"Our research shows that traditional recruitment processes are creating unnecessary barriers for these candidates and could exclude as much as 15% of the job market."
- Steve Collinson, Chief HR Officer at Zurich UK
Of those surveyed (1,000), 21% have been laughed at due to their neurodiversity, and 16% have had a job offer rescinded. Two-thirds (63%) said employers deem neurodiversity a ‘red flag’.
During recruitment, three in ten (31%) said they’ve had a job application discarded after disclosing their neurodiversity, whilst 28% said they were given subjective reasons such as communication style & team fit (28%). Shockingly, 27% received comments about their abilities or were ‘ghosted’ by a recruiter upon disclosure (25%). These behaviours have made 47% feel they can’t or shouldn’t disclose their neurodiversity to recruiters or hiring managers.
Furthermore, 51% said the stigma surrounding neurodiversity might stop them from securing a job, followed by fear of discrimination from recruiters or hiring managers (42%), and preconceptions (41%). One in six (16%) said they wouldn’t disclose their neurodiversity as they hadn’t in previous roles.
Notably, 54% felt that recruitment processes are designed to ‘weed out’ neurodivergent people rather than assess abilities. This aligns with findings from The Buckland Review of Autism Employment which revealed neurodivergent candidates face more barriers to employment due to the neurotypical design of job applications & interviews.
In September, Zurich Insurance announced it had formally adapted this report as part of its recruitment policy, removing group exercises from the early careers application process to allow individual skills to take priority over performance in group scenarios – which some may find intimidating.
READ MORE: Zurich Insurance adopts Buckland Review as part of recruitment policy
Upon request, reasonable adjustments are now made for candidates, including detailing what to expect from the interview. Zurich UK believes these adjustments can help reduce pre-interview anxiety, which was reflected in its latest research with 37% of neurodivergent job seekers having panicked in an interview due to overly complicated questions.
This was followed by struggling with long & elaborate applications (26%), vague job descriptions (24%), and timed tasks (23%). Unfortunately, nearly all respondents said these barriers have negatively impacted their earning capacity (92%), confidence (96%), mental health (95%), and ability to self-promote (93%).
Moreover, just one in six (17%) said they were offered adjustments unprompted when asked to interview for a role – 32% were offered adjustments upon request. 42% weren’t offered adjustments despite the Equality Act 2010 stating employers must make reasonable adjustments for job applicants.
In support of neurodivergent employees, Zurich UK is set to enhance its employee healthcare offering in 2025 to include free neurodiversity assessments for employees following a GP referral. This will also be available to employees' children & partners if added to their healthcare plan. This commitment should be recognised as a lifeline with 204,876 people waiting for an autism assessment in England as of September 2024.
In addition to neurodiversity assessments, Zurich UK has introduced autism awareness training for hiring managers and employees in partnership with Ambitious About Autism, as well as sensory maps of its offices to help neurodivergent employees find the best location to work depending on temperature, noise, smells, and traffic.
Zurich UK also offers all roles on a part-time or job-share basis to support employees with childcare & caregiving responsibilities. Notably, the number of women hired for part-time senior positions at Zurich UK has doubled since 2019. Likewise, the number of men hired on a part-time basis has increased by over 50% in the last five years.
READ MORE: I really dislike the expression ‘part-time’ and the assumptions that come with that
“With over half of neurodivergent adults experiencing discrimination and two-thirds saying employers see their neurodiversity as a ‘red flag’, it’s clear there’s still a way to go when it comes to creating neuroinclusive workplaces. Our research shows that traditional recruitment processes are creating unnecessary barriers for these candidates and could exclude as much as 15% of the job market, which is why it’s so important that employers adopt inclusive practices at hiring level – not just to already onboarded employees,” concluded Steve Collinson, Chief HR Officer at Zurich UK.
