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It is estimated that around 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent, meaning that their brain functions, learns and processes information differently. Organisations that embrace neurodiversity can gain competitive advantage in many areas — productivity, innovation, culture and talent retention.
We spoke with Claudia at DCMS, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), about her experience in the workplace as a neurodivergent and the mechanisms she has in place to manage a working lifestyle that fits her needs.
The office can sometimes be overstimulating and overwhelming for people with ADHD. DCMS’s hybrid working policy of two days a week in the office enables Claudia to have the balance of working from home, and choose her days in the office for when she has fewer meetings or doesn’t have tasks that she needs a silent environment for. She also has a flexible working pattern that suits her needs, opting to start earlier and take more frequent breaks throughout the day. DCMS have also provided noise-cancelling headphones for the office and have dedicated quiet zones to support employees who may find the office, particularly after two years of working from home, overstimulating.
Claudia has found her team and her manager to be very supportive and accommodating. She often has walking phone calls with colleagues, as opposed to video calls, because the routine of being stuck at a desk can be difficult. Her manager will follow up on meetings with clear, written instructions, as processing them verbally can be challenging. DCMS is the first workplace that Claudia has felt comfortable disclosing her neurodiversity and credits the understanding and empathetic senior leaders for this. In her first meeting with her Director, they disclosed their disability and how it affects their ways of working - demonstrating the culture of openness and encouragement to be your authentic self at work.
DCMS celebrates the experiences of neurodiverse colleagues to create awareness across the department - the Ability staff network is a brilliant community internally that supports neurodivergent colleagues and the peers and line managers of neurodivergent individuals. DCMS provides the mechanisms to ensure neurodiverse colleagues feel supported, able to be their authentic self at work and able to thrive in their role.
Are you interested in joining DCMS? Take a look at the current job opportunities here.
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
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