Why these companies opened doors to people with special needs

Progressive companies understand the importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I) beyond gender. But even while India Inc is still scratching the surface with respect to gender diversity, some organisations like Ernst & Young (EY) and Fujitsu India have begun to transform their work culture to embrace neurodiverse talent too.EY commenced the process of assessing 27 neurodiverse candidates in June this year. A week in October — marked by an unusual power outage in Mumbai — was a special one for a bunch of neurodiverse candidates who were shortlisted by EY. Through a rigorous three-step assessment process, EY shortlisted 13 candidates who then went through a week of eased-out, real-work environment simulation that tested their adaptability, agility and ability. Through this ‘super week’, the firm identified five exceptional candidates who joined EY early November.boxcontent medium80045798What is neurodiversity? Neurodiversity refers to variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. Coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, the term emerged as a challenge to prevailing views that certain neuro-developmental disorders are inherently pathological and instead adopts the social model of disability, in which societal barriers are the main contributing factor that disables people.Neurodiverse people are those who have dyslexia, autism & ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). They also include those who display certain behavioural traits under pressure and in group discussions.Amarpal Chadha, partner-people advisory services and sponsor for people with disabilities initiatives at EY India, said, “Despite the adverse situation, not a single candidate dropped out. All of them wanted to be in office.” The candidates were mainly assessed for an aptitude for coding. Once the candidates were finalised at EY, on-boarding was done over four days to allow them to get into the culture at the professional services firm.Globally, Microsoft, SAP and Willis Towers Watson are among those who have reportedly made some efforts on neurodiversity. This year, Fujitsu has started out on neurodiversity and is currently recruiting through individuals and referrals. Sumit Sabharwal, head of HR services delivery, Fujitsu global delivery centre, said, “We also simulated talks between neurodivergent and neurotypical colleagues, making the former learn how to read other people’s facial expressions, body language or nuances within conversations as well as learn from sounds.”boxcontent medium80045807How Fujitsu used virtual simulation to help neurodivergent individuals improve interpersonal skillsBy creating different scenarios virtually, Fujitsu learnt a few key things as an organisation including:- How to communicate slowly and clearly- How to use various emoticons on an online platform such as Microsoft Office Teams to understand feelings- How to keep online meetings brief and precise, so that they are easy to remember and to do-follow-ups- How to make workplace accommodations such as headphones to prevent auditory overstimulation, communicating clearly through concise emails and following standard practices such as sharing a written agenda, minutes for meetings, etc- How to overcome any unconscious bias towards neurodiverse employeesSujaya Banerjee, CEO, Capstone People Consulting, said, “Neurodiversity programmes are inducing companies and their leaders to adopt a style of management that emphasises the value of placing each person in a context of maximising contributions and valuing them as unique individual assets.”What’s key is creating awareness among all employees, added Sabharwal. The employment rate of persons with disabilities, which includes neurodiverse employees, at Fujitsu was 2.2% in FY19.“We don’t want anybody to think we are making an exception. We are telling them they have been hired for talent. These are people who have finished schooling and in some cases did engineering, but struggled to cope in a corporate environment,” said Chadha. “For all candidates, the expectation at EY is to be ready from day one. That was also the case here. We have kept our expectation very simple,” he adds.Banerjee said those who adopt the idea of neurodiversity believe that people with differences do not need to be cured — they need help and accommodation instead.EY plans to hire more neurodiverse candidates and would not stop at five.