It's More Than a Matter of Perspective. How a Diversity of Thought Creates Safer Workplaces for All.
For the past two years, I pretty much read only one genre. I hadn’t even realized it until I picked up a book that received a rave review from The New York Times. It was unlike anything I had ever read before and way outside my comfort zone; it was just what I needed.
That book prompted me to intentionally shake up my reading habits. I wanted to challenge myself, expand my understanding and stretch my horizons rather than simply for entertainment, amusement or escape. So far this year, I have read science fiction, self-help, historical fiction, history, memoirs, business, international literature and plenty of general fiction from new-to-me authors.
Even so, all these books share a common thread: These works of fiction and nonfiction have afforded me a new perspective and a better appreciation for my surroundings, Mother Nature and my fellow man.
The experience reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird, specifically the scene when Scout sees her neighborhood from a new vantage point: “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.”
Encouraged both by my recent reading endeavors and the kind words I received from my previous column on caring, I sought to learn how workplace safety programs could be more neurodiverse friendly.
Eventually, I discovered that John Dony and Sarah Ischer of What Works Institute were giving a presentation at the American Industrial Hygienist Association's conference, AIHA Connect. I reached out, eager to learn more.
The term neurodiversity was coined in the late 1990s to describe the differences in how people's brains think, learn, perceive and process information. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that includes people who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia or another learning disability.
Studies estimate that 15% to 20% of today’s workforce is neurodiverse, but Dony says safety professionals shouldn’t wait to act until they meet someone who is neurodiverse or an employee requests an accommodation.
“If we waited for any other risk factor to activate in front of us—if that were the only time we were going to take action, to do something about it, or prevent it, then we’d be waiting for fires to happen before we did anything,” he says. “We'd never build a fire suppression system.”
Dony acknowledges that safety professionals might be overwhelmed with their current workload or reticent to do more, especially when it involves mental health or psychosocial risk. But what if we approach building a more neurodiverse-friendly workplace the same way we approach ergonomics? That is, we look for ways to adjust the work to best suit the person. We removed roadblocks or friction. We focused on strengths. We let empathy, rather than data, guide our decisions.
Seen that way, safety professionals who create more neurodiversity-friendly workplaces are simply doing what they’ve always done: protecting workers. A good safety professional—and indeed a good manager—is always trying to bring out the best in all their employees, protect them or help them however they need it.
This need not be expensive, but it does require asking questions and listening. My conversation with Dony, which you can listen to on the Talking EHS podcast, offered me a new way to view interpersonal communications, safety training, personal protective equipment and more. The part that excites me the most is how creating a more neurodiverse-friendly workplace is another step in creating a stronger, more welcoming and more inclusive culture for all.
“If the organization is paying attention to its culture and the way it thinks about psychological safety or psychosocial risk, that's absolutely going to benefit everyone,” Dony says. He should know, both as someone who has spent over 17 years in workplace safety and as someone who identifies as neurodivergent.
Safety professionals such as yourself are in a position where you can regularly walk around in someone else’s shoes. You can learn from and connect with others. You have been given a rare gift: the opportunity to lessen someone else’s burdens.
I look forward to hearing how you have made someone else’s life better.
