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Offices and work spaces designed with neurodivergent professionals in mind are on the rise.
There are a few reasons why. Awareness and education around things like ADHD, OCD, autism, and dyslexia have drastically improved in recent years, and around 15% to 20% of the U.S. population identifies as neurodivergent, according to a 2020 study. Employers are looking for ways to retain and engage workers, and smart workplaces are paying attention to what their employees need to thrive.
“People are really aware of neurodiversity right now, and there’s a lot more literature and information about this,” Florencia Kratsman, interior practice leader at FXCollaborative, a U.S. architecture firm, tells Fortune. “Companies want to stay on top of that to attract their employees and make sure they are coming back.”
Neurodivergent staffers may be more sensitive to sensory inputs, and some aspects of the traditional office feel may abrasive, like bright overhead lighting, chilly room temperatures, and loud workspaces.
Ebbie Wisecarver, chief design officer at WeWork, has noticed an uptick in interest for office space that work well for neurodiverse employees. That’s led to her company to reevaluate how they design their spaces. “We’re rethinking: What’s the palette in that room? What are the materials in that room? What’s the seating?” she says. “Because [with] an individual that might be highly sensitive, you want to be able to make sure there’s a refuge for them.”
The offices of Understood, a nonprofit that provides resources to people and families who are neurodivergent, began to design their New York City offices a few years ago with these employees in mind. That has led to to things like softer lighting, designated quiet rooms, and zones with different temperatures. Crucially, Understood solicited the advice of their employees before they made their final decisions—something that chief marketing officer Nathan Friedman highly suggests to companies looking to rethink their offices.
“There’s this wide variety of types of organizations,” says Friedman. “Each type needs something very specific and very different.”
It’s also important to keep in mind that employers don’t have to completely redesign their office in order to get many neurodiverse workers the kind of accommodation they need. Some low-cost examples include access to assistive tech tools, ergonomic keyboards, and noise-cancelling headphones.
You can read more about an increased interest for neurodivergent-friendly offices here.
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
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