HUMAN FACTORS & ERGONOMICS THINKING ERGONOMICS
Tomorrow’s Health & Safety spoke to Guy Osmond, Founder and MD of Osmond Ergonomics, to discuss how ergonomics and human factors thinking can help employers accommodate neurodiversity within their teams.
Creating working environments where people can thrive, maximising productivity and preserving health and wellbeing, is the purpose of ergonomics and human factors. While the focus has traditionally been on accommodating physical needs and differences, the landscape has shifted in recent years, with employers increasingly seeking solutions to support workers’ mental and emotional wellbeing too.
More recently still, businesses have been turning their attention to accommodating the natural variations in human neurological traits seen in conditions such as Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and more.
But how did we reach this new frontier of workplace ergonomics in just a few short years? Where are we now when it comes to understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity? And what do employers need to consider when creating more inclusive working environments where neurodivergent employees can thrive?
THE COVID CATALYST While some estimates place the proportion of the
population with some form of neurodivergence
at 15-20% (DECG Staff, 2022), the language of ‘neurodiversity’ first started to emerge in the late 1990s (LeFevre-Levy et al, 2023) and it is only in the past few years that awareness has really permeated the public consciousness.
Guy Osmond of Osmond Ergonomics believes the pandemic “was a catalyst for conversations around mental health,” which in turn “gave a green light to bring other hitherto unspoken issues to the table, such as the menopause, and neurodiversity. By bringing one to light, the others shift into focus too.”
The shift to homeworking and subsequently hybrid working as a result of Covid was another important trigger, adds Guy. “At home, people could control their working environment to suit themselves. That experience has thrown into relief the challenges and shortcomings of the office environment, especially for neurodivergent individuals. For those with sensory or processing differences, the ‘traditional office’, which might be loud, brightly lit, and filled with visual noise, can be a place, not just of distraction, but sensory overload.”
In fact, the demands of dealing with this kind of environment and the increased cognitive load can take a real toll, leading to more anxiety, fatigue and, in some cases, potential behavioural changes and poor mental health. (BSI, 2022)
However, even as the challenges of neurodivergent traits receive wider recognition, we are also becoming aware of the unique strengths that neurodiversity brings. A number of well-known companies, including Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Google and JP Morgan Chase, have even started programmes to recruit and employ neurodivergent workers, claiming several benefits, including increased organisational performance (LeFevre-Levy et al, 2023).
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