May 2024
An Unconventional Approach: Embracing Neurodiversity to Help Fill Government Jobs
The shortage of state and local government employees is the problem that just won’t go away. While post-pandemic employment has bounced back in the public sector, state and local governments continue to struggle filling open positions.
State and local governments remain below the 20 million people they had on staff in February 2020, just before the coronavirus arrived to upend the workplace. And the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary found that the rates of job openings, hires and total separations showed little or no change in February 2024.
In California, for example, the UC Berkeley Labor Center found vacancy rates in some counties at 30% across various occupations and salary levels. Similarly, high job vacancy rates were found in other California cities, school districts and state agencies.
And a survey from the National Emergency Number Association determined that staffing shortages and technology gaps are taking a toll on emergency call center staff. The survey reported that 9-1-1 directors, managers, supervisors and dispatchers ranked vacant positions as either their first or second biggest challenge, and some 82% of respondents reported their call centers are struggling with staff shortages.
Agencies are certainly trying multiple approaches in an attempt to attract more workers to fill critical public service jobs and keep them in their positions—offering hiring and retention bonuses, changing job requirements, modifying retirement benefits, and providing more flexibility on hours and remote work, for instance.
There’s another approach that could help—focusing on the neurodivergent population.
Neurodiversity often is defined as the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits. Various studies estimate that between 15% and 20% of the population is neurodiverse, which includes those who are diagnosed with dyslexia (up to 10%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (5%), and autism (1% to 2%). And this large pool of neurodivergent workers often is either underemployed or faces unemployment rates nearing 30% to 40%.
Already, companies across a host of industries like finance and technology are tapping into this unique talent pool, implementing specific programs to interview, hire, onboard and retain neurodiverse workers. And some government agencies are actively pursuing neurodivergent employees through pilot programs and other hiring initiatives.
Providing a Competitive Advantage
Indeed, implementing hiring and retention initiatives focused on the neurodivergent population at the state and local level promises to be a smart move that can help address chronic workforce needs. And these workers can add tremendous value to an agency. Neurodivergent workers often have exceptional talents when it comes to creative problem-solving, attention to detail, math and data analytics skills, reliability and perseverance—all skills that are highly valued in government. In fact, a recent Harvard Business Review column detailed how bringing on neurodivergent workers now is viewed as a competitive advantage.
But neurodivergent employees can face many big hurdles in the workplace, in the form of stigmas that create an uncomfortable work environment, social and communication challenges, sensory sensitivities that make a typical workplace overwhelming, or executive functioning struggles that can hinder their organization, time management and productivity.
Also, there is much work to be done to raise awareness in the workplace about neurodivergent employees and to implement training and accommodations that will enable all employees to thrive. If leaders aren’t trained on how to effectively manage neurodivergent workers and there isn’t a culture that values their skills, agencies can’t fully tap into the unique strengths of these sharp employees.
In fact, a recent Eagle Hill Consulting survey found that 61% of government employees either said they are unfamiliar with the term neurodiversity or don’t know its meaning. And while 85% of government employees say they would hire or have hired a neurodivergent employee, few are trained on working with or managing neurodivergent workers.
As more agencies take steps to hire neurodivergent workers, there are a few strategies that can help. For example:
- Revamp traditional hiring approaches. Stereotypical ideas of the soft skills that make someone a “good job candidate”— friendly, outgoing demeanor; great eye contact and conversation skills; apparent confidence—are based on norms that place neurodivergent candidates at a disadvantage. For instance, candidates with autism may find it difficult to maintain eye contact with an interviewer, and an interviewee with ADHD may appear easily distracted. Hiring managers may need to reassess their characterization of top talent and ask questions in a manner that allows them to accurately assess a candidate’s skill. For instance, some interviewees may struggle with open- ended questions, and do much better when conversation is specific and to the point.
- Increase training for supervisors and explore additional career supports. Equip leaders to manage neurodivergent employees effectively by providing hands-on supervisory training, actionable strategies and ongoing support. Train managers to accept learning and cognitive differences and explore alternative approaches to work, and encourage them to take a strengths-based approach when assigning tasks, focusing on leveraging the talents of neurodivergent employees instead of their limitations. Apart from training supervisors, agencies also can consider creating mentorship and professional development opportunities for neurodivergent employees. To build an effective mentoring program, agencies can work with community groups that support people diagnosed with neurological and developmental conditions.
- Consider neurodivergent employees when designing office space. Agencies can create physical spaces to best meet the individual needs of neurodivergent workers and help them realize their potential. For example, agencies can create a sensory-friendly workspace by minimizing bright lights and noise (providing quiet spaces or noise-canceling headphones, for instance). Also, providing neurodiverse workers with work- from-home options, or giving them the option to close an office door, can be the perfect solution for neurodiverse workers who need to eliminate outside distractions, so they can stim freely without intrusions, or without distracting others.
Tapping into the deep well of smart and capable neurodivergent workers certainly holds promise for government agencies. But it requires strategic thinking and planning, not only to get these employees in the door, but to create a culture that will leverage their talents and make them feel a sense of belonging so that they stay.
About the Author
Melissa Jezior is the president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. She can be reached at mjezior@eaglehillconsulting.com.
01 May 2024
Category
HR News Article • HR News Issues • May/June 2024 Issue