Dear Reader, I spent this week building out a comprehensive neurodiversity awareness session for a client, and I kept coming back to one uncomfortable truth: most workplace friction around neurodiversity isn't about diagnosis. It's about assumptions. We assume people understand what we mean by "ASAP." We assume everyone processes verbal instructions the same way. We assume that if someone's intelligent and capable, they should just "figure it out." These assumptions cost us talent, productivity, and inclusion every single day. This week, I want to share the Neurodiversity Impact Model - a model that helps organisations reframe neurodiversity at work from a medical issue requiring specialist knowledge to a practical workplace matter that everyone can understand and address.

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What is the data telling us?

Research shows that 41% of neurodivergent employees report that workplace communication challenges affect them most days, and 50%+ have taken time off due to communication issues. But here's what organisations miss: when they blame the individual rather than examining their systems, they lose exceptional talent who simply needed the work to be designed differently.

The data also reveals that 63% of neurodivergent employees mask their true communication and thinking preferences at work, leading to anxiety and fatigue. When we design workplaces that assume everyone processes information the same way, we're exhausting a significant portion of our workforce whilst missing opportunities for clearer, more effective practices that benefit everyone.

Through my work on Neurodiversity with organisations, I've identified three critical, overlapping areas where it manifests at work. Think of these as a Venn diagram with three circles, all intersecting around how people actually work:

1. COMMUNICATION How information is shared, expectations are set, and exchanges are paced. This includes written versus verbal communication, specific versus vague instructions, and literal versus implied expectations. The difference between "sort out the process" (vague, open to interpretation, creates cognitive load for everyone) and "reduce processing time from 5 days to 3 days by end of month" (specific, measurable, clear).

2. ENVIRONMENT The sensory and cultural context in which work happens. This covers noise levels, lighting, structure versus flexibility, meeting culture, and how work is physically organised. The difference between constant interruptions treated as normal with no quiet spaces and designated focus times with a mix of collaboration and concentration areas.

3. EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING The cognitive processes that manage work itself: planning, task initiation, working memory, emotional regulation, and sustained focus. This is the big one that often goes unrecognised. It's not about intelligence - it's about the systems our brains use to estimate time, hold information, structure complex work, process ambiguity, direct attention, and overcome the activation barrier to begin tasks.

Different neurotypes exhibit distinct profiles across these three areas. Crucially, Excutive Function differences are common in neurodivergent brains, but everyone benefits when we design for them.

The business case is compelling: organisations that implement these universal design principles - designing systems that work for human cognitive diversity rather than an imagined "typical" worker - report higher engagement, better retention, and increased innovation. It's not about special treatment. It's about better work design.

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The Neurodivergent Perspective

Let's consider these three circles through a neurodivergent lens when they aren't working in together - and how they compound each other.

You're in a meeting with eight people. The fluorescent lights are bright, someone's eating crisps, and the conversation is fast-paced with people talking over each other. You're trying to follow the discussion, but you're also intensely aware of the humming from the air conditioning that no one else seems to notice.

Your colleagues are contributing ideas easily, building on each other's points. You have thoughts - good ones - but by the time you've processed what was said and formulated how to contribute, the conversation has moved on. You try to jump in, but the moment's passed.

Then your manager says "Can you sort out the client onboarding process?" Everyone else nods. But your brain has gone into overdrive. Sort it out how? What does "sorted" look like? By when? What's the priority - speed, cost, quality? You want to ask these questions, but everyone else seems to understand, so asking feels like admitting you're slower than your colleagues.

You leave the meeting exhausted, uncertain what was actually decided, and with a task you don't know how to start.

This is where all three circles intersect.

The environment demanded constant energy to manage sensory input. The communication was vague and fast-paced, giving you no time to process. And now you're facing an executive function challenge - you can't start the task because you lack the clear structure and explicit information your brain needs to begin.

You spend the next few hours - sometimes days - trying to reverse-engineer what was meant. You make your best guess, invest significant time and energy, and deliver something. Then you're told it's not quite what was needed. The feedback might be kind, but the message underneath is clear: you should have known.

Here's what people don't see: the cumulative load of these small frictions throughout the day. By 3pm, you're not just tired - you're depleted. You've spent enormous cognitive energy filling in gaps, managing sensory overwhelm, and second-guessing decisions about things that seem easy for everyone else.

And because you can't always articulate exactly what you need - or you fear being seen as "difficult" or "high maintenance" - you just try harder. You stay later. You develop elaborate workarounds. You mask.

Until eventually, you burn out. Or you leave. Or you start believing that you may not be cut out for this work, despite all evidence to the contrary.

The thing is, this isn't about fixing you. It's about recognising that work systems were designed with certain cognitive styles in mind - and those aren't the only valid ways to work.

When organisations address all three circles together - clear communication, supportive environments, and executive function scaffolding - something remarkable happens.

The intersections that created compounding friction suddenly create compounding support instead. Neurodivergent employees stop spending all their energy just trying to keep up - and everyone else benefits from the clarity, structure, and environmental considerations too.

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One Change, Immediate Action

This week, review your workplace using this three-part model. Honestly evaluate:

Communication Circle:

• Are your instructions specific and complete, or do they rely on people filling in the gaps?
• Do you provide information in written follow-up to verbal discussions?
• Are deadlines specific ("Friday 3pm for client call") or vague ("ASAP")?
• Do you explain why something matters and how it fits into the bigger picture?
• Is your language literal and direct, or do you rely on idioms and implied expectations?

Environment Circle:

• Do people have access to both collaboration and quiet focus spaces?
• Are there signals for focus time (like headphones meaning "don't interrupt")?
• Can people access flexibility in where or when work happens, even in small ways?
• Are meetings scheduled back-to-back, or do you build in calendar buffers?

Executive Function Circle:

• Do you break complex projects into smaller steps with clear starting points?
• Do you provide templates and checklists where helpful?
• Do you send meeting materials 24-48 hours in advance?
• Do you summarise key decisions and actions in writing after discussions?
• Do you clarify priority levels explicitly rather than assuming people know?

The goal isn't perfection. The goal is awareness. Once you view your workplace through these three lenses, you'll begin to spot simple changes that reduce friction for everyone - not just neurodivergent employees.

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And finally, a question for you?

Looking at your own workplace, where do you see the most friction? Is it in how information gets communicated, and expectations are set? Is it the physical or cultural environment people work in? Or is it in how work gets structured—the clarity around priorities, starting points, and how people are expected to manage complex tasks?

And what's one small change you could make in that area this week?

Hit reply and let me know—I'm genuinely curious what you're seeing.

Tania

P.S. The awareness training that covers PegSquared's Neurodiversity Impact Model will be available from January in a recorded format for teams. For £250, you get 30-day access to share across your entire organisation - with as many people as you wish. The goal is simple: make neurodiversity understanding as accessible as possible, because genuine inclusion starts with knowledge, not just good intentions. Reply to this email to find out more.

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FIVE ways you can work with me: ​ Neuro-inclusive Recruitment Audit: Understand what practical steps you can take to ensure your recruitment process is inclusive for all. Training: From line managers to leaders, global HR teams to recruitment, awareness sessions to champion training. Consultancy: Policy writing, process redesign, reviewing neurodiversity materials, data, ERG launches - anything neurodiversity at work related! Coaching: One-to-one coaching to help support an individual navigate the world of work as someone who is neurodivergent Speaking: From a fireside chat to a keynote, podcast guest to panellist ​ Reply to this email to find out more!