An estimated 20% of the population is neurodivergent. For most organisations, that means neurodivergent employees are already in the room, they may just not have said so.
The Drinks Association Neurodiversity Celebration Week webinar brought together Dr Rose D’Almada Remedios from Diversity Council Australia, Rachel Coates from Treasury Wine Estates, and Harriet Dingle from Moët Hennessy Australia and was hosted by James Kelly, Embrace Difference Council Inclusion Workstream Lead. Each arrived with a personal connection to the topic and shared practical, grounded insights with attendees.
The myths worth letting go of
Part of what keeps misconceptions alive, the panel noted, is how neurodivergence has historically been portrayed in media, often in narrow ways that don't reflect how varied people's experiences actually are. As Rose put it: "If you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person." The same holds across all neurotypes.
On the question of whether supporting neurodivergent employees is costly or complicated, Rose was direct: most workplace adjustments are low-cost or free, and "quite often the things that are inclusive for neurodivergent employees are inclusive for all employees." Most managers have likely already managed someone who is neurodivergent without realising it.
A closer look at recruitment
Standard hiring practices weren't designed with neurodivergent candidates in mind and research suggests they're not reliable predictors of performance for anyone. Vague briefs are hard to interpret. Timed aptitude tests may disadvantage candidates with working memory differences. Unstructured interviews tend to measure communication style more than actual capability.
Practical improvements don't require a full overhaul. Sharing interview questions in advance, favouring work sample tasks, asking candidates at each stage whether they need any adjustments, and using a structured rubric to assess responses are all reasonable starting points.
One caution Rose raised on AI in recruitment: "AI can be very biased in recruitment because it's learning from human bias." Keeping humans in the loop at decision points remains important.
Getting the day-to-day right
Inclusion doesn't stop at the offer letter. If the experience someone has during recruitment doesn't continue once they're in the role, Rachel noted, "that's where you've got a risk." Simple things matter: written communication options, meeting summaries, flexibility around routines. Rachel also shared how she's been using a Copilot agent as a thinking partner for performance review preparation, a tool that prompts reflection and works with voice input as well as text.
For those without formal employee resource groups, Rachel's encouragement was simple: "Nothing's stopping you from creating them."
What leaders can do
The consistent message for people managers was to stay curious and ask questions. Psychological safety tends to hinge on whether employees believe their manager is open to the conversation – not an expert, just willing. Harriet noted that her leader regularly asks, "How can I best support you?" and that this approach makes a real difference for someone who might not always know what they need or feel comfortable raising it unprompted.
Education doesn't need to be a big undertaking. Attending a session, reading a guide or simply being honest about not having all the answers are all reasonable places to start. As Rose closed, "Don't underestimate the power of learning around neurodivergence and the small changes that you can make."
Watch the webinar recording or view the Diversity Council Australia's Neurodiversity Data Guide.