{"id":149712,"date":"2026-05-28T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/?post_type=articles&p=149712"},"modified":"2026-05-20T14:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:18:15","slug":"how-to-build-onboarding-that-works-for-neurodivergent-employees","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/articles\/onboarding\/how-to-build-onboarding-that-works-for-neurodivergent-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build Onboarding That Works for Neurodivergent Employees"},"author":52,"featured_media":149718,"template":"","tags":[2690,1408,4498],"class_list":["post-149712","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-employee-experience","tag-manager-training","tag-neurodiversity","global_topic_tax-diversity-equity-and-inclusion","global_topic_tax-onboarding"],"acf":{"sponsored":false,"gated":false,"gated_content_type":"","file_attachment":null,"gated_content":"","form_instruction_header":"To access the full article, please fill out the form below:","pardot_html_embed":"","author_override":true,"author_name":"Cathy Donnelly","author_image":149714,"author_bio":"Cathy Donnelly is chief people officer at Everway<\/a>. She brings more than 30 years of experience in human resources and plays a key role in shaping the overall business. Cathy\u2019s vision is simple: Create a best-in-class global employee experience where everyone feels supported to fulfil their potential.","excerpt":"Neuroinclusive onboarding helps employees feel supported early while improving engagement, communication and long-term workplace success.","main_content":"Most onboarding programs are designed for a \"standard\" way of thinking. They can involve long days of back-to-back meetings or multiple modules of an eLearning program, complex handbooks and unspoken social rules. But the workforce of today isn\u2019t standard, it never has been. It just hasn\u2019t been properly acknowledged, until now. And even then, there\u2019s still much more work to be done.\r\n\r\nNeurodivergent people, including those with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, account for approximately 15-20%<\/a> or 1 in 5 of the global population. Despite this, many workplace environments remain rigid.\r\n\r\nWhen onboarding fails to account for different thinkers, organizations run the risk of losing talent before they\u2019ve even started. From day one, employees should feel seen, understood and able to thrive. Learning and development (L&D) professionals must move beyond simple checklists and create onboarding experiences<\/a> that flex to how different people process information, focus and engage. This is how every employee, including neurodivergent employees, can settle in faster, and feel confident, valued and ready to contribute.\r\n

The Hidden Cost of \"Business as Usual\"<\/h2>\r\nMany organizations assume employees will speak up if they need support and that adjustments can follow from there. In reality, that\u2019s rarely the case.\r\n\r\nAs many as 70% of neurodivergent employees never disclose<\/a> their neurodiversity at work. Past experiences, fear of judgement and unclear processes all play a part.\r\n\r\nIn Everway's report, \u201cBuilding Belonging Through Neuroinclusion,\u201d research involving 500 neurodivergent employees found that 61% have experienced bias at work, while more than half (56%) identified communication barriers as a major hurdle.\r\n\r\nFor those who choose not to disclose, two main concerns stand out:\r\n