Even as multinational companies like IBM, Microsoft and JPMorgan Chase & Co. alter their hiring process to attract neurodiverse talent, for others there remains a stigma around incorporating employees with different cognitive abilities into the workplace.
The term “neurodiversity” is relatively broad, referring to individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. According to a 2023 study done by the U.S. Department of Labor, 85% of autistic adults are unemployed, despite the fact that autistic employees were found to be 92% more productive than neurotypical employees.
Many employers shy away from hiring neurodiverse talent because they mistakenly see it as a financial liability, says Peter Rathmann, president and chief executive officer of West Allis-based Allis Tool & Machine Corp.
“These companies are looking at these people as a cost,” said Rathmann, who is no stranger to the concept of neurodiversity. In May, he and his daughter, Emma, who is high-functioning autistic, gave the opening presentation at a Disability:IN Wisconsin event on hiring neurodiverse talent in manufacturing.
Rathmann has seen the benefits of neurodiverse talent play out in real time. He tells the story of an employee who cut assembly time by 30% with just a swivel chair.
“We had spent thousands of dollars on visual management. I came in the next week, and the kid had brought in a chair on wheels and turned off the visual cue machine,” Rathmann said. “He laid it out like a McDonald’s assembly line and could roll from one station to the other.”
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Inclusion Coffee Co. owner Mackenzie Edinger trains an employee.[/caption]
To Kate Siekman, neurodiversity in the workplace is an indisputable advantage. Siekman is the director of learning and outcomes at Milwaukee-based Islands of Brilliance. The nonprofit organization’s programs allow neurodiverse students to practice communication and technical skills in STEM, art and design.
“Every day that I’m in a workshop with students, I see this crazy, unique perspective that I would have never thought of, whether it’s incorporating a certain design element, or a bit of humor or a philosophical idea,” Siekman said. “The way that they interpret the world and think about how everything interacts is so different, and why wouldn’t you want as many different perspectives in your workforce as possible?”
Tapping into neurodiverse individuals’ unique skill sets requires employers to re-evaluate the foundations of the hiring and training processes. Forcing neurodiverse employees to adapt to a “normal” work environment, Siekman argues, is counterproductive.
“One thing that a lot of people don’t understand is (neurodiverse individuals) don’t have an intellectual disability, and if you would look at it from a strict IQ standpoint, neurodiverse employees don’t have a lower IQ than anyone else,” she said. “Once you tap into recognizing and honing in on their strengths, the rest comes really easily, and you find that you don’t have to do a ton of environmental adaptations.”
Inclusion Coffee Co. in Hartland is proof that honing in on neurodiverse skills is beneficial to the workforce. When Mackenzie Edinger opened Inclusion Coffee in 2022, her goal was to hire a staff of 50% neurodiverse employees. A year later, more than half of the staff is neurodiverse, and the business is thriving, said Edinger.
“There’s not a lot of places around here that do something like we do. People see that we work like everyone else, and they see how happy and excited everyone is to have a job,” Edinger said. “The community really loves it, and people even travel from out of state to visit.”
Inclusion Coffee’s success is largely due to the accommodating and adaptable environment. Every step of the training and working process is tailored to fit neurodivergent needs. The mentors, who are neurotypical staff, are trained to work with employees who may need more guidance.
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Islands of Brilliance students in a workshop.[/caption]
“Some of our staff can’t read, so we show them our system for punching orders in pictures,” Edinger said. “A lot of our recipe books are 100-plus pages, and there are pictures of logos or objects to show them what to grab as opposed to having a bunch of words.”
Bringing neurodiverse talent to the workplace starts with the hiring process. It’s not as simple as a top-down approach, Rathmann says. Successful inclusivity hinges on an entire organization filled with people dedicated to embracing change and helping others grow, something Rathmann calls a “committed ecosystem.”
“The top can claim they’re going to be 10% neurodiverse, and say to the middle, ‘You guys figure it out,’” said Rathmann. “They have no knowledge of these individuals, or how to grow them and teach them.”
Neurodiverse applicants are often snubbed by employers during the interview process; social challenges are especially common among those with autism. The opportunity to prove their work ethic is made even more difficult, even though these individuals want to add value to the workplace just as much as employers want people to work, said Rathmann.
“My philosophy as an employer is if you can be on time, if you care about the work you do, and you want to learn more, I can teach you anything,” Rathmann said.
A committed ecosystem requires a deviation from the traditional mindset, too. For many neurodiverse employees, mastering skills one at a time with clear direction is essential.
“The biggest mistake most companies make is saying, ‘Here’s your first shift job, there are the tools, there’s a machine. Good luck,’” Rathmann said. “You can’t leave anything to translation.”
To Rathmann, hiring neurodiverse talent should go beyond ticking an inclusivity box. The real value lies in how the employees succeed and grow.
“I believe in growing a company by growing the people,” he said. “If I grow the people, the business will grow naturally.”
