Career progression

Our neurodiversity report and other existing research have shown that there is a ‘neurodivergent leadership ceiling’ that prevents individuals from reaching management positions.

For example

• 46% of employed autistic adults are over-educated or overqualified for their roles37
• individuals with ADHD are 18 times more likely to be disciplined at work for perceived behaviour problems, such as reduced attention span, hyperfocus and organisational difficulties. They are also 60% more likely to lose their jobs38
• only 14% of people with dyslexia feel that their organisation understands the value of dyslexic thinking.39

This means we could be missing out on diversity of thought in leadership positions, which in turn risks restricting representation, success and progression.

How can you help break the neurodivergent leadership ceiling?

• Involve neurodivergent people in the hiring process (for example, when reviewing applications or holding interviews) and make sure you include neurodivergent panel members in selection boards for governance positions.
• Look at your application processes and consider whether you are at risk of excluding or overlooking neurodivergent talent. For example, does your application form allow for dictation? Are you being clear about essential and desirable criteria in the job description? If you’re unsure, you could work with an external neurodiversity organisation to review your processes or consult your internal neurodiversity network.
• Consider what’s essential to success in the role - candidates may have varying interpersonal skills or may have difficulty with reading and writing but may still be competent to complete the job. Remember that assistive technology can help to reduce barriers for some and that individuals should not be excluded based on their neurodivergent traits.

Professional registration

At the IET we’ve taken several steps to improve the professional registration process for neurodivergent engineers and technicians, and we’re committed to continuing this journey towards better accessibility across all our processes.

Actions we’ve taken so far include

• working with professional registration advisors (PRAs) who are familiar with supporting neurodivergent  applicants
• offering extended deadlines and a higher number of support sessions with PRAs
• working with our professional registration interviewers and neurodivergent applicants to make sure the interview process is accessible and as comfortable as possible.

Many neurodivergent people we spoke to in our research cited low confidence and ‘Imposter Syndrome’ as key factors that were preventing them from progressing at work.

Increasing confidence is key and it takes time, however, here are a few proactive steps that neurodivergent individuals can take to demonstrate their desire and ability to progress:

• Consider Professional Registration. This can help you stand out from your colleagues and shows your commitment to progression
• Speak to other neurodivergent colleagues or role models who have progressed, and ask how they were supported and what would have been helpful to know
• Ask about opportunities to shadow colleagues in a role you’d like to progress into. This will show initiative and you’ll learn more about the role itself and if it’s a good fit for you
• After learning about the objectives and responsibilities of the role you’d like to progress into, discuss with your manager how you can incorporate more of these types of tasks or projects into your own role in a way that does not negatively impact your workload.

References