As a hiring manager, have you ever taken the time to consider how your firm could be benefitting from existing or future neurodiversity in your workforce?
The term neurodiversity refers to a modern shift in attitudes towards the unique ways in which the brains of a wide spectrum of people approach every day work and life. It’s a broad term and in 2023 neurodiversity is considered to be the newest paradigm of diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.
So what’s the shift in attitude?
As recently as two or three years ago, employers might have identified neurodivergence (autism, ADHD or attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, dyscalculia being terms we might all be familiar with) as a disability, or something that caused a disadvantage in the workplace. But modern employers have quickly realised that traits of many neurodiverse accountants, can actually be a real benefit to their team as long as the divergent employee is supported to work in a style that best suits their unique brain function. In fact, right at the start of this movement, in 2017, The Harvard Business Review identified neurodivergence as a competitive benefit to business workforces!
It’s also worth noting that every employee and indeed every person on this planet is differently abled and that ‘typical’ is quite simply the middle ground that most people fall into. So offering working practices that support those with neurodivergence, means offering working practices that allow everyone in your organisation to work at their optimum.
If you’re not quite convinced, here’s a few examples of people in the public eye who are hugely successful with one or two reasons why celebrating their divergence has been a big part of their journey to success.
Ingvar Kamprad, the Founder of iconic Swedish homeware brand, IKEA.
Ingvar was dyslexic and had attention deficit disorder (he died at the age of 91 in 2018). This meant that he struggled with numbers but had big ideas, high energy and an appetite for risk taking. This combination of divergences enabled him to develop a unique system of naming and cataloguing his products based on towns and names of people that he could remember and process, catapulting this unique way of presenting products into what is now an iconic brand and marketing strategy.
Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft and Philanthropist
Honest about his ADHD diagnosis, Bill Gates was labelled as ‘incapable of learning’ at school. Now one of the richest people on the planet, Bill’s approach to make technology more user-friendly paid off. An inventor himself, Bill’s divergence likely gave him the ability to invent, create and envision a level of potential that many of us aren’t able to see.
Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2002, Dr Vernon Smith
Credited with the invention of experimental economics, Dr Vernon Smith credits his autism as his super-power and has stated that it allows him to approach challenges and problem solving free from social pressures which many of us would be influenced by.
Christine McGuiness, Model and Autism Advocate
And more recently, Christine McGuiness has seen her career as an advocate for autism explode following her late diagnosis as an adult. She now supports families with autistic children and fellow autistic adults in the campaign to fight for a world which allows them to thrive by recognising their potential rather than their limitations.
So, without doubt, your accountancy firm will benefit from having a diverse workforce which will include members of the neurodiversity spectrum. But what are the steps for attracting and supporting these accountants so that everyone benefits from the potential they have to offer?
Recruitment and onboarding
Consider what personality traits will suit the role that you’re recruiting into and ensure that your messaging and job adverts offer a degree of flexibility that neurodivergent applicants won’t find off-putting.
If you’re looking for someone with big creative ideas, social energy and the ability to look beyond perceived barriers, acknowledge that asking for that same person to be analytical and detail focused might be a tall order. Instead, consider how those two types of divergents might be able to work alongside one another to give your firm the best of both worlds.
Consider your interview process. If you’re looking for a compliance focused accountant who can get their head down, producing technically accurate accounts or audits for large numbers of clients, asking those applicants to prepare a presentation for a large group of people at interview probably isn’t appropriate.
And don’t be afraid to ask candidates for their opinion in how they can feel they can showcase their potential as a new recruit. They will know better than anyone else what kinds of situations allow them to shine.
Retention and management
Once again remember that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to how firms choose to provide services in 2023 and having a flexible approach to how each employee is allowed to deliver their work is 100% achievable.
Offering a set of workforce values that allow employees to work in a way that suits their divergence is possible and will mean in time that you become an employer of choice. So look at your office environment and consider if it works for all. Adopt flexible working and hybrid or remote policies and build a management structure that can flex around the needs of everyone. Some people need micro management and to be regularly held to account. Others prefer ticking boxes, working through lists and having processes in place that help them to perform against targets.
Look at your firm’s approach to social activities. Are you offering different options for different members of your workforce to feel like part of the community. Some will thrive in a big group setting, others will find anything other than small group communication completely overwhelming. Though you won’t please everyone with each event, are you offering a range of different styles of events across a year? Have you taken the time to ask staff what they enjoy and how they would like to build relationships across a team?
And remember a set of workforce values that encourages staff to open up about their uniqueness, challenges that they face and areas in which they want to contribute and thrive will mean your team is more likely to enjoy working for you and more likely to show loyalty to your firm. The best way to achieve that is via compassionate leadership and role modelling. If your firm’s MD is neurodivergent and talks openly about that, you’ll find everyone else starts to follow suit and as a result will form a more cohesive and happier team.
The field of public practice is booming, thanks in large to huge numbers of neurodiverse accountants. If your firm needs a helping hand helping those accountants perform at their optimum or recruiting particular personalities or skills that will make your firm a more diverse place to work, you can trust Public Practice Recruitment Ltd to support you. We take pride in our ability to identify potential and to support our clients in adapting their recruitment processes to take full advantage of it.
To benefit from our expert knowledge and truly diverse approach to recruitment in practice, email us today. We’d be delighted to chat through your recruitment needs.
