For candidates and employers
What neuroaffirmative means
By Andrew Bryne Published 2 min read
Neuroaffirmative is in our name, so it is fair to ask what it means. Here is the short answer, what it is not, and what it changes in practice, for you as a candidate and for you as an employer.
The short answer
Neuroaffirmative means treating the way someone thinks, communicates and takes in the world as a difference, not a fault. It starts from the position that nothing about you needs fixing before you can do good work.
Where the barriers are
A standard hiring process was built around one way of thinking and communicating: answer quickly, make small talk, read the unwritten rules, cope with a room you do not know. When someone who works differently does not get through it, the process puts it down to them. A neuroaffirmative approach draws a different conclusion. The process fell short, so the process is what changes.
Three words that are easy to mix up
- Neurodiversity describes the natural variety in how people think, learn and process information.
- Neurodivergent describes a person whose way of thinking differs from what is usually treated as typical: if you are autistic, have ADHD, or are dyslexic or dyspraxic, for example.
- Neuroaffirmative describes an approach: one that treats those differences as part of that variety, and changes the setting rather than the person.
What it is not
- It is not a lower bar. The job still needs doing well. What changes is how you get to show you can do it.
- It is not about labels. You do not need a diagnosis to work with us, and you never have to share one.
- It is not a list of suitable jobs.
- It is not only for some candidates. Clear instructions, questions in advance and a quieter room make a process fairer for everyone in it.
What it changes, if you are looking for work
- You tell us how you work, and we look for roles that suit it.
- With your OK, we pass your adjustments on and agree them with the employer before you meet. If an employer says no to something, we let you know, and you decide whether to carry on.
- You decide what an employer is told, every time.
- We stay in touch after you start, so small things do not become big things.
What it changes, if you are hiring
- We look at your process before we look for candidates, and show you where good people drop out.
- We brief the people who interview and manage, so a request for an adjustment is routine, not a moment.
- We stay involved through probation, long enough for the hire to stick.
Where to go next
If you are looking for work, How it works shows what happens, step by step. If you are hiring, How we work does the same from your side.
