In today's fast-paced and competitive business landscape, HR professionals play a crucial role in shaping organizations and driving success. As the bridge between management and employees, HR professionals have the unique responsibility of fostering a high-performance and inclusive workforce.

In this post, we examine three ways to make your organization’s training/onboarding more neurodivergent friendly.

What Is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is a concept that recognizes and embraces the natural variations in neurological conditions, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others. As HR professionals, it’s our responsibility to create an inclusive and supportive work environment for all employees, including those who are neurodivergent.

1. Tailoring Communication and Instruction

Neurodivergent individuals often have different learning styles and communication preferences than neurotypical folks. When designing training/onboarding materials and processes, it’s important to consider these differences and make adjustments accordingly.

Learning Styles: All people learn differently. Some may be visual learners who understand concepts better through visual aids, diagrams, or infographics. Others may be auditory learners who prefer listening to instructions or discussions.

Some may be kinesthetic learners who benefit from hands-on activities or practical demonstrations. By offering information in multiple formats, you can cater to different learning styles and ensure all individuals can access and understand training/onboarding content.

Clear and Concise Language: When communicating instructions or providing information, it's essential to use clear and straightforward language. Avoid complex jargon or technical terms that may be difficult to understand unless you have defined them in your training/onboarding classes.

Break down complex concepts into simpler terms and provide real-life examples to enhance comprehension. Using plain language will help neurodivergent individuals follow instructions and grasp the content more effectively.

Visual Supports: Visual aids can significantly enhance understanding for neurodivergent individuals. It also makes your training/onboarding a little more interesting/entertaining too. Incorporate visual elements such as charts, diagrams, or illustrations alongside written or verbal instructions to help diversify how information is being delivered.

Visual supports can help individuals visualize abstract concepts, understand relationships between ideas, and reinforce learning and they provide a tangible reference point that can aid in information processing and retention.

Reinforcement and Repetition: Neurodivergent individuals may benefit from reinforcement and repetition to help with learning new material. Consider incorporating review sessions or quizzes to help individuals consolidate their knowledge and identify areas that require further clarification.

Breaking down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps and providing regular checkpoints can also help ensure understanding and progress for neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals alike.

Flexible Delivery Methods: Offering flexibility in how training and onboarding materials are delivered can accommodate different learning preferences. For instance, providing written handouts, video tutorials, and interactive online modules allows individuals to choose the format that best suits their needs.

Some neurodivergent individuals may prefer self-paced learning, while others may benefit from interactive group discussions or one-on-one sessions so invest in making your training/onboarding as accessible as possible.

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2. Providing Structure and Predictability

Neurodivergent individuals often thrive in environments that offer structure and predictability. Here are five steps to providing structure and predictability in your training/onboarding.

Step 1: Establish Clear Guidelines and Schedules: Creating and communicating clear guidelines and expectations for the training and onboarding process is helpful for both neurodivergent and neurotypical employees alike.

Additionally, consider providing a detailed schedule outlining the timeline, topics, and activities involved along with clearly defined objectives and desired outcomes for each stage of the process.

Step 2: Break Down Complex Tasks: By identifying complex tasks or processes within the training and onboarding program and dividing these tasks into smaller, manageable steps, this helps employees more easily understand and follow training steps.

Before training, take time to clearly outline each step, along with the specific instructions or actions required and this will help your training/onboardings be much more efficient and effective.

Step 3: Provide Clear Instructions and Expectations: Ensuring instructions provided at each stage are clear, concise, and easy to understand is paramount in training/onboarding. Be sure to use plain language and avoid jargon or technical terms that may be confusing. Lastly, clearly state the expectations and desired outcomes for each task or activity so employees know how they are being assessed.

Step 4: Give Advance Notice of Changes or Deviations: It’s important to communicate any changes or deviations from the established schedule or routine in advance to best help individuals prepare for training/onboarding.

Try to provide individuals with sufficient notice to allow them to prepare and adjust accordingly and be sure to explain the reasons for the changes and address any concerns or questions that may arise.

By following these steps, you can create a structured and predictable training and onboarding process that accommodates the needs of neurodivergent individuals. This approach provides clarity, reduces anxiety, and allows individuals to better understand and engage with the material, leading to a more inclusive and successful learning experience.

3. Offering Individualized Support

We all learn and navigate training/onboarding differently, it’s a good thing! It means you have a diversified group of workers with their own uniqueness and talent. It is exceptionally important to recognize that each neurodivergent employee is unique and may require different types and levels of support.

When creating your training/onboarding be sure to provide individualized accommodations and resources to ensure all employees can be successful. This could include offering additional training sessions, assigning mentors or buddies, or providing assistive technologies or tools to aid learning and productivity. Regular check-ins and open lines of communication will also allow employees to express their needs and concerns.

Final Thoughts

If after reading this article, you are thinking “wow, these tips are not only great for neurodivergent employees but ALL employees”, you’d be right. We call that Universal Design.

Universal design is a concept and practice of designing products, environments, and systems that are accessible and usable by people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, and characteristics, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. It aims to create inclusive and barrier-free solutions that can be utilized by as many people as possible, regardless of their age, size, mobility, sensory abilities, or cognitive capabilities.

The principles of universal design emphasize the importance of equitable access, flexibility, simplicity, intuitive use, and tolerance for error. It goes beyond mere compliance with accessibility standards and seeks to proactively anticipate and address the diverse needs and preferences of users from the outset.

Creating a neurodivergent-friendly training/onboarding process is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic advantage for organizations. By embracing neurodiversity and implementing these strategies, HR professionals can foster an inclusive and supportive workplace culture where ALL employees, regardless of their neurological differences, can thrive, contribute their unique strengths, and help drive the success of the organization.

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Meet The Writer!

Hi! My name is Nadia Ibrahim-Taney and I help people design happy and fulfilling careers through authentic career coaching. My expertise includes career exploration guidance, resume writing, interview prep and LinkedIn profile optimization. My pronouns are She/ Her/ Hers and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I focus on how diverse identities impact and influence folks holistically and professionally. Please connect with me on LinkedIn or at Nadia@beyonddiscoverycoaching.com

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3 Ways To Make Your Training/Onboarding Neurodivergent Friendly