Overview

This is the first in our series entitled “Benefits for All” which aims to shine a spotlight firmly on neurodiversity and the many benefits of neurodiverse workforce for employers.

Leading businesses are transforming to ensure greater inclusivity for their employees, as part of this shift, employers must think beyond gender and race when designing their DEI strategies. With around 15% of UK employees estimated to be neurodivergent, it is imperative that the right wellbeing support is in place to ensure strong employee engagement as well as higher productivity.

Neurodivergent colleagues can bring deep focus, creativity, intense expertise, innovation, and lateral thinking to the table. A successful, diverse workplace is going to attract the best candidates.

The case for neurodiverse hiring is especially compelling given the skills shortages that increasingly afflict technology and other industries. There is real value to organisations in attracting and supporting a diverse workforce, attracting talent with the right skill sets makes for a successful and diverse workplace.

Why attend

Successive recent crises have forced HR and benefits professionals to respond reactively to acute employee needs. Organisations have approved, funded, and introduced health and wellbeing benefits at extreme speed to support employees at critical times, ensuring business continuity and build a culture of caring.

We are delighted that Cathy Donnelly of Texthelp and Amanda McCallion of Power NI will join us to share how they have applied this into practice in the workplace.

In addition, our very own Lucy Brown will discuss the recent Mercer Health on Demand study and its link to Neurodiversity.

Join us to hear our expert speakers share thought leadership perspectives on how to create an inclusive workplace for all and how to respond effectively to changing employee needs.

Agenda

Join us to hear our expert speakers share their perspectives on neurodiversity, the many benefits of neurodiverse workforce for employers, how to create an inclusive workplace for all and how to respond effectively to changing employee needs.

Registration and breakfast

Speakers:

Cathy Donnelly: Chief People Officer, Texthelp
Amanda McCallion: CSR Specialist, Power NI

Session Description:

Creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) brings out the very best in people - and businesses. But solving the big DE&I challenges can be a slow process.

Cathy Donnelly from Texhelp and Amanda McCallion of Power NI will discuss how neuro-inclusive businesses are benefiting from 28% higher revenue, double net income, and 30% higher profit margins. This session includes tangible strategies and best practices to take into your own organisation and downloadable resources to share with your colleagues.

Session takeaways:

  • Strategies to power your business with neurodiversity
  • Best practices from global brands that will transfer into your business
  • Inclusive tools that maximise diverse talent in the workplace

Networking

Speaker:

Lucy Brown: Senior Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist, Mercer

Session Description:

Lucy will be presenting our Health on Demand 2023 report to provide insights into the differences in experiences that different demographic groups may have and how you can provide more equitable health and well-being experiences. Lucy will go on to dive deeper into the increasingly popular subject of Neurodiversity in the Workplace, to help you understand how you can support your neurodivergent employees and attract a broader range of talent.

Speaker full bios

Cathy joined Texthelp in 2022 as the company’s first ever Chief People Officer. After 25+ years' experience in Human Resources, Cathy's move to Texthelp was inspired by the company's strong purpose and values. Cathy's vision for Texthelp is one with a best-in-class global employee experience where everyone is supported to fulfil their potential. Her focus is on building a globally inclusive community that recognises and celebrates diversity, and fosters a high-performing culture.

Based in Northern Ireland, Cathy splits her time across Texthelp offices in the US, London, Belfast, the Nordics, and Australia. In her free time, Cathy enjoys time with her husband Seamus, and 16-year old twins, Marcus and Daisy. She also enjoys cooking, reading and travelling.

Amanda has worked for Power NI for just over 9 years.She began in the Contact Centre as a Customer Engagement Specialist, progressing to Team Leader. As Team Leader, Amanda’s passion was seeing others achieve and realising their potential. 

Amanda has collaborated with the CSR Team on a number of projects including work towards achieving ISO 22458, a brand new Kitemark, confirming our ongoing commitment to providing an inclusive service for all our customers. She joined the CSR Team in December 2022 and is delighted to be involved in pushing the organisation to deliver on accessibility and inclusion for our staff and our customers.

Lucy is a senior diversity, equity and inclusion specialist with experience in creating an engaging workplace culture that aligns the strategic vision of a business with the lived in experiences of the employees. Lucy is the Global Co-Chair for our Mercer PRIDE business resource group.

Lucy has worked with UK based and multinational clients to support on projects in the areas of:

  • Diversity and Inclusion: review of policies and processes to ensure they reflect the needs and requirements of the workforce; inclusive language training; flexible working design support.
  • Employee benefits: reviewing and assessing trans healthcare benefits to ensure they are fully inclusive and competitive within the sector; recommendations on the healthcare provider.
  • Employee resource groups: setting up and implementing business resource groups to support diverse communities; creation of safe spaces; leveraging external partnerships; global cross enterprise event design; allyship webinars.