Tips on creating an inclusive working environment

Unquiet Media is an innovative consultancy and production company that bridges cognitive science and media. Since its launch in 2021, it has collaborated with media industry leaders, neuroscientists and psychologists to explore complex human experiences, with a core focus on neurodiversity and mental health.

We spoke to Rosie Higgins, director of Unquiet Media, about their mission to demonstrate the power of diverse thinking and help Welsh businesses create more inclusive environments for neurodivergent professionals. These individuals often encounter unique challenges in the workplace, including a lack of understanding about neurodivergence, limited awareness of legal rights and available support for adjustments, and limited flexibility in application processes and workplace environments.

Rosie shared some of the practical steps businesses in Wales can take to create a more neuro-inclusive workplace:

Neurodivergence is a spectrum, so understanding individual needs is key. Employers should create a space where all employees feel comfortable sharing their individual requirements.

Rosie says: ‘Many of the neurodivergent people we've spoken to wouldn't necessarily disclose their neurodivergence or needs or fear of limiting their job or progression prospect, so anything an employer can do to create a space where they ask people what they need in the workplace, rather than waiting for them to tell them, is a good place to start.’

Talking to all your employees about their access requirements is a good way to open up the conversation. Rosie also emphasises learning from mistakes: ‘It’s okay if you’re willing to learn and understand off the back of that. Be proactive in your neuro inclusion rather than reactive.’

Flexible work options can significantly improve neurodivergent creatives’ experiences. During the pandemic, businesses learnt to adapt, proving that change is possible.

At the application stage, formal interviews, written applications and behaviour expectations, such as eye contact, can disadvantage neurodivergent candidates.Rosie says, ‘One of the main barriers to neuro inclusion is that people are falling at the first hurdle – recycled job ads and application forms that are not considerate of wider audiences, for instance.’

To be more inclusive, instead highlight essential skills, offer task-based assessments or video applications, and recognise diverse social behaviours, such as fidgeting. Rosie says, ‘It’s all about considering the different ways in which people are their best selves.’

Flexible communication in the workplace can include providing written instructions instead of impromptu phone calls. Similarly, creating flexible working environments may involve offering remote work options, when possible, as many neurodivergent individuals can feel overwhelmed in office settings.

Many accommodations are simpler and cheaper than assumed. The CIPD found that 59% of workplace adjustments cost nothing, and there is often external funding available for others.

Rosie says: ‘As a small business, don't feel intimidated at the potential costs of working with a neurodivergent person. Look at inclusion not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. We need to increase diversity across the industry, in multiple different ways, and there is a genuine competitive advantage to a neurodiverse workforce.’

For instance, a simple, low-cost change could include changing communication methods, moving someone’s desk to reduce sensory stimuli, creating quiet spaces and flexible working hours.

Alongside these tips, you can also learn more about creating a more neuro-inclusive working environment via Unquiet’s projects, including Exceptional Minds – a neurodiversity toolkit funded by Creative Wales via Media Cymru.

Rosie says,‘It’s been three years in making and involved research with hundreds of neurodivergent creatives and businesses within Wales.’

The project addresses barriers facing neurodivergent creatives, like low awareness of neurodiversity, and offers practical, cost-effective guidance to help businesses create more neuro-inclusive spaces.

Upcoming in 2025, there’s also the CPD-accredited training programme, which is part of our Skills Fund Projects.

This offers an easy-to-access accreditation to help employers and their staff have conversations with greater awareness of neurodivergence.

Rosie says, ‘We hope we can engage as many people as we can in the creative industries in Wales so that the baseline of understanding is massively increased in our nation. For Wales and the Welsh Government to say that we care to the point where we're actively encouraging the training of the entire workforce in neurodiversity is groundbreaking. Creative Wales has been incredibly supportive of these projects. It’s nice to be leading the charge in valuing and celebrating divergence, rather than being held back.’

For more tailored guidance, explore Unquiet’s Exceptional Minds toolkit 
or keep an eye out for their e-learning courses, supported by us here at Creative Wales