WORKPLACE DIVERSITY
MANY MINDS FOR BUSINESS
Dr. Muneer Muhamed weighs the value of neuro inclusivity in the workplace
For most enterprises coday, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have become a moral compass and managerial mandate. Amid the clamour around gender, race and sexuality, a quieter revolution is taking root: the recognition of neurodiversity.
It includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other neurological issues that shape how we learn, think and interact. For Sri Lankan businesses, it’s both an ethical consideration and a strategic edge if they include it in their DEI efforts.
This idea challenges a deep cultural assumption that there exists a single ‘normal brain.’ In truth, every mind represents a natural variation that’s as vital to humanity as biodiversity is to the planet.
Forbes estimates that about 20 percent of the global population is neurodiverse – including dyslexic (10%), ADHD (5%) and autistic (around 2%). Sri Lanka’s share is proportionally similar.
These numbers aren’t statistical footnotes but a call to redesign how organisations perceive and harness talent.
Across South Asia, neurodivergence remains clouded by stigma and misinterpretation. People construe it as a mental illness rather than a neurological difference. The belief in ‘normal behaviour’ and conformity leads to exclusion and ‘neuroableism,’ which considers that neurotypical thinking is superior.
And workplaces that are designed for one kind of brain end up marginalising others.
The economic cost of this exclusion is huge.
It’s reported that nearly 40 percent of neurodiverse adults in the US are unemployed – three times the rate for those with physical disabilities and eight times that of the general population. In South Asia, where data is sparse and stigma strong, the reality is possibly much worse.
When inclusion is deliberate, results are transformative. The MIT Sloan Management Review notes that neurodivergent employees show exceptional creativity, pattern recognition and persistence.
J. P. Morgan’s Autism at Work programme found that after receiving structured onboarding, autistic employees outperformed their neurotypical peers by up to 140 percent in productivity.
In India, SAP Labs delivered stellar outcomes in quality testing and analytics by autistic employees. Infosys discovered that neuro inclusive teams enhanced retention, engagement and innovation as managers learnt to communicate more intentionally.
Many tech and services firms in Sri Lanka are exploring neurodivergent hiring for data heavy roles that require precision and pattern spotting.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has been pushing for employers to consider the inclusion of neurodivergent conditions for workplace diversity. However, progress has been slow because many organisations are too lazy to modify their policies and designs to accommodate neurodivergent workers.
Globally, enterprises such as Dell, Microsoft and Caterpillar recognise that neuro inclusion delivers more than reputational polish – it fuels innovation, quality and loyalty. In this AI age, difference is destiny and real inclusion begins by reimagining recruitment.
Begin by focussing on skills and potential to deliver results rather relying on conventional beliefs. Then look at workplace redesign – both physical and cultural. Simple modifications such as quiet zones, flexible schedules, noise cancelling headphones or clearly written instructions can drastically improve the productivity of neurodivergent employees.
Predictable routines and reduced sensory overload will also help them thrive. There is hardly any cost escalation for such modifications.
Ignorance about neurodiversity is a challenge. Company wide training should help teams understand what it is and what it’s not, and teach them empathy, clarity and patience.
Removing micro barriers in communication can dismantle silent exclusions. Feedback loops and mentorship programmes further empower neurodivergent workers to manage corporate practices that others take for granted.
Employee resource groups and peer networks should provide psychological safety – the true foundation of inclusion. In collectivist cultures like ours, such networks can turn isolation into belonging.
Leadership should be decisive as culture flows from the boardroom. When CEOs publicly champion neuro inclusion, allocate budgets and hold themselves accountable for outcomes, inclusion becomes institutional.
Sri Lankan enterprises, particularly in IT and financial services, can integrate neuro inclusive design into hiring, workspace planning and leadership development from the outset.
The future of work will reward the cognitive range. And businesses that prosper will be those that replace the question ‘Can this person fit in?’ with ‘How can we make space for different minds to shine?’
Neurodiversity is not a passing trend; it’s a permanent truth. And as Sri Lanka moves towards a more digital and human-centred economy, recognising that truth may be its most powerful competitive advantage.
Neurodiversity is not a passing trend
