The UN World Autism Awareness Day is taking place on 2 April, marking the start of World Autism Month. The aim of this day and month is to highlight the need to help improve support for autistic people, so that they can become an equally integral part of society. The U.N estimates up to 80 per cent of the world’s autistic adults are unemployed or underemployed and in Australia, the unemployment rate for autistic people is 31.6 per cent. With this in mind, Orro is looking inward this World Autism Awareness Day to look to the future, and consider how neurodiverse talent can be better supported not only at Orro, but throughout the technology industry and beyond.
For the vast majority of workers, the return to office is met with excitement, or perhaps apprehension after two years of working remotely and this experience is also true for the autistic and broader neurodiverse community. A recent poll by Xceptional, found that many autistic employees are excited about the return to the workplace or hybrid work. However, while many people keenly await in-office incentives, the neurodiverse are facing a return to work in spaces that, more often than not, are not equipped to understand or support their professional needs.
In the same poll, Xceptional found that one third of autistic people feel positive about returning to work full time, with another one third comfortable with a hybrid model. One third aren’t comfortable about returning to the office at all.
These results show that a one-fits all approach to neurodiversity in the workplace isn’t appropriate, and businesses need to make adjustments for their neurodiverse talent – including changes to work practices.
By working with Xceptional, Orro has taken the first steps to enhance our diversity and inclusion for neurodiverse talent. The program is currently in its formative stages, with Xceptional consultants working closely with Orro hiring managers and training them to become more aware of the challenges faced by the neurodiverse and how the business can break down those barriers.
In a highly competitive talent market Orro are taking deliberate steps to attract and retain neurodiverse talent who represent a significant and untapped resource.
Continuing our partnership with Xceptional, Orro hopes to incorporate a robust stream of neurodiverse talent into our pool, utilising the knowledge gained in our training so far. While there is always work to be done, we look forward to strengthening our work for the neurodiverse community and hope that the greater technology sector also sees the value in hiring neurodiverse talent.
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