CareTrade has joined forces with Employment Autism to support autistic and neurodivergent people towards, into and to sustain employment. They also support employers in improving the equity and diversity of the workplace.
Together they provide training programmes, peer support networks and events that connect individuals to the providers and resources they need to enter and thrive in the world of work. They also support and encourage employers to hire neurominorities and recognise the benefits they can bring to the workplace
As a mother to a little boy who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Sensory Processing Disorder, raising awareness of the strengths and challenges of those with neurodivergent conditions is close to my heart!
One thing my boy has taught me is that to be truly inclusive you have to come from a place of awareness, empathy and understanding and then act flexibly.
One place where I think that this isn’t happening fast enough is within the context of jobs and work. And since I have always worked in the recruitment industry, educating employers on the topic of neurodiversity has become very important to me. Especially when I learned more about some of the stats.
Sadly, Research by the National Autistic Society has shown that only 15% of autistic adults in the UK are in full-time employment and 9% in part-time employment, but the vast majority want to work.
This lost employment has been estimated to cost the UK £12bn per year, but of course, the waste of potential and harm done by the exclusion of these talented people from the workplace cannot be quantified.
The Institute of Leadership & Management’s, Workplace Neurodiversity: The Power Of Difference, 2020 report, also found that neurominorities have far worse experiences in the workplace than their neurotypical colleagues believe they do. Shockingly, the report also found that 50% of people would not employ someone from one of the neurominorities.
So last year, I put together a guide, ‘Neurodiversity at Work’ to help employers adapt their recruitment processes to be more accessible to those who think and process the world ‘differently’.
Since then, Stanton House has been on a journey bringing education and awareness to both its people and customers. We’ve held training sessions and webinars that shone a light on everything from understanding invisible disabilities, and the lack of disclosure, to the positives of hiring a neurodivergent mind and the need to readdress social conventions - which cause significant barriers throughout the hiring process.
Recently, we’ve been offering Talent Acquisition teams introductory sessions on this topic, along with our guide and some very practical advice around adjustments to the hiring process.
Supporting a charity that helps those with neurodevelopmental conditions to have opportunities in work and fulfillment in life seemed a logical next step!
We are rolling up our sleeves and offering our recruiting expertise to help cohorts of neurodivergent individuals with:
We will also be reaching out to our clients to proactively connect, mentor and employ talented individuals through Care Trade.
We are thrilled to be giving back practically and sharing our expertise as recruiters. I do not doubt that the experience will be both eye-opening and rewarding for our recruitment consultants and we are excited to get started!
If you would like to support this amazing charity, then please head to the donation page:
100% of donations will be going straight to equip and educate individuals and organisations on this important topic and to support more talented people into work.
Download your copy to explore the strengths and challenges of those with different neurodevelopmental conditions such as Dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Ensure your hiring processes are inclusive to neurominorities and discover some of the practical interventions you can apply throughout the recruitment process including: