The Element You Are Missing When it comes to Employee Attraction & Retention- Employment Branding To Attract Neurodistinct Talent
The Element You Are Missing When it comes to Employee
Attraction & Retention-
Employment Branding To Attract Neurodistinct Talent
By Carole
Jean Whittington
We were at dinner recently and a friend asked the group, “What
do you think it’s like to work at Google?”
The replies ranged from “fun, creative, casual, cutting edge,
innovative, outside the box thinking, you matter as an employee, excellent pay
and inclusive.” I think we all agreed it
would be amazing to work at Google. And
since none of us at dinner that night have ever worked for Google, I think it
is a great example of how powerful employment branding can be.
Most of us are very familiar with product or company
branding, think Nike and the swish logo and tag line “Just….” You filled in the
blank with “do it” didn’t you? The most
globally recognizable company brand right now after two years of lock down is
the happy image on the side of a brown box waiting on your front porch- the Smile
on an Amazon box. Just as the branding
of a company or a product becomes easily recognizable even to those who have
never purchased anything, employment branding is equally as impactful.
What
is an employment brand?
An employment brand is the market perception of what it’s
like to work for an organization. This
brand perception can include: company culture, work environment, and even
benefits. It is what someone feels,
thinks and believes it is like to work for your company. The employment brand identity influences
prospective, current and prior employees.
Why should
your company create an employment brand that will attract neurodistinct talent?
My presentation in the upcoming International Institute
for Learning’s Leadership and Innovation Conference on March 3rd is
titled: Accessing Untapped Talent After The Great Resignation to
Improve Engagement & Retention.
The current workforce
shifts have left a sizeable gap between positions to be filled and the
shrinking pool of applicants. There is
an untapped talent pool, which up to now have not had access or the ability to
enter the workforce due to the structure of work as we used to know it. In today’s world, we are seeing a permanent
adoption of both flexible and remote work in a variety of sectors and
positions. Working remotely from home is
no longer the elite “bonus” for a select group of employees.
Most companies today have an
online presence and that includes social media from Twitter, Instagram and
Facebook to YouTube and TikTok. Those
social media posts require graphic images, well written copy that converts
scrollers to customers and some of the most incredibly talented Neurodistinct media
managers I know have workflows and processes that make all those parts come
together like choreography in a Broadway show.
Each one of those positions could be a contract or freelance employee
who works remotely and is Autistic, ADHD or one of the many neurodivergent
neurotypes who excel in these areas. The
neurodistinct brain is built for so much more than just tech or IT.
I recently asked the Mind
Your Autistic Brain community what areas they studied and what talents and
skills they have that would align with the workforce. The results were from every field of study
from a master’s in public health with a specialty in geographical contagion,
advertising and photography with a specialty in stop motion videos, public
relations with a focus on disability services, to an attorney who specializes
in legal contracts for small business. These are all autistic or autistic ADHD adults
who are skilled in areas that may surprise you.
There were several who responded who have worked in customer service,
sales and as personal shoppers.
The reality is that the
majority of those I spoke with who were highly skilled and often have Master’s
degrees and PhDs were either unemployed or under-employed. The most heartbreaking was to learn that one
woman who has her Master’s in Public Health and a focus in geographical contagion
had been applying to the CDC for the last 7 years for a position. She could be the person who solves our
current global health crisis.
When I probed a bit deeper
within the community and began asking what challenges most faced when looking
for a job the list was topped by the interview process followed by the silent
social demands and sensory challenges.
Many self-select out of the process after reading the job description or
viewing the company’s website and finding that everything they encountered
excluded them from being a part of that company. Not once was it a lack of
skills or abilities but the perception and ease of access to the job and
company.
How does an effective neurodiverse employment
brand help you attract the talent you need, flip the script from a compensation
only approach and to engage and retain the talent you have and the talent you
recruit?
When you have done the work
to create an effect neurodiverse employment brand by:
·
Researching and fully knowing your
neurodistinct candidates from unique language and communication to sensory and
accommodation needs,
·
Reviewing and Identifying companies in your
industry who are successfully building neurodiverse employment brands and ones
who are not doing it well,
·
Successfully executing the right images, language
and company culture and positioning your company to attract and motivate action
by the aligned ideal candidates
You will reap the rewards of creating a neurodiverse
employment brand that creates urgency and a desire to work for your company by
the highly skilled talent you are seeking, messaging that speaks to the heart
of all potential and current employees, and a deeper connection with your workforce
because everyone feels they have a place to thrive.
What
are the hidden elements in a neurodiverse employment brand?
There are hidden elements in creating a neurodiverse employment
brand that when not properly executed will repel potential employees and you
will never get the opportunity to hire them.
They will take their innovative thinking, loyalty, glorious work ethic
and in demand skills elsewhere. And to
the other side of this, there are employees you currently have who are
neurodistinct and may be struggling in silence even though they hit all their
targets. These current employees will
thrive and reach goals you couldn’t even fathom when they feel valued and that
their neurotype is welcomed.
One
of the biggest hidden elements in an effective neurodiverse employment brand is
language and symbols.
The following are hidden elements that will REPEL most
potential neurodistinct talent:
-Person first language (person with autism)
-Puzzle Piece symbols
-Blue
-Incorrect usage of terminology such as Neurodiverse vs.
Neurodivergent
-Using medical terminology such as symptoms or diagnosis
On the whole, the autistic community prefers identity
first language which would be, “I am autistic.”
The preference goes back to autism not being separate of the person like
a disease but that being autistic is who someone is at their core. The puzzle piece has been a hot bed of
contention for many years with autistics who feel the symbol conveys we are
missing parts of ourselves and are not whole humans. Color is a big deal not just the color blue
but the colors you use on your website being eye friendly along with accessible
fonts for dyslexics. Blue is associated
with a large autism organization that is strongly avoided by autistics. There are several organizations that speak
over autistic voices and are not supported by the autistic community at large. Having
any logos or promotions in your branding associated with these organizations
can be a quick turn off. Let’s talk
terms for a moment.
Neurotypical:
This refers to the typical neurotype that is most common in humans.
Neurodivergent:
This is the term made popular by the book NeuroTribes written by Steve
Silberman describing people whose neurotype varied from typical thought
patterns and behaviors. Neurodivergent
includes Autistics, ADHDers, Dyslexics, Dyspraxics and more.
Neurodiversity: Was
coined by sociologist and fellow autist Judy Singer in the early 90’s as a way to describe a new movement towards neurological diversity being recognized,
accepted, and respected.
I use the term NeuroDistinct
in place of the term neurodivergent. The
term neurodistinct was coined by my good friend, fellow autistic and Googler
Tim Goldstein. He and I agree that from
a marketing standpoint and a human behavioral perspective no one wants to be
“divergent” but everyone wants to be thought of a “distinct.”
IF the language and communication element seem too foreign to wrap your
head around at the moment that is totally OK.
There is an easy solution just like having a pocket translator when you
travel to convert one language to your own, The Neurodiverse Communication
EcoSystem.
Autism is a variation in neural function and processing
it is not a disease to be caught. Autism
has previously been heavily reliant on a broken medical model that poorly
represented the actual autistic experience and abilities. Autism has traits not symptoms. Hopefully, these top insights are bringing
some light to areas you may not have noticed until now. That’s amazing and puts you ahead of the
competition.
Improving
your Neurodiverse Employment Brand
To determine if you have a powerful and attractive
neurodiverse employment brand that is working FOR you start by asking yourself
this question: Why did I choose to work
for my company? To get a copy of The
Neurodiverse Employment Assessment worksheet Click the following link: https://socialautie.ck.page/1f72722358
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