Debunking Neurodiversity Myths in the Workplace

Teresa Romanovsky • May 1, 2024

Following Neurodiversity Celebration Week, which took place from 18th to 24th March, it's important to address and dispel prevailing misconceptions surrounding integrating neurodivergent individuals in the workplace. Despite the growing evidence supporting the advantages of cognitively diverse teams—such as increased productivity, enhanced decision-making, and heightened innovation—many organisations remain apprehensive about embracing neurodivergent talent. This reluctance not only sidelines a significant portion of the global talent pool, estimated at 15-20 per cent but also hampers organisational growth and innovation.

Debunking Common Myths


Equitable Hiring Practices: Accommodating neurodivergent individuals during the hiring process, such as by providing interview questions in advance, does not confer an unfair advantage but levels the playing field, addressing higher unemployment rates among this demographic.


Cost-effective Accommodations: Contrary to the belief that adjustments for neurodivergent employees are expensive and disruptive, many strategies—like flexible work hours and quiet spaces—benefit all employees, promoting productivity and well-being without significant investment.


Broad Spectrum of Roles: The assumption that neurodivergent individuals are only suited for technology roles is unfounded. Neurodiversity encompasses a range of abilities and interests, making neurodivergent candidates valuable across various sectors.


Unrecognised Talent: Often, organisations believe they lack neurodivergent applicants; however, this may stem from restrictive job advertisements or a failure to communicate an inclusive culture. Broadening the understanding of job requirements and explicitly welcoming diverse applicants can attract neurodivergent talent.


Cultural Enrichment: Fears that hiring neurodivergent individuals might lead to cultural misalignment are misplaced. A genuinely inclusive culture values diversity, fostering an environment where all employees feel supported and valued, enhancing innovation and team dynamics.


Towards Inclusive Recruitment


Inclusive recruitment processes are essential for supporting neurodiversity in the workplace. Despite challenges, like the significantly lower employment rate for people with autism at 29 per cent, initiatives to support neurodivergent individuals can transform workplaces. By focusing on capabilities rather than disabilities, organisations can flip the script from viewing neurodivergent individuals as burdens to recognising them as assets.


In the wake of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, businesses are called upon to reevaluate their perceptions and practices regarding neurodiversity. By debunking myths and implementing inclusive hiring practices, organisations can unlock the full potential of a neurodivergent workforce. This shift not only benefits neurodivergent individuals but also enhances the overall innovation, productivity, and culture of businesses, paving the way for a more diverse and dynamic future.

Cutting Carbon, Building Futures: Why Sustainable Recruitment Must Go Mainstream

By Teresa Romanovsky • August 19, 2025
Recruitment may not be the first industry you think of when it comes to carbon emissions. Yet the environmental footprint of traditional hiring practices is larger than many realise: flights for interviews, paper-heavy processes, in-person assessments that involve travel and energy use. All of these add up. At the same time, “sustainable recruitment systems” are proving to be far more than a buzzword. They are helping organisations reduce waste, attract values-driven talent, and future-proof their workforce strategies. In other words, green hiring is both a moral and a commercial imperative .

Closing the Loop and Opening Careers: Circularity’s Role in the Future of Work

By Teresa Romanovsky • August 4, 2025
At this year’s ReGen Expo , the programme was thoughtfully divided into two key tracks: The Resource Stage , focused on innovations in recycling and resource recovery. The Circularity Stage , showcasing upstream redesign, system change, and regenerative business models. Both matter, but they’re not the same. Recycling plays a critical role in reducing what ends up in landfill. But circularity reaches further, asking how we might design waste out altogether . In short: If recycling is like treating the symptoms, circular processes are like building a lifestyle that prevents the illness in the first place. 
A person is holding a wind turbine and a chimney in their hands

Australia’s Net-Zero Ambitions Are Stalling - Is the Real Problem a Talent Shortage?

By Teresa Romanovsky • June 30, 2025
A Sobering Reality Check Australia’s emissions reduction report card is in, and it makes for uneasy reading. Strip away land use changes, and national emissions have dropped just 3% since 2005. While federal targets remain focused on achieving net-zero by 2050, progress is painfully slow across energy, transport, and industrial sectors. Politicians may debate policy, and analysts may point to infrastructure bottlenecks, but there’s a more human variable we urgently need to talk about: talent. Could the decarbonisation lag be less about ambition and more about our inability to scale the workforce to match?