Building a diverse workforce means more than hiring more women and people of color. The tech industry should rethink who is a good fit for IT work and look to neurodiverse individuals to fill testing, cybersecurity and other tech roles. This requires modernizing the hiring process and creating work environments to support this new source of talent.
Michele Lanza, founder of WorkWider, an online career and recruitment site created to support underrepresented communities, said that neurodiversity covers autistic individuals as well as people with dyspraxia, dyslexia, ADHD and social anxiety disorders.
“More companies should understand that having diverse teams not only improves a company’s image but significantly increases productivity, innovation, and employee engagement,” she said. “The reality is it’s time for employees to reflect the overall population, which includes people with neuro differences.”