Neuroinclusive Workplaces Attract Better Talent and Customers

Graphic by Waterloo Region Small Business Centre.

On Sunday afternoon, I planned to put the finishing touches on the slides for my talk at the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre. Instead I started a new DIY project and spent the day covered in sawdust in my driveway.

That's what happens sometimes. Having the time set aside, knowing what I want to get done... and my ADHD brain doesn't opt in. So I followed my energy, I enjoyed the side quest, and found my flow later in the evening and got things polished early on Monday morning.

This experience illustrated many of the points that came up in my talk.

About one in five people — including your customers, your staff, and possibly you — are neurodivergent, meaning their brains work differently from what most environments are designed for. This includes people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and a range of other cognitive profiles that shape how people think, communicate, and experience their surroundings. That gap is costing small businesses more than they realize: in turnover, in missed customers, in daily friction that doesn’t have to exist, and in lost ingenuity.

Workplaces that can rethink the status quo can benefit from the engagement and creativity of neurodivergent folks.

Providing the flexibility to work when motivation and energy are at their peak, creating multiple channels to support different ways of communicating, building a culture where bringing a full set of talents and passions doesn't have to come at the cost of masking differences - these are all strategic advantages to recruit talent and attract customers who don't thrive in the status quo. In my talk we discussed concrete steps to start tomorrow and keep building better businesses from there.

I appreciated the conversation and nuance and stories of lived experience that came up in the room. And I'm grateful to the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre for creating space for the conversation.

I'd love to bring this topic to other spaces and other audiences. If you know where I should go next, please reach out or comment below!