Organisations that make a strong effort to recruit, retain, and nurture neurodivergent workers can gain a competitive edge from increased diversity in skills, ways of thinking, and approaches to problem-solving.
We’ve spoken in a previous blog post about dyslexic thinking and how it is a skill and valuable asset to the hospitality industry, but what about neurodiversity as a whole?
As more and more organisations look to improve their ED&I strategies, neurodiversity is only going to rise higher on the agenda, particularly when it comes to recruitment during such a tumultuous period.
What is neurodiversity, how is it being approached in hospitality, and what can your hospitality business do to make your recruitment strategy align with your ED&I efforts?
Let’s take a look.
What is neurodiversity?
Neurodivergence refers to how someone’s brain can work in a different way, as a term to describe people that have brain differences, rather than those who are neurotypical (who have a way of processing information and functioning that is deemed to be ‘standard’).
It’s estimated that around 1 in 7 of the UK’s adult population is neurodiverse, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Neurodivergence is increasingly being viewed as a valuable asset in work – after all, a unique way of thinking means that your business can benefit from a diverse approach.
Workplaces that embrace neurodiversity have an awareness that employees shouldn’t have to conform to one way of thinking or doing things.
Instead, neurodiversity is celebrated and, as a result, neurodiverse employees can flourish with the proper support and guidance.
How is neurodiversity being approached in hospitality?
When discussing neurodiversity in any workplace, much of the discourse rests on how a workplace is not only accommodating different types of thinkers, but also how they are inspiring different types of thinkers.
It’s very similar to customer experience in hospitality settings – it’s not just about the outcome (e.g. good food), it’s also about the experience, and in many ways, the culture.
Here are some of the often-overlooked challenges that neurodiverse hospitality employees can face in the workplace:
Constantly changing shift schedules: consistency can be extremely important to many neurodivergent employees and having shift schedules that are changing without notice can be highly disruptive.
A lack of transparency with the company hierarchy: if there isn’t a clear hierarchy in place in a hospitality business, then neurodivergent employees may struggle to know who to go to if they have any issues or require support.
Disruptive work environment: whilst hospitality can undoubtedly be a vibrant and fast-paced working environment, certain elements can be highly distracting or disruptive, such as excessively bright lights, loud music, and other employees shouting over/at each other.
A lack of awareness: has an effort been made to encourage an awareness of neurodiversity in the workplace? There should be a level of understanding around the barriers that neurodiverse employees face.
But how can you make your approach to hospitality recruitment align with ED&I efforts?
Avoid neurotypical hiring practices
Your hiring practices can unintentionally exclude neurodiverse employees from the get-go.
After all, some of the key traits we consider to be an indication of a great employee are only suitable for neurotypical employees.
For example, during the interview process we might be looking for:
Strong eye contact
A highly sociable personality (e.g. able to continue a conversation beyond questions that have been asked)
Relaxed, confident body language (e.g. arms aren’t crossed)
A linear approach to answering questions (e.g. doesn’t deviate from the topic or give answers that might seem lengthy or disjointed)
Confidence when answering unpredictable questions (e.g. is self-assured in their approach when responding to questions that wouldn’t have been anticipated)
These traits all have a high level of importance attached to them, yet they inadvertently exclude neurodiverse candidates.
For example, though a neurodiverse candidate may struggle to maintain eye contact or socialise outside of the parameters of the interview, that isn’t to say they aren’t highly skilled.
These traits aren’t related to job performance, so they shouldn’t be held up as a gold standard for candidates, otherwise there’s a high likelihood that you’ll be missing out on skilled talent.
Be transparent
Strong communication during the recruitment process is crucial, particularly for neurodiverse candidates.
The multiple steps involved in hospitality roles can be a potential barrier to access, which is why transparency is key.
Do you regularly communicate with candidates to update them on their stage in the recruitment process? Are there any opportunities to disclose their neurodiversity (if they want to)? Will there be a competency-based assessment?
These are all things that neurodiverse candidates will want to know ahead of time to feel prepared and comfortable during the recruitment process.
Have a skills-based approach
From your job descriptions up until your interview process, there are multiple points at which there can be a temptation to focus more on educational experience or personality traits (as mentioned above).
Instead, we’d recommend listing the core skills needed for a job, rather than just credentials or academic qualifications.
This not only makes the requirements clear, but it also avoids exclusion on the basis of hyper-specific experience.
The best way to think about this is to ask, is there ambiguity in your recruitment process/role requirements?
If so, it’s time to remove the ‘nice-to-haves’ and focus on essential skills, or alternatively, make it clear that the good-to-have but not essential skills will not disqualify someone from a role if they fit the essential requirements.
It doesn’t have to be difficult
At Talent Hive, we truly believe that the skills and diversity of thinking that neurodiverse individuals can bring to hospitality will truly make a difference to the future of the industry.
We also understand that the recruitment process can be fraught with difficulties around what to do and when to do it – but we’re here to help.
Our team has in-depth knowledge of the ins and outs of hospitality, and we’re passionate about helping hospitality businesses secure the best talent.
Get in touch today to find out more.