When employees with disabilities have role models who have disclosed their own disabilities at the leadership level, they are 15 per cent more likely to have higher career aspirations than their peers in other organisations. 

Have you heard the phrase “bring your whole self” to work? It’s a modern cliché that can form part of an employer’s value proposition. 

As employers continue to prioritise diversity and inclusion within their workplaces, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of disclosure of personal characteristics, such as sexuality and disability, in fostering a sense of belonging among employees. 

Disclosure of these personal characteristics can be a difficult and personal decision for individuals, as it involves revealing potentially sensitive or private information. However, disclosure can be an important factor in promoting a sense of belonging in the workplace.

As someone who now helps employers create genuinely inclusive workplaces for neurodivergent people, I spent years hiding in plain sight. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 12, which meant I grew up with learning difficulties. Decades ago, when I first sought employment, I never uttered a word of my diagnosis or ongoing treatment. 

With rising awareness of neurodivergence, I have been wrestling with why so many employees still choose not to disclose. Many of the neurodivergent individuals I have spoken with have at one point or another hidden their condition from an employer, fearing negative stereotypes and bias limiting their advancement. 

Others are intensely private and choose to keep this personal information out of the workplace. 

Workplace concealment

While most people understand the reasons behind people’s struggles with disclosing their neurodivergence at work, what’s often less understood is the mental health consequences of workplace concealment.

Advocates argue the consequences of concealing one’s neurodivergence in the workplace can be detrimental to health and work performance. 

Your neurodivergent employees who conceal their diagnosis may be forced to ‘mask’ or ‘camouflage’. 

Masking, or camouflaging, refers to the practice of neurodivergent individuals altering their behaviour to conform to neurotypical standards. This includes suppressing stimming (self-stimulating) behaviours, forcing eye contact, or mimicking social cues. 

I have spoken with several autistic individuals who have reported writing down a list of small-talk questions to ask colleagues in preparation for a work function and then practising the delivery. 

We are all taught to modify our behaviour to suit certain social situations. However, most of us don’t require our dinner function persona all the time. 

For neurodivergent people, while masking can facilitate social interactions, it comes at a significant mental health cost. 

The effort to constantly monitor and adjust behaviour can lead to increased stress, anxiety and, in some instances, depression.

Factors impacting on disclosure through the employment lifecycle

While an individual’s choice to disclose is entirely their own, critical factors in stages throughout the employment lifecycle can influence such decisions.  Below, I’ve outlined a few of these.

Recruitment and disclosure of neurodivergence

In an employment lifecycle, the first opportunity for an individual to disclose is through the application process, often in the context of the employer offering support and adjustments. Many employers now include a sentence at the end of a job description to encourage disclosure.

Critics suggest self-reporting lays the responsibility at the feet of the candidate, by relying on self-report identification. 

“One jobseeker recently told me they wanted to work in an environment where they didn’t have to pretend to be someone else.”

Further limitations of asking for disclosure through the recruitment process stem from neurodivergent candidates who fear discrimination, social stigma and negative work consequences. 

One study found individuals were concerned about negative consequences of disclosure, including lowered expectations, isolation from co-workers and being passed over for promotion. 

In addition, candidates may not be aware of what types of adjustments are even available to them. I am still working out what I need to be successful at work – decades after my diagnosis. 

To account for individuals who may not know what adjustments they require, start by including a list of common adjustments at the end of the job description. For example:

• Offering flexibility in working hours or remote work options
• Providing noise-cancelling headphones or access to quiet spaces
• Allowing for task prioritisation support or clarification of instructions
• Permitting additional breaks for rest or self-regulation
• Adjusting lighting or seating arrangements for sensory preferences
• Offering alternative formats for communication, such as written instead of verbal feedback.

Better yet, critically re-evaluate current recruitment processes to be less rigid and offer more options for flexibility for  both neurodivergent and neurotypical candidates.

Hear more from Aron Mercer at other diversity experts at AHRI’s DEI Week webinar series, which starts tomorrow (19th November) and runs throughout the week. Register today.

Performance management and disclosure of neurodivergence

One worrying trend I am noticing is employees disclosing their neurodivergence at the point of performance management. 

If disclosures have not occurred before performance management processes kick in, it can create extra stress and complexity for both the employee and employer.

Several neurodivergent employees and managers I have spoken with have cited poorly communicated change, return-to- office mandates and organisation restructures as factors leading to increased workplace stress. 

These scenarios can be triggers for a decrease in workplace performance that can be sudden and dramatic.

A safe place to disclose

So, what can employers do to encourage safe disclosure of neurodivergence throughout the employment lifecycle?

The concept of psychological safety surfaces frequently in my conversations with neurodivergent individuals. One of the most common hopes I hear when speaking with neurodivergent individuals is finding a job where they can “be themselves”. 

One jobseeker recently told me they wanted to work in an environment where they didn’t have to pretend to be someone else. Leaders who foster psychological safety and maintain genuine relationships with their teams have a significant influence on disclosure.

Next, employers need to consider relevant education initiatives.

Author and political and disability advocate Helen Keller once wrote “the highest result of education is tolerance”. 

Education plays a critical role for managers and allies who can be cautious about approaching topics that are unfamiliar to them. 

In my experience working with employers, education erodes the biggest barrier to inclusion: fear.

Accenture’s 2021 survey found that in organisations that provided accessible inclusion training designed to help employees with disabilities thrive, staff are 35 per cent more likely to disclose their disabilities. 

Workplace education on neurodiversity and disability can play a pivotal role in reducing stigma and encouraging disclosure, ultimately fostering a sense of belonging among employees.

Model from the top

Researchers found that disclosure was influenced when individuals with a disability succeed in the workplace. Employers can cultivate a culture that encourages disclosure by promoting successes of employees with disabilities in an authentic and genuine way.

Accenture found that when employees with disabilities have role models at the leadership level who have disclosed their own disabilities, they are 15 per cent more likely to have higher career aspirations than their peers in other organisations. And with this in place, employees are 26 per cent more likely to be open about their disability. 

One employer I have enjoyed working alongside takes deliberate measures to model differences among its leaders. The firm, a global payment services provider, benefits from a diverse workforce with multiple senior leaders identifying as having a disability. 

The Global Head of HR told me a key area of focus is hiring and advancing neurodivergent employees. At least one leader identities as autistic and openly shares their experience with anyone interested in listening. 

The office has adapted to a range of working styles and introduced a quiet room and fidget toys in meeting rooms. Recently, the fidget toys have made appearances in interviews, where hiring managers talk about their use in an effort to normalise use.

This goes to show that it’s often only minor changes that are required to create safer, more equitable environments where neurodivergent employees feel comfortable to disclose and enabled to perform.

Authors note

Whenever I use a lived experience scenario to illustrate a topic, I have changed the name of the individual and their employer to protect their confidentiality. I appreciate some irony in changing each subject’s name in the context of supporting disclosure in an inclusive workplace, while acknowledging that it is often poor workplace culture that leads neurodivergent people to hide. Finally, the preferred gendered pronouns, she/ her, he/ him and they/ them are used for each lived experience scenario based on the subject’s preference or my interpretation.

This is an edited excerpt from ‘Untapped Talent, A Practical Guide for Hiring and Retaining Neurodivergent Staff ‘ published by Lived Places Publishing (U.S) in 2024. It has been republished with permission.