Our guest content writer, Holly Ganley, shares her experience of job hunting and the benefits of working with dyspraxia.
I wanted to write this blog because it is time to change the narrative around Neurodiverse people. I want to highlight the many wonderful qualities that we can bring to the workforce, not just the challenges that we have (because too often these are the main focus).
I have Dyspraxia
For me, this means that I struggle to take on new information at speed and I struggle to sequence tasks. As all new jobs require these skills, I struggle and it isn’t long before I’m told that although my work is good, I’m not working at the required speed. My own experience of job searching with Dyspraxia has been a repetitive cycle. I interview really well and usually get the job, but then I can’t process the information quickly enough to meet the demands of it and so I lose it.
Creativity, patience, and determination
I have spent my life having to find alternate ways of doing things, and I have developed my own strategies to work more efficiently. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Neurodiversity was viewed by all employers as a positive rather than a negative?
If they saw, for example, the creativity, patience, and determination I bring to everything I do, rather than my processing speed, they would see I could be an asset to them in the long term. That inbuilt fighting spirit means that I always give one hundred per cent to whatever I do, and I don’t give up easily when things are tough.
Loyal
Also, employers, listen to this: I am very committed to every job I get! I won’t be someone who flits from job to job. I invest huge amounts of time and effort into any role I’m given and won’t quit until I’m asked to. Familiarising myself with a new job role and routine can be extremely challenging, but more than that, I’m trying to make it work so that I can move my life forward. Shouldn’t effort be rewarded? Isn’t that a trait that most employers require of their staff? Yes, there will be areas of difficulty, but my energy and enthusiasm can motivate other staff.
I recently dipped my toe into the world of customer service. I thought it would be a series of delightful chats with customers. I thought that my natural ability to get on with people would be all I needed; little did I know. I was expected to take calls, respond to emails, and enter data simultaneously; a Dyspraxic disaster.
But I was told that some of their best employers were people with ADHD, because they were excellent at working at speed. It made me really happy to hear a company promoting the benefit of being Neurodiverse in the workplace and we definitely need more employers like that. But should it always be quantity over quality?
I was constantly being told that all the customers loved me, but that I just wasn’t getting through enough of them in a day. I thought the clue was in the job title! If employers can make genuinely reasonable adjustments (that doesn’t just mean allowing me more time, but that’s a conversation for another blog), then employee retention improves for the employer. As any employer will tell you, recruitment is expensive and time-consuming. Surely it would be better to allow me to continue doing the parts of the job that perhaps I do better than others? Better for the employer and better for me; a win, win.
If only meeting Neurodiverse job candidates was like going on holiday. The excitement of meeting new people and having new experiences is great for two weeks of the year. But shouldn’t employers be viewing the experience of recruiting people who aren’t wired in the same way with just the same excitement? Life is enriched when you understand that people come in all shapes and sizes. Embrace the challenge of employers. Maybe finding a way to hold on to an employee like me will open the door to other Neurodiverse employees who will bring their strengths to your business.
I personally mention my dyspraxia at interview. Some employers are better informed than others, some don’t understand the implications for the role at all. But I want to say to all employers, where needed there is support for Neurodiverse employees.
Government support
The Department of Work and Pensions offers a programme called ‘Access to Work’. This programme aims to provide support where needed to help individuals transition into employment. They can support candidates at interviews, provide a variety of assistive technology, support employees with travel arrangements to their place of work and provide funding for a Job Coach to support them at work.
Neurodiverse individuals can have varying levels of ability and disability, but we all have a huge number of strengths, we just need to be given the right environment in which to thrive.
If you are thinking about employing a Neurodiverse candidate, I hope I have given you a bit of an insight into what we can bring to your company rather than what we might not be able to. I hope you will see that there are many benefits of employing someone who is Neurodiverse. If you employ individuals who are Neurodiverse you are helping to represent the Neurodiverse customers that you may well have. Be a truly inclusive employer.
I would like to leave you with a final thought. Everyone regardless of ability or disability, either visible or invisible, deserves the opportunity to move their life forward, so don’t let their disability be the reason it’s a ‘no’. instead of a ‘yes’. Potential comes in all forms.
Have you ever worked with a Neurodiverse colleague? Or recruited a Neurodiverse employee? Or are you Dyspraxic and having similar experiences to me? I’d love to know. Comment below or tag Evenbreak on socials.
Through my blogging, I am beginning to discover that I am not alone and knowing that helps.
Look out for more articles from Holly.
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