Neuroinclusion by design: Progressive HR strategies to drive team success

Organisations today face growing pressure to create environments that embrace all forms of human diversity – including the need to accommodate diverse ways of thinking. In a recent LinkedIn Live webinar, Dr Emily Cook, Senior Researcher and Paola Bottaro, People Director, both from Top Employers Institute, explored the insights behind our new paper, Neuroinclusive by Design: Creating a Thriving Team Environment for All.

The session offered a compelling blueprint for HR leaders seeking to embed neuroinclusion into the way work gets done – not just as a reactive set of accommodations, but as a proactive principle of workplace design.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with neurodivergent professionals and the experiences of certified Top Employers such as Tata Consultancy Services and Bentley, the research identifies three essential traits of high-performing neurodiverse teams: harnessing individual talents, co-creating clarity, and embracing empathy.

From accommodation to intentional inclusion

The concept of intentional neuroinclusion is gaining traction, shifting focus from making adjustments for individuals to proactively structuring work environments to both expect and support a wide range of cognitive and behavioural styles. This not only benefits neurodivergent employees, but also enhances the working experience for all.

Rather than responding to challenges as they arise, this proactive approach integrates flexibility, clarity and empathy from the outset. This in turn enables a more inclusive and productive culture that supports differing ways of thinking, communicating and working.

Unlock collective success by harnessing individual talents

Many neurodivergent employees bring distinctive strengths, such as pattern recognition, that employers are in danger of overlooking when using traditional role definitions and job descriptions.

Our research encourages HR teams to look out for new skills. Techniques like skills profiling, using internal marketplaces for talent and more intentional performance conversations can help uncover and leverage these often-hidden strengths.

Neurodivergent professionals also frequently contribute beyond their formal roles, engaging in innovation projects and employee resource groups (ERGs). Supporting and celebrating this kind of engagement is one way that organisations can help fully unlock individual potential and elevate team performance.

Define and commit to consistent ways of working

The research found that inconsistent or mismatched expectations around how work gets done – whether in meetings, communication styles or collaborative processes – can become significant barriers for neurodivergent individuals.

Flexible and inclusive ways of working can be achieved by co-creating team norms, rather than imposing top-down rules. For example, teams might need to agree on meeting cadences, notification boundaries, or which tasks are best tackled together versus independently.

This shared clarity creates an environment where all team members, regardless of their cognitive profile, understand what’s expected and feel able to contribute effectively.

Embrace empathy to build trust

Our research showed that trust and psychological safety emerged as foundational to neuroinclusive teams. Neurodivergent employees often feel pressure to conform to behavioural expectations, such as direct eye contact or small talk, that may not align with how they naturally interact. This “masking” can take a toll on mental health over time.

Empathy, in this context, involves understanding and accepting diverse forms of communication and engagement. Employers can reinforce this through formal systems like manager training and inclusive policies, and through everyday signals – such as how to deliver feedback or how to understand alternative working styles.

Regular check-ins that focus on employee experience, not just outputs, can play a vital role in normalising support-seeking and creating space for authenticity.

Adapt neuroinclusion for differing cultures and contexts

In response to a question from the webinar audience, it was acknowledged that while in this instance our research interviews did not cover all geographic regions, the broader research we do at Top Employers Institute draws on data and insights from organisations across multiple continents. The principles highlighted in the paper – flexibility, clarity, and empathy – are designed to be adaptable to local context and nuance.

Neuroinclusion strategies should never follow a “one-size-fits-all” model. Different regions, industries, and cultures bring varying approaches, vocabularies and challenges to the topic. The key lies in building environments that are fundamentally inclusive by design, yet flexible enough to reflect local norms and realities.

A strategic blueprint for a better world of work

The overarching takeaway from our webinar was that neuroinclusion should not be seen as an adjustment to existing systems, but rather as a framework for the design of modern work. Through intentional design, organisations can build environments that both expect and celebrate diversity.

Along with this research paper, we’ve introduced a new platform, HREdge | NeuroInclusion, as a practical support tool for organisations at any stage of their neuroinclusion journey, providing access to tailored insights, expert guidance and a global network of HR leaders. And as the research makes clear, organisations that commit to neuroinclusion are not just improving workplace culture – they are positioning themselves for greater adaptability, innovation and long-term success.

Download the full research paper to explore the detailed findings.

Neuroinclusive by design: A future blueprint for a thriving team environment

With an estimated 10-20% of the population identifying as neurodivergent, many organisations are seeking ways to harness their untapped potential. However, there is a paradox at the heart of the current debate around neurodiversity in the workplace. Research shows that teams with neurodivergent members experience up to a 30% increase in overall success, and individuals with ADHD score 41% higher in creativity tests. Yet many neurodivergent employees still face barriers, with over 50% fearing workplace stigma or discrimination.

Why is this – and what can be done about it for the benefit of businesses and employees alike?

Building inclusive workplaces

At Top Employers Institute we’ve been delving deep into what makes neurodiverse teams thrive. Our latest research paper, Neuroinclusive by design: Creating a thriving team environment for all, explores the steps organisations can take to build truly inclusive workplaces. It provides key statistics, and practical recommendations that HR can implement to create a more neuroinclusive workplace.

Download the full research paper

Traditional workplace structures are changing, and neuroinclusive practices are forming the blueprint for the future of work. For a true neuroinclusive workplace, however, HR leaders must shift from providing piecemeal adjustments to embedding systemic inclusivity into their hiring, team collaboration, and leadership development practices. Organisations that embrace neurodiversity in this way will not only enhance employee wellbeing but also gain a vital competitive edge.

Through extensive research and interviews with neurodivergent employees, we have identified three critical traits shared by successful neurodiverse teams:

1. Harnessing individual talents for collective success. Neurodivergent employees excel when given flexibility and autonomy, allowing them to leverage their unique strengths in a way that benefits the entire organisation.
2. Defining and committing to consistent ways of working. High-performing teams find the right balance between structure and flexibility, co-creating communication methods that work for everyone.
3. Embracing empathy and nurturing interpersonal trust. A culture of psychological safety, where employees feel understood and valued, fosters collaboration and engagement.

Being ‘neuroinclusive by design’ is about reshaping the workplace so that diverse ways of thinking, processing information and collaborating are naturally supported. This approach benefits everyone, leading to more innovative, adaptable, and high-performing teams.

Can your business afford to ignore the benefits of creating a thriving team environment for all? By championing neurodiversity within teams, companies are not just creating better workplaces—they are shaping the future of work itself.

Fill in the form below to access the full research paper and explore how leading organisations are putting neuroinclusion into action.

Access the full research paper

World of Work Trends 2025: The Collective Workforce

In a world shaped by economic uncertainty, generational shifts, and rapid technological change, organisations must evolve to remain resilient. The World of Work Trends 2025 report from Top Employers Institute shows how HR leaders play a vital role in this transformation. By adopting a more collective approach—defined by interconnected, adaptive, and inclusive strategies—organisations can thrive in this new era.

The trends outlined in The rise of the Collective Workforce: Act now for a resilient future highlight how leaders can move beyond isolated initiatives and embrace a systems-thinking mindset. Those who act now will be better equipped to build long-term relevance, resilience, and competitive advantage. So, what are these key trends driving the rise of the collective workforce? You can download and explore the full report by filling out the form below.

Q&A with ABB UK

In our latest Q&A with the team from ABB UK, we explore what makes ABB a Top Employer, its biggest people challenges, key HR initiatives, and what’s next.

Tell us about your organisation

ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and more than 105,000 employees worldwide.

Part of the ABB Group, ABB in the UK is headquartered in Warrington, Cheshire and employs 1750 people operating from 22 locations nationwide. We supply around £0.5bn of innovative solutions, products and services annually in the UK to clients in a wide range of market sectors.

What makes ABB UK a Top Employer?

ABB is dedicated to investing in its people with a global people strategy that focuses on three key components of ‘Empower’: our “high performance – high integrity” culture is grounded in empowerment and engagement, ‘Grow’: we innovate in a changing world to solve the challenges of today and tomorrow, taking responsibility to learn, connect and grow, and ‘Impact’: we impact a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive workplace and society.

ABB is a company that continually strives to improve for its people and its customers, challenging the status quo and exploring new ways to innovate. We are proud of the various people innovations and best practices launched at ABB such as our global DEI strategy, open job market, and our upcoming global transformation project, which will bring numerous efficiencies to our HR team, our managers, and our employees around the world.

What is the biggest people challenge your business currently faces? And what are you doing to meet this challenge?

ABB is no different to many other engineering organisations when it comes to increasing the number of females in engineering as well as skill gaps. As part of our overall People Strategy we are striving to become a more equitable and inclusive workplace.

In ABB UK we are proud to be partnering with educational establishments, including, primary schools, secondary schools and universities to inspire the talent of the future. These partnerships enable our employees to speak passionately about the opportunities available in the world of engineering, something which is available to all, either joining the organisation straight from school or as an apprentice or a graduate.

Tell us about a recent HR initiative you have instigated within your organisation that you are most proud of?

The UK HR team is set to launch a volunteering policy as part of our overall corporate social responsibility strategy. ABB already partner closely with Macmillan Cancer Support, which provides different opportunities to volunteer and raise both awareness. Our new volunteering policy will enable the business to expand on this and apply formal recognition and structure to our employees for their volunteering passions. The HR Team recently partnered with a local disability charity close to our UK Head Office. A team of six volunteers supported a local initiative ran by the charity aimed to positively impact young people with disabilities and their families over the festive period. We look forward to continuing this partnership and future partnerships and beyond.

How is AI affecting your business? Is it helping or challenging you in terms of your people practices?

ABB has already started using Generative AI, to the advantage of customers as well as internal applications. For example: Intuitive user interaction with ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite. AI@ABB’s aim is to accelerate the development, deployment and use of AI – both analytical and generative – across ABB divisions and functions to drive innovation for our customers, enhance internal efficiency and further strengthen our technology market leadership.

Which wellbeing offerings in your business are proving the most popular with employees?

ABB are proud to have an established wellbeing offering globally and locally. Influenced by our Wellbeing Board within the UK we offer a range of support mechanisms from our qualified wellbeing first aiders, local awareness campaigns and initiatives, and our Employee Assistance Programme providers are also on hand 24/7. Offering our employees a multidisciplinary approach enables individuals to select the best approach for them. Sine the impact of COVID, we have focused our initiatives on bringing people together to build connections and create networking opportunities without our various locations.

What’s next? Tell us about a new initiative that you’re most excited about?

ABB is embarking on the implementation of a new people management platform, which will provide employees and line managers with access to data and processes at the touch of their fingertips. The new platform will create a more engaging workforce, which in turn will amplify many organisational efficiencies.

Puma’s secret to their people-first culture and sustainable HR practices

Puma has achieved a remarkable milestone in 2025. They are Certified as a Top Employer on a Global and Enterprise level while also reaching the phenomenal achievement of being Certified in all 50 countries where they operate. This accomplishment underscores Puma’s unwavering commitment to fostering a people-first culture and sustainable HR practices. David Plink, CEO at Top Employers Institute, sat down with Dietmar Knoess, CHRO at Puma, to uncover Puma’s secret to their people-first culture and sustainable people practices.

How does Puma respond to the challenges of the future

The future is not something that HR teams can predict anymore. As Dietmar explained to David in their conversation, “We need to live with the new fact that we can’t predict the future anymore. We can hardly affect the next twelve months. That means that you need to be on your toes.” This sentiment shows how critical it is for Puma, an organisation that prioritises its people-first culture, to be proactive in facing the challenges of a changing business landscape. He continued, “You need to make quick decisions and communicate it to your organisation quickly.” That is the role that HR plays at Puma.

While Puma always felt that they had an exceptional HR team able to react to the challenges of the market, they wanted an unbiased assessment of their practices. That is where the Top Employers Certification helped Puma. It offers Puma validation of their people practices. It gives them access to benchmarking and analytics to improve their practices yearly, enabling them to stay competitive in the talent market.

This global recognition as a Top Employer celebrates Puma’s achievements and reinforces its commitment to continuous improvement and employee satisfaction. By fostering a culture that values and supports its employees, Puma sets a benchmark for excellence in the industry, allowing them to execute their goal of being Forever.Faster.

For more insights into Puma’s journey as a Top Employer, you can watch the entire conversation between Dietmar and David. You will be able to get a look into:

• How Puma attracts, retains and engages top talent in a competitive talent market.
• The biggest challenges shaping the future of work and how HR teams can respond to these challenges.
• And what it means to lead the market with sustainable HR practices and policies.

What Is The Role of HR in Sustainability?

(Inside the Mind of an HRD – Sustainability)

Sustainability is one of the primary issues on everyone’s minds, as we look to the future and try to avoid the consequences of what the world may look like if we do not make significant changes. While the topic of sustainability has been discussed in various circles, we are now at a time where we need to make actionable changes. And the importance of moving these conversations into reality has not escaped the world of work. Instead, they have fuelled HR leaders to become a significant partner in creating and implementing sustainability strategies within their organisations.

The Three Pillars of Sustainability

Sustainability is a multi-layered concept. It is focused on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. There are three pillars of sustainability that are most interesting to us these are: economic, environmental, and social. More informally these pillars are profit, planet, and people.

The weight of sustainability issues has been focused on the environment, for good reason, as we try to maintain nature around us but that is not the full picture of sustainability. We are realising the need to focus on the other pillars of profit and people. While focus on the sustainability of people is more obvious, as people are one of our greatest resources, we also need to consider how we create sustainable profit. Without a sustainable profit there is no future for a company.

The Impact of Sustainability on Businesses

In 2012 the United Nations published their 17 sustainability goals for the world to reach by 2030. These sustainability goals have impacted all levels – from large governments, to corporations, and the everyday citizen. In many companies they have translated those 17 goals into session level goals for their business activities. This comes at a time when it is also now mandatory for listed corporations to publish information about their environmental, social and governance (ESG) behaviours. Meaning that they are now being held accountable for the impact of their actions in terms of sustainability. Bringing the importance of enacting these practices higher than before.

The emphasis on sustainability in the world has impacted many aspects of business that were previously taken for granted as we see the emergence of a new kind of business. These businesses are public benefit corporations (PBC) where their primary focus is geared towards having a positive impact on society, their workers, the community and/or the environment. These aspects of their business are legally defined in addition to their other, more traditional, goal of maximising profit for their shareholders. These companies are embedding sustainability into all their businesses practices and while they have been set up to work in this way, we can still make changes in our existing businesses structures to achieve similar goals. HR teams will become a big part of more traditional businesses making this shift.

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Corporate Social Responsibility versus Sustainability

As companies begin to embrace sustainability practices it is important to note what they have done previously and why their move to sustainable procedures will help them to secure their futures. Many businesses have been engaged in corporate responsibility practices, which has been focused on reporting what a business has done to contribute to the wider society. While this has created some good initiatives it has caused people to look backwards – rather than looking at future possibilities open to the company. It is also driven by the need to protect the reputations of the business in developed markets as the projects of the CSR are managed by communications teams.

This contrasts sustainability practices that are focused on looking towards what will happen next as they make plans that secure the future of their company. Some of the practices they may adopt as they lean into sustainability are centred around reducing waste, assuring supply chains, developing new markets, and building their brand. The driving force of sustainability is the need to create opportunities in emerging markets, and this work is managed by various players in the operations and marketing departments.

In simpler terms we can understand CSR as giving a man a fish, whereas sustainability is teaching a man to fish. One makes someone, or for businesses purposes something, reliant on you to be maintain the system while the other builds a system that can maintain itself.

HR’s Role in Sustainability

In our recent study around the practices of our Top Employers we saw that 92% of companies are making social responsibility an important building block of their business. For this many rely on engagement from their employees to make these goals actionable. This is one of the important places that HR will contribute to the overall goal of facilitating sustainable business practices. HR teams have always been focused on people and without their involvement in engaging the employees in the sustainability project, it would be nearly impossible to achieve the businesses’ sustainability goals.

When we talk about integrating sustainability practices into a business, we need to realise that it is a multi-layered process that is inclusive of other social responsibility components including CSR and ESG. The process also involves asking questions about whether the company is committed to enacting these changes, how will they involve employees in this process and how will it be communicated to them. Approaching it from this angle we can clearly see where HR plays a fundamental part in the sustainability goals of their organisations.

HR will be involved several pieces of the puzzle needed to help the sustainability goal. It will differ for each individual organisation, but some aspects that HR will be involved in are around facilitating conversations with employees and the board; defining a code of conduct; launching equity initiatives; and engaging with employees through training, competency models and leadership development. HR is crucial in aiding in the technological and cultural changes needed to help in the sustainability goals of their organisation.

While we have discussed some ways that HR will facilitate current employees to be involved in the greater sustainability project. It is key to acknowledge the role they will play in redefining their employer brand. They will also have a hand in identifying and attracting new talent to the company.

Final Thoughts

The need to make and meet sustainability goals is an issue that we are all juggling with as we look to building the future. It is a complex matter that concerns everyone. While we have taken a big picture approach to introducing the topic, it is one that we, and the Top Employers we work with, are making a concerted effort to expanding as we get closer to 2022 and beyond. Sustainability is not something that we can push to the next year, it is necessary to engage with it now.