Emotionally intelligent, Self-aware, Mediating conflict and Facilitating collaboration
Areas To Improve: Easily distracted, Indecisive

This group of people strive to form strong relationships and improve team morale. This often means that
this person is a great mediator and peacemaker when conflict arises. Even though this emotional
intelligence is great to have in the workplace, this also has the potential to become a distraction.
A great role for this type of team mate would be HR.

This workstyle is better suited to spaces that are dedicated to collaboration and interaction to be able to
build up relationships with people across the business. This group tend to prefer more open, louder spaces
as this will make them feel more comfortable talking to their peers.



Detail-oriented

Key Strengths: Strategic, Thoughtful, Aims to minimise risks, Provides order and stability
Areas To Improve: Working slowly, Getting caught up in details, Seeing the bigger picture

If you fit within this group, you tend to be extremely strategic and data-oriented. This team member tends
to identify potential risks very early on so that they don't become bigger problems down the road.
However this work style can be exhausting and overwhelming which can make this group susceptible to
fatigue and burnout.
This workstyle is best suited to writing, editing and teaching professions.

This group of people work best in a traditional working environment with a classic desk and chair. These
team members tend to avoid more casual environments as it tends to disrupt their focus, unless they are
taking part in collaborative work. Having a range of workspaces where the individual can control the lighting
and temperature has a huge impact on neurodiverse individuals. With this in mind, individual pods may be a
good option for this workstyle.



Idea-oriented

Key Strengths: Optimistic, Inspiring to others, Effective at facilitating change
Areas To Improve: Unstructured, May neglect details, Often fail to follow-up

These people tend to focus on the bigger picture rather than focusing on the smaller details, these people
tend to be very creative and inspire others to think outside the box. However this workstyle doesn't tend to
organise very well which can lead to creating highly unstructured work.
This groups best suits roles in marketing, graphic design or even senior leadership.

Idea-oriented team members need more agile and open spaces to embrace their creativity. Agile spaces
allow employees to move away from their desk and change their environment as and when they need to.
Having multi-functional spaces within your office such as booths, sit-stand desks, high tables and soft
seating areas encourage movement and allow their to be a choice between settings so that the individual
can choose what works best for them and the task they are completing.