Neuro-Divergence In The Workplace – with Sam Warner

On this episode of Build Better Brands, Danielle Clarke is joined by Sam Warner, The Autistic Interpreter, who helps business owners attract and keep talented neuro-divergent employees.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• I discovered that I thought the grass was greener elsewhere, but it actually isn’t. The same systemic problems were cropping up everywhere in my previous roles and I lost my get-up-and-go so I got-up-and-went! I now help attracting the right people for diversity of thought at work because diversity of thought is really healthy for a business. If you’ve got a team of “yes men or women” who agree with everything the boss says and they all have the same interests and hobbies, and they all get along famously, there’s no diversity of thought there at all, no one’s going to challenge anything, come up with awkward questions and potentially you might not have innovation and invention going on because everybody’s towing the line. This was a side-hustle I started in 2008 and I quickly realised I preferred it to my main job.
• The job interview is such an outdated way of assessing potential new staff, it doesn’t work for anybody, but especially not for neuro-divergent people, because it’s actually showing people under stress not under pressure. To test people under pressure you need to give them a timed test of some kind, it’s a more accurate way of checking they can hit a deadline, or cope with something that comes in last minute. How do you know if someone’s a “good fit” if they haven’t met the team? How many times have you seen in a job advert “salary negotiable or TBC”, why would you even apply for that job if you don’t know you can pay your mortgage? What I earned previously has nothing to do with this job, you’re just trying to find out if you can pay me less, I not interested in working for you f that’s what you want from me as an employee – maximum work for minimum money.
• To me, the term neuro-divergent means that you were wired up differently in the uterus. It’s formed as you’re forming. It’s a different way of connecting all those synapses and connections in the brain. People who are neuro-divergent see the world through a different lens, they interpret the world differently and often it’s a bit confusing.
• The biggest challenges businesses bring up include ‘conflict’, which is a misunderstanding of how to use language. Some people aren’t prepared for someone who has a lot of questions, they think that their knowledge and ability is being questioned or their ego has been bruised or they’re embarrassed. But that’s actually a reflection on them and their abilities and their way of receiving a question. Another is about the expectation of the speed of taking something new and running with it. Quiet often people give instructions, but they don’t give you all of the instructions, there’s an assumption made about some things instead of making sure there’s a baseline that we’re all OK with and then giving the instructions.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Many companies believe they’re doing the right thing by telling individual staff members to ask for what they want, which is really hard when you don’t know what you’re allowed to ask for. You don’t want to be the diva that gets special treatment because that never goes well, you actually want a list of reasonable adjustments that anyone in the company can access, such as wearing headphones.’

‘If I go on your website and I don’t see any reference to diversity, equity and inclusion, I’m not going to feel 100% confident that you have a reasonable list of adjustments, or that I could ring up or email before the interview and say “I just want to let you know I’m autistic so I’m very sensitive to things like temperature and I struggle when people sit in front of a window and all I can see is a silhouette because I need to see you facial expressions to understand a little bit extra on top of the words you’re using. Can I get a copy of the questions in advance so I can have time to give you a great answer instead of being put on the spot?”’

‘Let’s just stop the fluff and get to the point, say what you mean and mean what you say.’

‘Wouldn’t it be really great if we were already teaching this stuff in school so that by the time people were leaving school there is no fear. Kids are the most acceptable, tolerant, flexible people on the planet, so when you teach them about ‘different’ people they wouldn’t be judgemental about it, they would have greater insight.’

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwarner/

Website: https://get-your-message-across.com/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Sam Warner works with organisations wishing to attract and retain neurodivergent talent.  Supporting them in enhancing their recruitment and onboarding processes, including job adverts, interviews, & inductions. Sam runs the The New Rules of Engagement (TM) training course to inform, combat conflict, alleviate difficult conversations and create an inclusive team culture. Sam helps businesses put together a list of offered reasonable adjustments/accommodations/adaptations they can offer to any new starters to help them achieve approx 15% increase in profits.

Sam also provides an interpreter service for adults & older teenage children with diagnosed or un-diagnosed Autism, ADHD and PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) & helps them, their friends, family & co-workers to communicate better. She shares a lot of techniques she employs as coping mechanisms for various behavioural problems & challenging situations. Sam understands the different ways in which the brain processes information & makes sense of the world. She offers an informal pre-diagnosis consultation to help people find the words to self-advocate for a formal diagnosis.

She uses her broad knowledge when working with a variety of people from different backgrounds and is known for her communication and behaviours interpreter work with Neurodivergent adults and their friends, colleagues and families.

ABOUT THE HOST

Danielle Clarke is a Brand and Marketing Consultant, University Lecturer and Business Owner.

Since 2006 Danielle has provided brand design and marketing support for clients including Škoda, Gtech, UK Biocentre, UK Mail and GIRLvsCANCER Danielle is committed to helping brands that want to have a positive impact on people’s lives. She spends her time consulting and working with business owners to help them attract and retain their best customers.

Insta - @danielleclarkecreative | [https://www.instagram.com/danielleclarkecreative/]

LinkedIn - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-clarke-creative/]

Twitter - @D4nielleCl4rke |  [https://twitter.com/D4nielleCl4rke]

Email - [email protected]

Website: www.danielleclarkecreative.com

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