How remote work impacts neurodiversity

Office chatter, lights, and smells can be distracting for any worker, but for neurodivergent employees, they can pose additional challenges. While remote and hybrid work environments can help foster more equitable workplaces, every employee has unique circumstances and needs that aren’t necessarily being supported in the office. In fact, 81% of employees with neurological conditions feel their employer could provide them with more support.

Whether you’re neurodivergent and advocating for yourself , or trying to be a better collaborator with your neurodivergent co-workers, tweaking your approach   at work could help everyone be more productive.

What it means to be neurodivergent

The term “neurodivergence” can cover a number of different cognitive functions. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it describes people whose brain differences affect how their brain works. This often means they have different strengths and challenges from neurotypical people whose brains don’t have those differences.

“There is a lot of diversity within the category of neurodivergence,” explained Dr. Erika Bocknek, a licensed therapist. “Typically who we’re describing when we say ‘neurodivergent’ is people who have autism or a related disorder (like a social communication disorder or ADHD). Also, people who are gifted are likely to experience a kind of neurodivergence.”

As many as 15–20% of workers today identify as neurodivergent, but there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting these employees.

“The number one threat to mental wellness for people who are neurodivergent is the labor it takes to mask and to sort of ‘perform’ in neurotypical spaces,” Dr. Bocknek said. “When people are already being othered, then the labor is on them to request accommodations. It is possible to create workspaces where leadership and employees have a team mentality, there's clarity around what the goals are, and there can be heterogeneity in how people succeed in their own role within the team.”

Speaking up 

A chatty coworker may interrupt the workflow for many people, but it can be depleting for someone who struggles with social conversation. On the other hand, there are people who identify as neurodivergent who perform better in spaces where there's an opportunity to engage in conversation, pivot to a task, and flip back to conversation.  

Instead of relying on homogeneity to set standards around work spaces and hours, supportive environments start with goals and expectations, providing employees a certain amount of autonomy — such as a hybrid-remote work option — in executing those goals. Don’t be afraid to talk to your manager about the accommodations you need to perform better, from distraction-free time to weekly collaborative brainstorming sessions.

Remember: You are an asset to your team, and your needs are just as valid as a neurotypical employee’s needs.

Tips for advocating for yourself 

Neurodivergent employees shouldn’t feel obligated to mask or conform to “neurotypical” behaviors, particular when working remotely. Creating a space outside of the office where you can work effectively extends beyond things like lighting and temperature to how you engage with technology.

To establish a work environment that meets your needs, talk to your manager about how you can minimize obstacles in your workflow. That could include:

Every employee can benefit from flexibility in the workplace. When teams are rooted in accountability based on shared goals, individual employees have the power to determine how they  can be most effective in their roles.

Creating an effective neurodivergent workspace 

Offices don’t allow for much individualization, so your remote workspace is your opportunity to define what you need to accomplish more. Start with an honest audit of things that distract you, and design your space to minimize those distractions. For example, setting up a workspace next to a window may not be wise if you’re easily distracted by nature or street traffic. If you feel more creative while moving, perhaps you want a treadmill desk. If you hate sitting at a desk, get yourself a comfortable arm chair or couch.

You don’t have to conform to anyone else’s expectations for what a “home office” should look like, so make a space that helps you make the most of your workday.

Championing for individuality

At first glance, hybrid remote work feels like the best of both worlds — allowing for in-person collaboration and individual work and flexibility beyond the office. In practice, however, neurodivergent employees might grapple with Zoom fatigue or Slack distractions. 

But — whether in-office, hybrid, or remote —  when work accommodates a variety of working styles and schedules, everyone wins. Instead of viewing neurodivergence as a setback that needs to be accommodated, Dr. Bocknek says we should all be championing environments that foster that individuality.

“If we could be more curious about those kinds of things, we could create spaces that are more facilitative of creativity and innovation,” she said. “People who are neurodivergent, when they are able to really excise the burden of masking, have enormous capacity for creativity and innovation. It's an asset for all of us in shared spaces to be able to work with people whose brains approach the world and understand information in all kinds of different ways.”

Every work environment presents its own set of obstacles. To learn more about working from home, visit Glassdoor’s remote working challenges guide.