Creativity is a double-edged sword and when it comes to neurodivergent individuals, it’s very easy to go wrong. Unlike most neurotypical workers, neurodivergent workers do not think in conventional thought patterns. They have alternative ways to understand the world and this can put them up against unforeseen challenges in unprepared work scenarios. This is every manager’s nightmare, especially in the hybrid or remote setting.
But creating a healthy and welcoming work environment is surprisingly easy. Once you have a clear idea of how to go about it, you can make a lot of progress in making neurodivergent individuals feel comfortable. A COVID-19 study on neurodivergence by the NIH concluded remote work was ideal for neurodivergent individuals but they still needed social interaction to maintain optimal productivity standards.
Virtual coffee chats enable both hybrid and remote teams with neurodivergent individuals to create space for social interactions within the work process. They help create positive conversations to help both neurodivergent and people with atypical thinking organically. Here are 5 reasons why virtual coffee chats should be part of your programs for diversity in the workplace:
Neurodivergent teams benefit a lot for virtual coffee chats sand their many advantages!
5 Benefits Offered by Virtual Coffee Chats for Nuerodivergence and Workplace DEI
Organic Interactions
One of the biggest issues with neurodivergent individuals is that it is hard to identify them. They do not fall into a conventional autism diagnosis model and they do not show overt signs of disablement. Neurodivergent is often most easily associated with a lack of social skills and many neurodivergents fit the “quiet contributors” profile.
Neurodivergent individuals benefit from organic interactions made via virtual coffee chats because they have all the right conditions to make social interactions. Generally speaking, neurodivergent individuals are socially ill-adjusted. This can create problems when they are put into groups. So, opening them up to interactions within the team with one-on-one chats is the best thing to do.
Further, neurodivergent individuals do not mix best with people who can align with them. This is only possible when they interact individually with others without the peer groups around them. Understanding their and the other person’s perspective enables neurodivergent individuals to find the best way to collaborate in the team space.
This type of organic bonding and building up of team rapport helps neurodivergents develop a good understanding of their peers. They also tend to open up more actively during brainstorming sessions and team bonding events if they have interpersonal interactions with team members. This is a very crucial element of fostering diversity in the workplace that is designed to enable creative thinking and diverse ways to solve problems.
Profile-Based Matching
Virtual coffee chats have a very sophisticated mechanism for matching and pairing coffee co-workers. They do not just pair people at random after a while once they have participant profiles. Based on the data accruing after each successive virtual coffee chat. This helps the company create a knowledge databank for its employees and match them on the basis of their profile attributes.
This feature offered by virtual coffee chat apps like LEAD has a lot of DEI value to offer. In particular, it helps businesses develop ideal work conditions for persons with special needs like neurodivergents. By understanding how they correlate with others, managers and employee experience officers are able to create optimal performance output conditions.
Further, their developing profile also gives clues to how the organization is growing. This is especially important for neurodivergents since they are often socially reserved. Having a sizeable proportion of such individuals may be an asset since quiet contributors make a lot of difference. But only if their contributions are recognized and the company develops a strong framework for bringing out their best. This is why profile-based matching should become a direct part of enhancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Strong Workplace Bonding
Creating a good working environment for neurodivergent people takes more than just giving them space. It is also about enabling them to connect with the right professionals who can complement their working process. According to this blog by Deloitte,
“Work flexibility could also enhance the inclusion of neurodivergent individuals in the workforce.”
This is what virtual coffee chat apps do to create the right kind of diversity in the workplace. They foster natural interpersonal interactions that are crucial for creating parity and collaboration potential. A lot of workplace collaboration of creating safe spaces for people to express their opinions. For neurodivergents, this becomes a matter of moving past issues like stereotyping and microaggressions to deliver their best work. This becomes possible when companies invest in developing strong working bonds.
Helping develop diversity in the workplace and enabling direct conversations is essential in hybrid environments. Neurodivergents can come to work recharged and put out great work consistently. Their hybrid work setup is a great choice particularly if they are involved in creative work. According to this blog on Slack,
“It’s impossible to understand what people are saying if folks are talking over each other, and even more impossible to be heard in those situations,” Tara says. “And forget it if two conversations break out independently. Anyone who’s remote is 100% out of luck at that point.”
So, using virtual coffee chats helps create more individual rapport and greater inclusivity.
Buddy System Support
Neurodivergents are far more likely to bond with one or two of their colleagues and this works great within the buddy system framework. A lot of companies already use this system to create strong working bonds between individuals. They also enable workers to support each other and persons with special neurological conditions like neurodivergents tend to benefit from this the most.
Developing diversity in the workplace with the buddy system is a great idea for companies with neurodivergent individuals. It helps them create a safe network of connections centered around a particular individual. It also enables them to work up their careers while supporting their buddy too. According to this article on The CEO Magazine,
“The loneliness epidemic isn’t just a personal struggle – it’s a systemic issue with profound implications for organizational dynamics and productivity. Recognizing loneliness as a legitimate concern is the first step toward implementing strategies to foster a culture of connection and inclusivity.”
So, companies with neurodivergent individuals should look towards implementing DEI activities like virtual coffee chats. They help create the right interaction and support structure across all teams in an organization. This is also linked with higher productivity and greater employee retention levels so businesses benefit immensely from this sort of activity for developing DEI in the workplace.
Neurdivergents have special social needs and it takes strong social support for them to deliver their best work.
DEI Programs and Training
DEI programs are historically known for not delivering on all they promise. Despite the growing need for creating more diversity in the workplace, the actual means to do this are not well understood. The reason is that while DEI activities might sound like a good idea to the management, they fail to make a relevant impact on the workforce.
This is where virtual coffee chats and water cooler sessions offer an organic way for hybrid and remote teams to bond. They create naturally defined spaces where socially reserved people can open up and communicate without needing to consider peer pressure. This is why they have a lot of importance for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Further, they help break down silos within the business and this opens up the chance to have connections with people outside the team. Oftentimes, it’s an outside insider who offers the best buddy support to neurodivergents.
Are You Ready to Use Virtual Coffee Chats for Neurodivergence and DEI?
Neurodivergent workers can be some of the best-contributing members of your team. They offer alternative perspectives that feed a lot of the innovation engines of top businesses across industries. Using virtual coffee chat apps like LEAD can enable your business to tap into its latent potential by providing an open and supporting culture.
LEAD.bot is a team engagement platform available on Slack and Teams. It is an all-in-one team development software with features like virtual coffee chats, buddy programs, birthday celebrations & work anniversary celebrations, new hire onboarding programs, and Pulse Surveys.
LEAD.bot also offers cutting-edge Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) for big enterprises and institutions. Eecutive to mid-level managers use ONA to gain highly actionable insights and build strong workplace connections. Using this app enables developing innovative employee engagement ideas to connect employees and foster better organizational health, employee retention, and overall performance with this simple app!
LEAD.bot is a product of LEAD.app and we also LEAD.bot’s sister app Sunrize which showcases workplace attendance by graphs right on Slack! Book a demo now
