Videos 2 min read

ERUPT2021: Is Neurodiversity the Secret to Bridging the Technology Talent Gap?

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity was one of the key highlights of the ERUPT2021 conference. For this session we had the sensational Simon Prior (Senior Test Manager at easyJet), Martin Carpenter (CIO at Synomics Limited) and Rebecca Green (Global Employer Brand and Talent Attraction Lead at Rolls Royce) discuss ‘Is Neurodiversity the Secret to Bridging the Technology Talent Gap?’

Within this session, Simon, Martin, and Rebecca discuss what Neurodiversity represents and why we should be talking more about it. Studies show that 1/7 people are neurodiverse. People need to be building products and services where there is an understanding about the communities that are being served and ensure there is representation in an organization. 

Within each condition, there are different traits. The ability to spot patterns and think outside the box is one thing they all share. It’s all about which role people are placed in which is critical within those organizations. Testing is all about everyone thinking differently and seeing things that other people don’t see. Leaders need to ensure they can work out how everyone works best. 

The conversation then moved on to Simon, Martin, and Rebecca’s own experiences on what areas they have seen neurodiverse employees have their biggest impact within businesses. Each identified that the impact of the recognition of these conditions in schools and education. Leaders need to learn how to best manage individuals with Neurodiversity and teach people that neurodiversity is okay.  

The question was then raised on ‘how do we encompass that education around Neurodiversity in the workplace?’ in which Simon explains how people need to be aware. Organizations need to look at their systems, processes, and how they operate, but also the social-cultural standards and how you enter a conversation. There is a need for recognition of the marginalization of people with neurodiverse conditions. 

The session then leads onto the final question of ‘what could we be doing with our hiring process to ensure we don’t exclude neurodiverse people’? Firms, need to think about the person they are interviewing. For example, someone with Autism may suffer from anxiety, so firing a large number of questions, not that individual may not be the way forward. Organizations could also remove personality tests and bring back more simplified job specs. 

ERUPT2021

On the 16th November 2021, The BTN hosted The #ERUPT2021 Conference which took place virtually! The conversation was around business transformation, with an emphasis on people, transformation and technology as we look at how to successfully (or sometimes unsuccessfully) deliver transformation. 

Given the nature of the year, we had over 1,000 global attendees who tuned in to listen to over 50 world-class speakers! Across the day, we had some incredible insights from speakers around a multitude of topics such as ‘Supercharging your business growth with a flexible workforce’, ‘where to start on your people analytics journey’, The DEI Bucket list’ and more! 

We provided you with key speakers who are at the forefront of their businesses from Barclays, easyJet, Rolls-Royce, Booking.com, Virgin Money and MORE!

Don’t miss any of the #ERUPT2021 amazing speakers. If you missed #ERUPT2021 entirely, or you just wanted to catch up on a few sessions then you can now access all of our speaker’s sessions on-demand for FREE! 

Accessing on Demand:

1. Sign in / Sign up on Whova

2. Head to the Agenda

3. Click ‘Sessions‘ and select the session you wish to view 

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