Almost two thirds (64 percent) of neurodiverse employees believe they should receive more support from their employer, according to research.
This dissatisfaction means UK businesses are at risk of alienating neurodiverse employees if they don’t tackle the issue, researchers at employee benefits technology company Zest have warned.
Close to half (49 percent) of neurodiverse employees believe that they are poorly supported at their company. This is a concern that is echoed by employers as 22 percent of HR leaders admit they struggle to cater to the needs of neurodiverse staff.
Growth in neurodiverse staff
HR leaders said they have seen a growth in the number of neurodiverse employees in the last year, with 38 percent of them reporting this.
Encouragingly, 37 percent of businesses have already invested in increased support for neurodiverse workers, such as additional mental health resources. However, the dissatisfaction with the level of support on offer suggests that employers need to not only broaden support but also focus on its communication and delivery.
The commercial benefits of improving support for neurodiverse employees are well known, with more than a third (35 percent) of HR leaders agreeing that having more neurodiverse employees boosts productivity. A similar proportion (31 percent) believe this segment of the workforce has made the business more profitable.
Commercial benefits
Recent research from Deloitte indicated that the employer cost of poor employee mental health is £51 billion per year.
The research also confirmed the commercial benefits of supporting employee mental health and wellbeing. It said that for every £1 spent, productivity increased by an average of £4.70.
Further results from Zest’s survey suggest that a lack of effective support for neurodiverse colleagues impacts talent attraction and retention. For example, 48 percent of these employees believe that their benefits package is inadequate and 62 percent would leave their current job for a company that has more inclusive benefits and initiatives, which is much higher than the UK average of 46 percent who would move jobs for the same reason.
Demand for personalised benefits
Interestingly, 74 percent of neurodiverse employees want more personalised benefits that are relevant to them and 52 percent said they would use their benefits more if the platform was easier to use. Zest said the findings show that employee benefits packages provide a clear, cost-effective route to improving the experience of neurodiverse employees at work.
Matt Russell, CEO of Zest, said: “Employers need to ensure they are fully harnessing the talent of neurodiverse employees by improving support and reward strategies to ensure this growing portion of the workforce can flourish.
“Although many employers are stepping up investment in this area, clearly neurodiverse employees feel there is a long way to go before the level of support offered in the workforce meets their expectations. Increasing investment in benefits packages is an effective approach to delivering enhanced and targeted support to employees which makes them feel more valued, motivated and ultimately benefits the organisation as well as the individual.”
However, just 29 percent of employees believe that their company’s benefits platform supports their individual needs and 39 percent would like their company to invest in their benefits platform more to increase accessibility.
