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Neurodivergent workers bring a variety of skills to the workforce, particularly in areas like systems thinking, creativity and pattern recognition. Yet many such individuals feel they need to hide their identities or overperform at work to earn the same recognition as their neurotypical peers.
This is according to a survey of nearly 900 neurodivergent U.S. workers conducted by Zety, which sought to understand how hiring practices, workplace culture and performance expectations can create hurdles for neurodivergent employees.
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Despite growing awareness, some employees remain concerned about the stigmas surrounding neurodivergence. As such, 6% of respondents said they have not disclosed their neurodivergence to anyone at work and about one-quarter said they have only disclosed their neurodivergence to managers. However, nearly two-thirds report they have shared this information with both their manager and coworkers. Encouraging a culture of psychological safety can lead to better communication and more effective accommodations, said Zety.
About half of neurodivergent employees said they adjust their communication and behavior daily to align with conventional workplace norms, referred to as ‘masking.’ The pressure to fit in can take a toll on employees, with 88% saying they feel the need to outperform their neurotypical peers to be perceived as competent, and 93% saying they have experienced burnout resulting from their needs being unmet.
“When employees feel forced to mask who they are, they spend energy managing appearances instead of focusing on meaningful work — contributing to burnout and lost productivity,” said the report.
Furthermore, neurodivergent employees may face negative and biased treatment in the workplace. More than half said they have been left out of meetings or important projects, subjected to jokes or insensitive comments, or micromanaged based on inaccurate assumptions about their abilities. Forty-three percent said they have faced disciplinary action for behaviors tied to their neurodivergence, and 32% said they believe they have been denied promotions or growth opportunities. Employers should make intentional efforts to support neurodiversity in the workplace to avoid workplace exclusion, lack of engagement and undervaluing of high-potential employees, the report said.
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Kristen Smithberg
Kristen Smithberg is a Colorado-based freelance writer who covers commercial real estate, insurance, benefits and retirement topics for BenefitsPRO and other industry publications.
