India Inc opens its doors to neurodiverse employees

India Inc is accelerating efforts to hire individuals with autism and make the workplace accessible and adaptable for them - not just to be more inclusive but to benefit from their special skills as well.

Accenture, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Nagarro and Lemon Tree Hotels are among a host of companies expanding the scope of diversity and inclusion programmes. They are actively engaging with people with autism through targeted hiring, with tailored roles for specific abilities and new tools to help them work better, along with upgraded medical insurance to cover related specific conditions.

A different perspective

The idea is not just to bring in better diversity in the organisation. Skills of people on the autism spectrum - which include structured and logical thinking, as well as an impressive memory, particularly in mathematical-analytical areas - are usually a good match for technical and operations roles, HR heads of some of these companies told ET.

Accenture, which has been hiring neurodivergent individuals for several years now, recently ran pilots to hire autistic people through an internship programme for a wide spectrum of roles.

"People who think and view the world differently bring in diverse perspectives, which helps us solve our clients' complex challenges and fosters innovation, while also strengthening our culture of equality," said Lakshmi C, managing director and lead, human resources, at Accenture in India.

The professional services firm has also upgraded its medical insurance programmes in India to cover the costs of prolonged speech therapy, motor skills development, behaviour management and other occupational and physical therapies that are key to overall development of autistic persons.

Tech tools help
Global digital engineering firm Nagarro last month rolled out its TestingPro programme - which trains people with autism to become professional software testers - in India in partnership with Indian non-profit organisation Action for Autism and inclusive platform Atypical Advantage.

"We are also planning to launch our AI and Data Assistant programme in India to help neurodivergent talent with opportunities to prepare themselves for a career in the field of AI and data sciences," said Shruti Tandon, managing director, people enablement, and custodian of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) at Nagarro.

Focused roles
Last year, Wells Fargo onboarded 14 individuals as full-time employees under its neurodiversity programme, which focuses on attracting talent from the broader spectrum of neurodiversity (across autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and dyslexia). The US financial services firm currently has 27 individuals interning in technology, operations and finance in India.

The success of the first cohort of neurodivergent employees across technology and operations has led to interest from more functions and businesses across India, said Alex Ouseph, technology director at Wells Fargo India and the Philippines.

JP Morgan has hired several employees through its Autism at Work programme. They work in various roles spanning across all the lines of business and corporate functions, including software engineers, data analysts, personal bankers, KYC, fraud and dispute specialists, and more.

“Our onboarding process involves providing buddy and coaching support in addition to regular check-in meetings that focus on day-to-day needs, progress and identifying potential issues early on,” said Dinesh Chawla, managing director, sponsor for Autism at Work, at JP Morgan.

Lemon Tree Hotels, which has been hiring and training young adults on the spectrum since 2017, is carrying out job-mapping for people with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) for roles in front and back office, housekeeping, desk/coordination centre, etc.

“We have also commenced new internships for autistic young adults in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru,” said Aradhana Lal, senior vice-president, sustainability and ESG, at Lemon Tree Hotels.

Sensitising Employees

Companies are also working on sensitising employees to better interact with autistic colleagues.

Accenture has rolled out neuro-inclusion training modules to help build awareness among employees towards colleagues with neurodivergent conditions. For instance, the firm’s virtual reality-based learning modules on autism and learning disabilities help supervisors experience the world of a person with learning disabilities and be more compassionate towards their needs.

Nagarro has rolled out a focus group called ‘Nagarro Advocates for Inclusion’ where employees discuss the importance of neuro-inclusion.