Å·ÃÀAV

When advertising a position:

• Use clear and concise language and avoid jargon
• Avoid generic phrases and make the specific skills required explicit
• Proactively offer remote and flexible working options
• Target under-represented groups, like neurodivergent individuals, with outreach efforts

Interviews are often the stage of the recruitment process that disadvantages neurodivergent individuals the most, due to the greater emphasis on social abilities and body language.

To help ensure neurodivergent individuals have a fairer chance in interviews, managers should ask the candidate if individualised reasonable adjustments are required and implement these, as well as embed the following as standard practice:

• Provide all the information before the interview, e.g., directions if in-person or video link and platform if online and names of people they will be meeting
• Provide the interview schedule and questions in advance
• Ask questions both verbally and in written form
• Allow plenty of time for answers during the interview
• Consider the sensory environment of the interview room – avoid bright lights, noise and distractions, ensure a comfortable temperature
• Offer breaks during the interview if required
• Do not judge candidates based on their ability to make eye contact
• Ask specific, focused questions that avoid ambiguity

How you communicate with your candidates will remove barriers and make them confident to continue the interview process:

• Provide a timeline of the key stages of the recruitment process, including timings of when applicants can expect to hear back and when decisions are made
• Ask all candidates if they require any reasonable adjustments at all stages of the recruitment process
• Ask candidates what their preferred methods of communication are and tailor the recruitment process to meet their needs

The following provide extra advice on making the recruitment process as inclusive as possible:

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• resources and guidance for both neurodivergent individuals and their employers

We are a a voluntary government scheme that supports employers recruit and retain disabled individuals.

This means our company is committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process that includes greater ease in accessing reasonable adjustments throughout the process and prioritises offering disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria an interview, where possible.

It is important to remember that every individual will have a unique sensory profile. Whilst some individuals are over-sensitive to specific senses or stimuli, some may be under-sensitive and need to find specific additional sensory input. There are several recommendations for a universal sensory friendly design that will benefit the majority; individual needs and adjustments can then be made from this baseline.

• Ask neurodivergent employees what their sensory needs are and tailor the environment accordingly
• Offer quiet working spaces, away from corridors or communal areas
• Offer noise cancelling headphones
• Provide and embrace the use of fidget toys
• Provide lights which are adjustable and can be dimmed
• Provide a quiet room or sensory room for decompression and recovery time
• Ensure air conditioning and heating are adjustable
• Provide adequate ventilation and fresh air
• Avoid bright or overstimulating patterns and decoration on the walls
• Avoid the use of strong-smelling soaps and air fresheners in bathrooms

For more information and guidance on creating a workplace that is inclusive for neurodivergent individuals, download this report on neuroinclusive office design.

Quiet rooms

All workplaces and educational settings should have quiet rooms that neurodivergent individuals can access. These rooms should provide a calm environment with low sensory stimuli, allowing individuals to find relief from stress and sensory overload, manage anxiety, decompress and relax. This can be extremely beneficial in preventing burnout and can be a useful space for everyone, not just neurodivergent individuals.

Tips for designing a quiet room:

• Low noise levels
• Located away from strong smells, e.g., kitchens
• Freely accessible for all, e.g., not requiring a key or code
• Windows for natural lighting, with a blind which can be used to block out the light
• Muted décor, avoiding patterns and bright colours
• Adjustable lights
• Comfortable chairs
• The room should not be used for other purposes, e.g. as a meeting room.

It is important to remember that every individual will have different sensory needs, but below is a guide and it helps to ask if anything further can be tried:

• Provide adjustable lighting that can be dimmed where safe to do so
• Avoid flickering lighting
• Ensure adequate ventilation to reduce the impact of strong odours
• Accessible toilets should be close by and signposted
• Move loud machinery to alternative rooms where possible, or institute signposted timetables for use
• Reduce clutter and keep the environment tidy, with materials clearly labelled
• Permit the use of noise-cancelling headphones when it is safe to do so
• Use neutral colours, avoiding bright paint and overstimulating patterns on the walls

Further information on workplace adjustments can be found in our Disability in Chemical Sciences report

The following external links provide further information and support on laboratory accessibility for neurodivergent chemists:

• : an article on laboratory accessibility in chemistry learning and teaching
• : guidance on modifying laboratory environments for disabled chemists
• : A project about creating accessible labs, including access guidance informed by research – case studies, surveys and interviews
• : Information on embracing an inclusive lab environment for neurodivergent individuals

These practices benefit everybody and boost productivity, but particularly aid neurodivergent individuals in overcoming some of their challenges with memory, organisation and concentration:

• Conduct shorter meetings with clear and focused agendas
• Introduce focus periods, in which employees block out time in their calendar to work on their tasks without any interruptions or distractions
• Simplify email and etiquette for quicker and easier communication
• Offer flexible, remote and hybrid work where appropriate
• Use asynchronous and indirect forms of communication (for example Teams messaging) to allow longer time to process information and increase efficiency, rather than excessive numbers of meetings

Universal design principles make the workplace more welcoming and accessible for neurodivergent individuals from the start and also reduce some of the burden of self-advocacy – the difficulties and fatigue associated with advocating for needs and adjustments. Every individual’s experience of neurodivergence is unique and many individuals will still require some individualised reasonable adjustments – but by considering universal design, this will be reduced.

A chemistry specific approach for neurodivergent chemists beyond universal design principles should also be considered. For example, in lab work, video demonstrations as well as verbal and/or written instructions would be beneficial.

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Up to £1,200 per year is available to help individuals with the cost of disability related support needed to attend a chemistry-related meeting, conference workshop or development event. This can be used for online and in-person events and for a wide range of expenses. For example, if you are neurodivergent, this could include travelling by taxi if you cannot use public transport.

Find out more about our Accessibility Grants

This encompasses a wide range of financial and advisory services and support for various circumstances and issues. This includes: money and advice; wellbeing and family; employment and study.

Read more about our Chemists' Community Fund (formerly the Benevolent Fund)

CCF – Wellbeing and listening service

One of the services is a wellbeing and listening service, which is available from 8 am - 8 pm (UK time) Monday - Friday.

Find out more about our CCF wellbeing and listening service

CCF – Autism support

There is autism specific support in partnership with the National Autistic Society, which can provide a variety of support pre- and post-diagnosis for you and your family.

See our CCF wellbeing and family support

The Å·ÃÀAV is committed to removing bullying and harassment from our chemistry community. The support line is for anyone in the chemical sciences who has been affected by bullying or harassment in the workplace.

Find out more about our bullying and harassment support line

We offer a mentoring scheme, which can provide many benefits for mentees, such as building confidence and career support. Each mentee and mentor fill out an initial questionnaire which helps allow suitable individuals to be matched. In this form, you can request a neurodivergent mentor if you wish to and feel this may benefit you.

Find out more about our mentoring scheme

This is a series of three webinars providing information and guidance for disabled chemists who are job seeking or in employment, and for those supporting disabled employees in the workplace. The topics covered in each of the three webinars are:

• Disclosure and reasonable adjustments
• Managing a job search
• Supporting employees in the workplace

See our webinars