Dear Reader,
This week, we are back to our normal format, and I am pleased to share with you a new Neurodiversity and Innovation Report.The HLB Neurodiversity Report 2025 presents a balanced view of neurodiversity in the workplace, considering both the business opportunities and the current workplace experiences. I had the privilege of being interviewed by HLB for this research.
The numbers presented tell a story of extraordinary potential being systematically overlooked, while highlighting the urgent need for organisations to bridge the gap between awareness and meaningful action. Let's explore the data and what we can do to support proactively moving forward.
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What's the data saying?
The HLB Neurodiversity Report 2025 provides a reality check for talent leaders: 54% of UK applicants believe recruitment is designed to judge conformity rather than capability. This isn’t just perception - it reflects the actual experience of candidates navigating traditional systems that struggle to support cognitive diversity.
Workplace statistics are equally stark. Just over half of neurodivergent employees (52%) feel their organisation, or their team (54%), creates an environment where neurodiversity can be discussed openly. Only 37% feel they receive substantial support. Notably, nearly a third report that their work experience has had a negative impact on their mental wellbeing.
Yet the business case for genuine inclusion is stronger than ever. Neurodivergent teams at JPMorgan Chase are 90–140% more productive and make fewer errors than neurotypical colleagues. Neurodiversity-specific hiring has driven 90% retention rates, while inclusive teams in other organisations have seen threefold lower attrition and a 15% increase in innovation outputs.
Crucially, the perceived cost of inclusion is a myth: 58% of workplace accommodations cost nothing, and 91% of neurodivergent SAP employees did not request adjustments—barriers in most cases are structural or cultural, not financial.
Further, landmark population studies in the Netherlands show individuals with ADHD or autistic traits score higher on creativity measures, and heterogeneous teams consistently generate more distinct, valuable ideas than single-neurotype groups.
HLB-Neurodiversity-Report-2025.pdf
Stories from the workplace
The statistics match closely with lessons learned while building EY's Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence. Our early assumption was that multiple adjustments would be required - we thought about lighting changes, desk positioning, specialist coaching We prepared for cost and complexity. The reality was far simpler. Only about half of our team needed any formal support; most interventions were minor.
(I also still laugh about the fact, we positioned the team in a part of the office with minimum through traffic to minimise noise and dispruption and they were at times the noisest team on the floor!)
The most significant change was adapting to different working styles: some preferred written communication over verbal, others required extra reflection time before meetings, and a few thrived with strict project timelines and regular check-ins, rather than more open-ended tasks.
Support usually didn’t entail formal “reasonable adjustments.” It was about recognising differences and providing flexibility, which consistently benefited our entire team - not just neurodivergent members.
This aligns with the statistics in HLB’s report: most accommodations are cost-neutral and are rarely formally requested. The main barriers are fixed ways of working. Inclusion isn’t about expensive interventions, but rethinking how we enable every employee to deliver their best.
Introducing the Neurodiversity Recruitment Conference 2025 - Transform Your Hiring, Unlock Hidden Talent
Are you ready to revolutionise your recruitment strategy and tap into the incredible potential of neurodivergent talent?
Join Marc Crawley (experienced recruiter from Hays) and myself (founder of PegSquared and former leader of EY's award-winning Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence) for the UK's first dedicated Neurodiversity Recruitment Conference on November 13th, 2025.
This virtual, CPD-accredited event delivers a full day of actionable strategies, real-world case studies, and practical frameworks to help you remove invisible barriers, redesign your recruitment process, and successfully attract, assess, and retain neurodivergent talent. With interactive sessions covering everything from job attraction to onboarding, plus exclusive access to senior HR leaders sharing breakthrough success stories, this isn't just another awareness session - it's your roadmap to competitive advantage through neuro-inclusive hiring.
Early bird tickets just £375 (+VAT) until October 18th (£500 + VAT thereafter).
If you are an individual or a not-for-profit organisation wanting to attend, or if you would like multiple tickets, please send an email to tania@pegsquared.co.uk for details on discounted tickets.
One change for immediate action
Evaluate current processes against a “missing potential” benchmark:
Recruitment Reality Check:
- Could an anxious, highly skilled candidate excel in your process?
- Are assessments relevant to job performance, or are they evaluating comfort with social norms?
- Do your application and interview routes allow for varied demonstration of ability?
Workplace Support Audit:
- Do employees feel genuinely safe to disclose neurodivergence?
- What’s the difference between offering support and delivering support that works?
- How do you measure the effectiveness of adjustments in practice?
Innovation Assessment:
- Are you drawing on the full range of neurocognitive problem-solving in teams?
- Do your processes reward conformity, or make space for alternative approaches?
- Where might greater cognitive diversity lead to practical competitive advantage?
With 1 in 5 employees likely to have a neurodifference and 54% believing recruitment misses real talent, the business risks from failing to adapt are concrete and measurable. Getting inclusion right opens up up to 140% improvements in performance and reduces costly churn.
And finally, a question for you?
Where in your organisation’s process might neurodivergent candidates or employees feel their strengths are missed or undervalued? What does meaningful support actually look like - beyond the policy document and into daily practice?
Reply to share thoughts - I am especially interested to hear where HR teams have narrowed the gap between fostering safe disclosure and delivering practical, impactful support.
See you next week
Tania
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!
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