We are all battling a lack of people applying for open positions in our companies and combine that with the fact there is a strata of the workforce that is working harder to stay home and get out of work than to add value to the world.

What if you can find productive employees and guarantee your next hire would:

• Always be on time.
• Want to learn more daily.
• Care about the work they do.
• Create efficiencies that you did not consider.
• Set an example for others.

Where would you spend your time? Now, what if I told you there are 170,000+ of these capable employees available to start tomorrow just in Wisconsin alone?

What if you learned that there are no state programs to qualify for, apply to, or wait for a response in 90 days. There is no three page job description to write and that other Manufacturers in the private sector already have success that you can use as a model? All you have to do is give a shit to make this work.

Need a business case for the doubters? What if you learned that 11.9% of the population is considered to have a disability, and hence be neurodiverse, but only 19.1% of them are employed?  How about the fact that employers that hire people with disabilities have on average 28% higher revenue, double the net income, and 30% higher profit margins than their peer group?  Another fun fact published by the government, is that GDP in the USA could be boosted up to $25 billion dollars if just 1% additional people with disabilities joined the labor force.

My daughter Emma Rathmann and I were honored to give the opening presentation at the Disability:IN Wisconsin event on Hiring Neurodiverse Talent to Grow Manufacturing last week hosted by Engauge Workforce Solutions. Over 100 talent seekers and employers attended for the purpose of learning more about hiring the most under considered and capable workforce this region, state, and world has to offer.

Also presenting at the event  were Goldhmong Vang,Katie Malnight Meisinger Corryn Manderfield, and the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin. The audience was filled with , , leaders, other Service Providers, and even parents of sons and daughters looking for companies that “get it” and can help provide a caring environment and future for their kids.

The following is a recap from our presentation about the commonalities of all the success stories just from our close circle of neurodiverse friends that are gainfully employed and adding value to the efforts in the private sector. Some people thought this presentation was about the formula we created for success.  In reality, this is a documentary of what we see working with the individuals we know besides our own experiences.

Let’s first talk about the shared characteristics of your future employees:

• They have defined schedules and availability;
• They have favorite interests, foods, and communication styles;
• They have a linear and VERY literal thought process;
• They see the world as flat when it comes to organizational charts and hierarchy, which translates to treating the groundskeeper on the same level as the CEO (BTW, This should be your leadership style if it isn’t already).

Tell me how any of this is unmanageable?

Let’s talk secondly about the shared characteristics of the accommodations that other companies are making for these employees:

• They offer flexible and part time schedules;
• They have a horizontal structure on mission and surround the employee with others that are available to help mentor and answer questions that arise;
• They help the employee understand what their role is and why there are certain requirements for clothing and safety equipment;
• They offer stacked training and build a playbook and handbook specifically for the role the employee is in, as well as have them job shadow until they are comfortable performing on their own;
• They give clear directions and instructions with tangible metrics for the employee to gamify their duties and measure their own progress.

Tell me how any of this is impossible for you to offer?

No replication of your favorite recipe is successful without the right ingredients so you need to understand all of the shared characteristics and parts of the employment model that the current success stories share.

• The employee does have the desire to work, the capability to do the work, a consistent and predictable schedule, and the ability to advocate for themselves;
• The opportunity for the employee is aligned on their skill sets, are supported by other employees with interactions from multiple levels within the company;
• The employees’ family was involved and is in communication with the stakeholders within the company and has provided insights for the management, helps with pregame and postgame daily routine before and after work, and the family has learned to trust that the company is looking out for the employee on all levels.This will be the hardest part for the employer to prove themselves as a safe and growth environment for their child;
• The position is supported through a staffing agency, has access to additional training and education resources through non-profits, and has transportation needs filled by the family or a service.

Just as the right ingredients are necessary, so is how those ingredients work together on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.  I call it “The Committed Ecosystem” as pictured in the opening of this article.  No matter how large the organization is, if you find someone that can be on time, cares about the work they do, and wants to learn, you are going to make room for them.

• There absolutely needs to be selfless vision and leadership in the organization to want to hire neurodiverse employees.  A company should be a people system first and that will drive the business systems.
• The middle management needs to be informed, educated, and empowered to work with and help grow their team members.  This is the biggest point of failure for many organizations that say they are diverse and inclusive on their mission statements but then do not provide the middle management the tools they need which leaves the employee in a sink or swim situation that frustrates all parties involved and is ultimately a failure.
• The supportive team members are the most important ingredient. You need to surround the employee with the right people that are willing to teach others, can be selfless themselves, and measure their own success through the growth of others.  Pay these people well!

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An interesting tangent to this, while presenting this material to a group of parents the previous week, a fellow Dad asked what I would do as the CEO when their child comes home and says that someone called them a certain derogatory name and bullied their child’s situation.  My answer as a Dad was that we have been in that situation and what I wanted to do was considered a hate crime in most developed nations.  My answer a week later as a CEO that employs now four neurodiverse individuals, is that if I have not built an organization of people aligned on a common goal that want to see each other do well as much as be experts in their own space, I have failed and don’t deserve to employ their son or daughter.

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• The Family and the 4th Party Resources (like transportation, the staffing company, the trainers and outside partners) are very much aligned and in communication about the employee.  This is essentially the “it takes a village” aspect of your journey and everyone having access to each other to address any schedule changes, additional training opportunities, and questions that may develop by anyone in this journey to grow the opportunity for the individual is key.  One of the presenters at the seminar actually stated that it “takes a city sometimes”.  I don’t disagree and each situation is going to be unique.

The capstone to this article is how to build your playbook for success in hiring a neurodiverse employee.  I wish I had a patented process that I could guarantee would work for you with a money back guarantee, but the real chance for success is for you to just get started using the following process parts and make adjustments as needed.

• First, replicate success.  There are other companies out there that are doing this successfully and their partners in success are just waiting to help others. Use your network, cross pollinate best practices and make introductions.  I guarantee if you are reading this, you know someone that is neurodiverse and have the people in your network that can help. There is a Chinese Proverb that states the best time to plant an oak tree was 30 years ago, the next best time is now.
• Second, if you are going to be the one driving the mission, then build your village (or city). Find a staffing agency that can support the hiring model if you are tied to certain hiring policies and processes that are found in union based shops or complex companies.  Call the position contract based or seasonal and you have some flexibility.
• Thirdly, when you find an individual that you want to hire, define what success looks like, who the stakeholders are and create roles. Make sure your new employee understands where their role fits into the big picture of the operations, what the goals are, and how they can measure their success.
• Fourthly, you need to stay agile and responsive on this journey with the employee.  There will be some unknowns like hiring anyone else, there will be a few schedule changes and there will be a few situations that the employee may need help navigating.
• Finally, be visible.  Praise efforts and achievements, check in often with your management and frontline team members, leave the door open for anyone to ask questions, be creative with analogies and examples to teach everyone involved and have patience. By the way, this entire journey may be a bottom up solution so be receptive.

You can not fail at this because any action you take to help employ the neurodiverse or support that action is more than you did yesterday and more than the market had. Just get started. You’ll figure out the second step once you do.

At the 2023 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting, Warren Buffett said this country is missing a “Unity of Purpose” on several items in reference to how the country pulled together during WWII and for the Space Race to the Moon.  Everyone in the room last week shared a unity of purpose of integrating some of the most capable individuals in the world into their manufacturing efforts and I look forward to more success stories being posted.

Emma and I are available to anyone that would like assistance in any or all of the parts of this article. By the way, my daughter Emma was diagnosed with Aspergers at age 12 and is now employed at HUSCO International surrounded by fantastic humans in a win-win model for production and making a difference in growing her.  It has been a journey together as a Family and will continue to be and we are eternally grateful for the team there.

Accommodating Uniqueness

Four Legged Stool

Committed Organization

Build Your Plan

Disconnect between a vision and execution

Takes a village

It is important for all of us to foster an environment that is conducive to neurodiversity, and to recognize and emphasize each person’s individual strengths and talents while also providing support for their differences and needs.

How can employers make their workplaces more neurodiversity-friendly?
Offer small adjustments to an employee’s workspace to accommodate any sensory needs, such as
Sound sensitivity: Offer a quiet break space, communicate expected loud noises (like fire drills), offer noise-cancelling headphones.
Tactile: Allow modifications to the usual work uniform.
Movements: Allow the use of fidget toys, allow extra movement breaks, offer flexible seating.
Use a clear communication style:
Avoid sarcasm, euphemisms, and implied messages.
Provide concise verbal and written instructions for tasks, and break tasks down into small steps.
Inform people about workplace/social etiquette, and don’t assume someone is deliberately breaking the rules or being rude.
Try to give advance notice if plans are changing, and provide a reason for the change.
Don’t make assumptions — ask a person’s individual preferences, needs, and goals.
Be kind, be patient.

Ecosystem – Ven diagram of employee, company, family, 4th party resources = growth

Forward thinking…..

References

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-neurodiversity-202111232645#:~:text=Neurodiversity%20describes%20the%20idea%20that,are%20not%20viewed%20as%20deficits