Neurodiversity at work – How to make your firm more inclusive

If the word neurodiversity still draws a few blank looks around your office, it’s time to introduce a little training for your team.

Many of us are familiar with workplaces that would prize conformity and label anything else as “a bit difficult”, but times have changed (thankfully). Today, there’s growing recognition that different brains bring different strengths.

Which is amazing, really, because wouldn’t life be terribly dull if we were all carbon copies of one another?

So, what is neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity refers to the natural variations in how people think, learn, process information, and interact with the world. It includes conditions like:

• Autism
• ADHD
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Tourette’s and more.

Neurodiversity isn’t a medical issue that needs to be “fixed”, it’s just how some of us are wired.

It’s reported that around 1 in 7 people in the UK are believed to be neurodivergent, so it’s likely that someone in your team, or one of your clients, sees the world a little differently and that’s not a bad thing.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite!

Why neurodiversity matters in legal and accountancy firms

The accounting and legal professions love precision, structure, and rules, often for very good reason. However, that doesn’t mean there’s only one way to be effective.

Some neurodivergent individuals have phenomenal attention to detail, pattern recognition skills, and creative problem-solving abilities that a neurotypical person would never think of.

Others might bring hyper-focus, unconventional thinking, or a deep passion for a specific topic.

All of which can be valuable assets to a firm if you make the space for it

How to make your workplace more inclusive

Here are a few simple, effective starting points to make your firm more inclusive:

• Be flexible – Not everyone thrives in a 9-to-5, open-plan, “speak-up-in-every-meeting” kind of environment. Some people might need a quiet space to concentrate, prefer written input over spontaneous discussion, need background music, or simply do their best thinking at 7pm with a cuppa. When you offer flexibility through remote working, different communication styles, and varied meeting formats, you give people the room to perform at their best, not just conform.
• Clarity is kindness – Clear instructions, written follow-ups, and reduced ambiguity can help everyone, not just neurodivergent colleagues. Some neurodiverse individuals, for example, prefer to understand the why behind a task before jumping into the how. So if someone asks you, “Why are we doing this?”, try not to assume they’re questioning your judgement. They might simply need context to work at their best.
• Ditch one-size-fits-all training – We all absorb information differently. Some people love a detailed guide, while others would rather watch a video or have a quick conversation. Neurodivergent colleagues may find long webinars exhausting or struggle with walls of text. A bit of variety in how you deliver training (think bite-sized modules, captions, transcripts, visuals, etc.) can make a big difference. Plus, it makes training more engaging for everyone, not just those who need the adjustments.
• Avoid assumptions – Neurodiversity isn’t always visible, and not everyone feels comfortable disclosing their diagnosis and what support they need. Someone might seem “quiet” in meetings or take longer to respond to questions, and it’s easy to misread that as disinterest or a lack of knowledge. In reality, they might just be processing differently. Creating a culture where people feel safe to say, “This is what helps me,” or “Here’s how I work best,” is a far better strategy than relying on assumptions.

No one is asking you to become an expert overnight. Just showing a willingness to listen, learn and adapt can make a huge difference.

How The Professional Alternative can support your firm’s neurodiversity training

You don’t need a psychology degree to support your neurodiverse employees and clients. You just need the right training, delivered in a way that fits busy, high-performing firms like yours.

Our courses on neurodiversity provide you with everything you need to build a more inclusive, neurodiversity-friendly culture and shows exactly how it can benefit your firm. It’s packed with real-world examples and practical steps you can start using straight away.

You’ll find this course, along with the rest of our training, on our easy-to-use online platform, whenever and wherever it suits you.

We offer a mix of formats to suit different learning styles, including reading materials, short videos, interactive quizzes, and insights from professionals across the legal and accountancy sectors.

It’s all designed to support every member of your team, neurodiverse or neurotypical alike.

Why not try it out for yourself today?

Book a demo to find out how we can support and educate your team on diversity in the workplace.