What is neurodiversity and why does it matter in the workplace?

Written by Mo Bury, managing director of Momentum Training and Development Ltd

What is Neurodiversity?

15-20 per cent of people in the UK are diagnosed as Neurodivergent but as there is a waiting list of two – ten years for a diagnosis, we can be sure that the numbers are much higher.

This is something that you can’t ignore. The Equality Act 2010 protects people whose brains work differently and being unaware is no excuse!

So, what’s it all about?

Neurodiversity – a term popularised in 1998 is an umbrella term that includes ALL of the rich variety and diversity of human brains and how they think, process, communicate and experience life. As with biodiversity, you need all the different plants and animals, insects etc for the garden to thrive. Neurodiversity is the same, we need ALL types of brains to thrive.

Neurodivergent – A person who is neurodivergent is someone who’s brain processing and thinking functions are different to the majority. A neurodivergent person experiences the world and interacts with it differently to someone who is in the majority. Like a left-handed person in a world designed for right-handed people, not better or worse just different.

Neuro-majority and Neuro-minority – There are more right-handed people than left-handed. Right-handed people are the majority; the left-handed people (approx 12 per cent globally) are the minority . This is the same with neurodiversity. The majority think and process information in a similar way and the minority (15 per cent +) have brains that work differently.

The most commonly diagnosed “conditions” are:

• Dyslexia

• ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• Autism Spectrum Condition

• Dyspraxia

• Dyscalculia

• Dysgraphia

• Tourette Syndrome

It's not a new thing- If we go back to times before the industrial era, when living as nomadic tribes we needed a variety of characteristics to work well and survive. The hyper alert person who made a great night-time lookout, the detail-oriented person who made sure that all of the camp was packed away properly when moved and monitored food stocks, the great orator that told stories and were the keepers of lore. We’d now label those people as ADHD, Autistic and Dyslexic.

The challenge - The world we live in is designed for the majority. Our environment, communication, assumptions and beliefs about what is ok and what is not, are all based on what “most” people might expect or do. Neurodivergent people waste a lot of mental bandwidth simply navigating the hidden rules that the majority seem to know instinctively such as:

• Good eye contact makes you trustworthy, but staring is rude

• It’s ok to interrupt during a conversation as long as it’s not too often as that’s inappropriate

• Being honest is a good thing but don’t be too honest

These and many more social assumptions and unwritten rules are not natural to many neurodivergent people. We’re not broken or weird, we simply don’t experience the world the way the majority do.

In most cases it’s the environment and the expectations of the majority that are the cause of “difficulty” for neurodivergent individuals, not the difference in brain processing.

Every difference has value in some context  - There are many reports from major institutions such as Deloitte, City & guilds and the National Federation of Builders supporting the fact that if you understand how to work with, support and communicate with people who think and process differently, there are significant benefits to business.  In the Harvard Business Review report, "Neurodiversity as a competitive advantage", the benefits of becoming neuroinclusive are made clear:

• 30 per cent higher productivity

• Greater innovation leading to massive savings

• Improved communication

• Increased engagement

• Lower staff turnover

• Wider talent pool and better talent attraction

• Management development

The reality, however, is that:

• 37 per cent of managers still haven’t had any neurodiversity training

• Even though manager training has improved (up from 28 per cent in 2024 to 35 per cent in 2025), a large knowledge gap remains.

• Training often focuses too narrowly on individual conditions. Understanding neurodiversity in general and implementing inclusive communication and flexible leadership is key. Over-simplified specific training risks missing the real goal.

• Lack of knowledge is the biggest barrier to inclusion - 39 per cent of employers cite knowledge gaps as a key challenge

 Mo Bury, I’ve had the good fortune to train over 500 managers in some of the world’s biggest companies. I’m on a personal mission to make neurodivergence as normalised as left-handedness.

As a member of the Chamber, I am here for you. Please feel free to reach out, I’m always happy to help.