TLDR. Some people see the world differently. A New York software company decided to use this as a competitive advantage. Its staff consists of 75% testers with autism spectrum disorders. Surprisingly, the things that autistics need have turned out to be beneficial for everyone: flexible hours, remote work, communication via Slack (instead of face-to-face meetings), a clear agenda for each meeting, eliminating open offices, canceling interviews, a career alternative to promotion to a manager, etc.
Rajesh Anandan founded Ultranauts (formerly Ultra Testing) with MIT dorm roommate Art Shaktman with one goal: to prove that (neurodiversity) and employee autism is a competitive advantage in business.
“There are an incredible number of people on the autism spectrum whose talents are overlooked for a variety of reasons,” says Anandan. “They are not given a fair chance to succeed at work because of an atmosphere, a work process, and ‘business as usual’ practices that are not very effective in the first place and are especially harmful to people with this mindset.”
The New York-based quality engineering startup is one of many firms specifically seeking employees with autism. But programs in companies such as are limited in scope. They are created purely to support the so-called "minorities". In contrast, Ultranauts has completely built its business around people with a special mindset, actively recruiting just such people and developing new ways of working to effectively manage “mixed” teams.
“We decided to change the standards of all work, the procedure for hiring, training and managing the team,” explains Anandan.
Right: Rajesh Anandan, founder of Ultranauts, who strives to prove the value of neurological diversity in the workforce (photo: Getty Images)
Word neurodiversity recently used often, but this is not a generally accepted term. It refers to , which may be associated with conditions such as dyslexia, autism, and ADHD.
A study by the National Autistic Society of Great Britain (NAS) found that there is still high unemployment among those with autism in the UK. In a survey of 2000 respondents, only , while 77% of the unemployed said they wanted to work.
The barriers to their normal operation are still too high. NAS employer relations manager Richmal Maybank cites several reasons: “Job descriptions are often tied to standard behavior and are quite general,” she says. “Firms are looking for ‘team players’ and ‘people with good communication skills’, but there is a lack of specific information.”
People with autism have difficulty understanding such general language. They also struggle with some typical interview questions like “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
In addition, people may feel uncomfortable talking about their condition and working in open-plan offices where they are pressured by the need to communicate and unacceptable noise levels.
Five years later, Ultranauts has increased the share of employees with autism spectrum features to 75%. This result was achieved, among other things, thanks to an innovative approach to hiring. In other companies, when hiring employees, communication skills are often given great importance, which practically excludes people with autism. But at Ultranauts, there are no interviews, and candidates are not presented with a list of specific technical skills: “We have implemented a much more objective approach to the selection of candidates,” says Anandan.
Instead of resumes and interviews, potential employees undergo a basic competency assessment in which they are assessed on 25 software tester attributes, such as the ability to learn new systems or accept feedback. After initial tests, potential employees work remotely for one week, with full pay for that week. In the future, they can choose to work on a DTE (desired-time equivalent) schedule, that is, an arbitrary number of working hours: as much as is convenient for them, so as not to be tied to a full-time job.
“As a result of this selection, we can find talents with absolutely no work experience, but who have a 95% chance of being very good at it,” explains Anandan.
Competitive advantages
Research и have shown that maximizing the diversity of employees who think differently has huge business benefits. These employees have been shown to increase levels of innovation and problem solving because they see and understand information from multiple perspectives. The researchers also found that accommodations specific to these employees, such as flexible hours or remote work, also benefited “neurotypical” employees—that is, everyone else.
French President Emmanuel Macron at an event in Paris in 2017 to raise awareness of autism (photo: Getty Images)
Many companies are beginning to realize that a broader perspective provides a competitive advantage, especially outside the IT sector. They are asking NAS for help in recruiting employees with autism. NAS recommends starting with small changes, such as ensuring a clear agenda for each meeting. Agendas and similar tools help disabled employees focus on the relevant information needed and plan things ahead, making meetings more comfortable for everyone.
“What we are offering is good practice for any company, not just people with autism. These are simple methods that often produce quick results, says Maybank. “Employers should understand the culture and unwritten rules of their organization to help people navigate.”
Maybank has been working with autistic people for ten years. Ideally, she would like to see mandatory training courses for managers and friendlier programs to help build social connections at work. She also believes employers need to provide different career options for people who don't want to become managers.
But she says that neurological diversity has improved the general atmosphere: “Everyone is becoming more open about the different directions of autistic and neurodifferentiated behavior,” the specialist explains. “People have a preconceived notion of what autism is, but it’s always better to ask the person himself. Despite the same state, people can be complete opposites to each other.
New Technologies
However, this is not just raising awareness. Remote work and new technologies help all other workers for whom the previous atmosphere was not the best.
Work tools, including the Slack instant messaging platform and the Trello listing app, have improved communication for remote workers. At the same time, they provide additional benefits for people on the autism spectrum, if they find it difficult to communicate in person.
Ultranauts uses these technologies and also creates its own tools for staff.
“A couple of years ago, a colleague joked that it would be nice to see a manual included with every employee,” recalls the director of the company. “We did exactly that: now anyone can publish such a self-description called “biodex.” It gives colleagues all the information on the best ways to work with a particular person.”
The flexible workspace and autism-friendly company has been a huge success for Ultranauts, who now share their experience.
It turned out that the introduction of conditions for people with autism did not add any difficulties to the rest of the employees and did not reduce their work efficiency, but on the contrary. People who were once often overlooked have been able to show their true talents: “We have demonstrated time and time again... that we are at our best because of the diversity of our team,” says Anandan.
Source: habr.com