Collaboration helps improve workplace autism awareness

Precept and Cherry Professional have joined forces to show employers how to offer workplace support to people with autism and other neurodivergences.

Representatives from businesses, schools and charities recently attended a seminar organised by Precept, a Derby-based HR and employment law firm, and recruitment consultancy Cherry Professional.

They outlined the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce, how to make necessary adjustments and the risks involved if businesses get it wrong. They also set out their top tips on how to get it right.

The course also covered how to ask individuals about diverse presentations they may have noticed, how to create a neurodiversity policy and the importance of meeting individual needs.

Attendees were also introduced to London lawyer Mark Pearce, who was diagnosed with autism as a child.

He gave a unique insight into the ways the condition has impacted his career and how social communications at work have sometimes led to difficulties.

The event was held in the brand-new experience room at Precept’s Mansfield Road offices.

Recent studies have found that 65% of neurodivergent employees fear discrimination from management, while 55% fear discrimination from colleagues.

Additionally, the survey revealed that 40% of neurodivergent employees didn’t feel there was enough understanding around the conditions to be properly supported in the workplace.

Precept director Rob Tice said: “The benefits of understanding and embracing neurodiversity are huge, but equally, if employers get it wrong it can lead to a potential discrimination complaint.

“We know there is demand from employers and HR professionals to understand their obligations and how they can make reasonable adjustments to support their workforce, so we were delighted to offer this free event.

“We know that one in seven people in the UK are neurodiverse, so it is absolutely vital that anyone who employs staff is aware of how to support them.”

Dee Fletcher, divisional HR manager at Cherry Professional, said: “Neurodiversity in the workplace is certainly moving up the agenda from a HR and business perspective and rightly so.

“This event was particularly good as it was able to raise awareness and support businesses with what they need to think about from an employee perspective but also showed businesses what can happen if they aren’t getting it right.”