With around 15% to 20% of our colleagues, customers and suppliers considered neurodiverse, the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) is on a mission to help the sector celebrate difference and address the barriers that excludes many candidates from succeeding or even entering our workplaces.
This month, the LTC has launched its first Neurodiversity Employment Guide to help operators attract, support and retain neurodiverse talent.
Here, I explain why the charity is investing in resources such as this to support the industry and why building a more neurodiverse workforce is good for business
Neurodivergent individuals think in ways that fall outside of society’s defined definition of ‘normal’.
At the LTC, we believe these differences in thinking, experiences and abilities are what make the hospitality industry so special.
Innovative solutions
Bringing plenty of different thinking into teams helps the sector not only meet the needs of a diverse customer base but also creates efficiency in creating memorable guest and colleague experiences.
With different perspectives, some colleagues are better at spotting new opportunities and finding innovative solutions, and others may prefer the more structured and predictable tasks that underpin a successful service.
By investing time in tailoring roles, offering flexible work patterns and fostering an inclusive culture, businesses can attract and retain this talent pool – and I firmly believe, give you competitive advantage.
There’s no doubt that times are tough. Cost increases in employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs), the statutory wage and business rates are threatening the very viability of some businesses.
I can understand if increasing diversity may not be front of mind but perhaps it should be? This year we’re all going to need creativity, adaptability, and problem-solving skills - all of which many neurodivergent people have in abundance – to find ways to drive growth.
Each role in hospitality, whether front of house, back office or operational, has requirements that can align perfectly with the strengths of neurodivergent candidates.
Connect in unique ways
Customers come from all walks of life and having a diverse team means you can connect with customers in unique ways, most importantly, showing that you offer an inclusive and welcoming environment.
We know from our members that employing people with diverse skills creates safe spaces, with regular bookings from friends, family and local communities. Neurodiverse teams are good for business.
While recruiting, onboarding and retaining a more neurodiverse workforce may require a bit more conscious effort, with common sense and practice, it becomes part of routine thinking and behaviour across the team.
That’s why this month we have a brand-new support guide, Empowering Neurodiversity in the Workplace, which has been tailored to help operators in licensed hospitality create an inclusive, diverse and supportive workplace for neurodivergent people.
This guide can be downloaded for free on our website.
Every one of us is unique and our sector wouldn’t and couldn’t be what it is, without all the differences that make us who we are.
Just as people have unique personalities, strengths and challenges, we also have unique ways of thinking, learning and experiencing the world - and that’s the brilliance of a neurodiverse team.
- The Licensed Trade Charity has been helping licensed trade people and their families for over 200 years, providing practical advice, emotional support and financial grants. Through its helpline, counsellors are available who specialise in working with neurodivergent people. Funding may also be available for a specialist referral. In the wellbeing platform there are many resources available on neurodiversity, from podcasts to panels to listening to people’s lived experiences.
- Call the free 24/7 Helpline on 0808 801 0550 or look up licensedtradecharity.org.uk
