By: Stephanie Diana Eubank
The movement towards the future of work being remote is still going strong and is still fraught with controversy. However, transitioning to remote work becoming part of the business norm has some added benefits. Today we will explore the fact that remote work has been increasing diversity in the workplace. Specifically, remote work has increased the number of neurodivergent people in the workplace.
First let’s work on our vocabulary. The dictionary defines neurodivergent as “differing in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal (frequently used with reference to autistic spectrum disorders); not neurotypical.” Although, it should be noted that this term also includes those who are diagnosed with ADHD.
Now that we have the term clarified let’s focus on the fact that diversity in the workplace has been researched to be a massive benefit to an organization’s creative problem-solving and production. When you have a diverse population coming at a problem from different angles, you get an inspired answer. The disabled community since COVID, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), has entered the workforce from 9% of the workforce in 2019 to over 20% of the workforce as of 2023, which in large part has been because of the growing use of remote work as a modality. According to the article by Gonzales (2023), the BLS federal statistics show disabled workers are becoming a growing population in the workforce and the fact that traditionally disabled workers suffer a higher rate of unemployment compared to their neurotypical counterparts. In the article Gonzales (2023) also went on to detail that in the disabled community, over half of that population are 65+ and traditionally have a higher rate of unemployment and workplace discrimination than their counterparts. Further to the article, Gonzales (2023) comments on how the disabled community is also one of the fastest-growing demographics of entrepreneurs. The BLS notes that neurodivergent workers of the disabled community are the most likely to start their own businesses. Especially those with ADHD.
Many of you may have seen Connor De Wolfe’s YouTube videos on ADHD neurodivergent content, where he speaks about social and scientific differences neurodivergent people have as part of their lived experiences. As he has displayed on his channel, ADHD people learn skills quickly, are very creative, and have unique problem-solving abilities. However, managing workers that are neurodivergent is not the same as managing a neurotypical worker. Their motivations are also vastly different. Ok, money is a common motivator for both groups; there is nothing wrong with that. However, motivation styles must change on the part of leadership. Remote work is also an excellent tool when leading remote teams in a diverse workplace that includes neurodivergent team members. It allows room for the neurodivergent person to not be overwhelmed as easily and to engage in ways that give freedom to not have to emotionally mask their symptoms.
There are also YouTube influencers on the topic of ADHD and neurodivergence that have great ways to help your teams stay focused and successful. Influencers like @olivialutfallah, Olivia Lutfallah, and Ludovico Saint Amour Di Chanaz, a Ph.D. who studies ADHD as a researcher. My personal ADHD motivational and memory tool is to use music. Such as, when I run 5k’s or go hiking with my kids, I play a specific playlist, so I memorize where I am based on the timing of the song, and over time the location makes the song play in my head, and I remember where I am. As I get better at remembering, I set a playlist that is faster to set a pace to help me speed up production. I do the same work in my workplace, and the benefit is when I start singing along with the music in remote work, only my seven-year-old is bothered. (Although a word to the wise, always make sure you are on mute before you belt out songs cause that can turn into an awkward moment). This is yet again another opportunity afforded by remote work so that I don’t have to emotionally mask and I can be my authentic self as a business leader.
If you would like to learn more about how you can train your teams to better balance the changes to leadership that the remote work revolution is creating for the future of work, please check out my social media and my consulting practice for ways to help develop more comfort levels for remote work. Remember sharing is caring, so like and subscribe. As always, remember, that remote is here to stay.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
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Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
Work Cited
Gonzales, M. (2023, March 9). Employment rate rising for people with disabilities. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/employment-rate-rising-for-people-with-disabilities.aspx
Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear) 