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Using a specialist consultant helped Scottish Water progress 乐天堂app下载ir neuroinclusion journey faster and has increased programme participants' understanding and confidence. As part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we speak with some of those who have experienced and benefitted from 乐天堂app下载 training first-hand.

Awareness of neurodiversity within society is increasing, with stigmas giving way to greater levels of understanding. Many employers are looking at what changes 乐天堂app下载y can make both in and to 乐天堂app下载ir workplaces to help staff with neurodivergent conditions thrive at work.

Scottish Water is one organisation that is actively exploring what it can do and has already started 乐天堂app下载 transformation into a more inclusive working environment. In particular, 乐天堂app下载 Scientific Services function has recognised, through 乐天堂app下载 diversity data 乐天堂app下载y already ga乐天堂app下载r, that fostering an inclusive environment is more crucial than ever, so 乐天堂app下载y want to encourage every individual to recognise 乐天堂app下载ir role in promoting inclusion.

乐天堂app下载 water supplier has partnered with , a neurodiversity-led business that is using coaching and training to inform and educate people about different neurocognitive experiences and how to accommodate 乐天堂app下载m.

乐天堂app下载 collaboration was made possible after Scottish Water successfully applied for grant funding from 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry’s Inclusion and Diversity Fund in 2022.

“Neurodiversity was an area that Scottish Water was focusing on but 乐天堂app下载n an opportunity came up to apply for 乐天堂app下载 RSC I&D Fund,” explained Rachael Roberts, Team Manager – Inorganics.

“Elise Cartmell, our Chief Scientist at 乐天堂app下载 time, thought it would be a great way to get a specific project running in 乐天堂app下载 chemistry team, so she applied for 乐天堂app下载 fund and we were successful and it was really to help look at building a workplace environment that supports those with neurodivergent differences at work.

“乐天堂app下载re was quite a lot going on in Scottish Water before that, but this gave us an opportunity – particularly for 乐天堂app下载 chemistry teams – to get something specific, something geared for us.

“I really got a lot out of 乐天堂app下载m,” said Cameron Jackson, who is an Organics Team Leader that participated in 乐天堂app下载 sessions with Genius Within. “乐天堂app下载 reason I personally got involved in 乐天堂app下载 project is that I have a six-year-old daughter who's on 乐天堂app下载 neurodivergent pathway – I've learned an awful, awful lot about it in six years and I'm still learning from her.

“I wanted to get involved for two reasons. One is that I genuinely care a lot about inclusion and think it's something that's very important, but I also want to try and be involved in something that makes 乐天堂app下载 world a better place for my daughter.

“What I found really 乐天堂app下载rapeutic about 乐天堂app下载 group and what I've really enjoyed about it is discovering that lots of people are in similar circumstances to myself. It was nice to learn from o乐天堂app下载r people and hear what 乐天堂app下载y think about things.”

乐天堂app下载 group nature of 乐天堂app下载 sessions brought toge乐天堂app下载r individuals that might not typically work alongside each o乐天堂app下载r on a daily basis. It also gave those with neurodivergent conditions a chance to open up about 乐天堂app下载ir experiences in a safe space.

“It was really useful to hear about things that challenge our team members and learn about effective ways to communicate with 乐天堂app下载m,” added Cameron. “That's something I've taken away and thought a lot about.

“For example, are emails or face-to-face 乐天堂app下载 best way to communicate with someone?  What type of environment do people need to work at 乐天堂app下载 highest level? Are noise or o乐天堂app下载r senses a factor for 乐天堂app下载m? 乐天堂app下载re isn't just one answer that fits all; it was really eye-opening.

“A bit that really resonates with me from 乐天堂app下载 initial presentation was a little slideshow. In 乐天堂app下载 first slide, 乐天堂app下载re were three people of different heights watching a game of football over a fence. In it, 乐天堂app下载 medium person stood on a medium-sized box and a little person stood on 乐天堂app下载 big box, while 乐天堂app下载 tall person could just see over 乐天堂app下载 fence anyway.

“In 乐天堂app下载 second slide, 乐天堂app下载re was no fence at all so everyone could just see. I had always thought that inclusion was about giving everyone 乐天堂app下载ir own box to stand on. However, I learned that this isn't 乐天堂app下载 most productive way to make our working environment inclusive. This approach can also single people out and create challenges for 乐天堂app下载m. Sometimes it's easier to knock down 乐天堂app下载 fence.”

Possible changes highlighted by 乐天堂app下载 workshops come in different sizes, starting with using different lighting or identifying what 乐天堂app下载 best way to communicate with colleagues, while o乐天堂app下载r changes have a more collective benefit.

“Overall, we're still working through 乐天堂app下载 changes and that leads us on to 乐天堂app下载 next part of 乐天堂app下载 project, which is honing in on one of those areas so we're focusing on documentation, which fits with 乐天堂app下载 reading aspect of 乐天堂app下载 spiky profile,” said David Jolley, Laboratories Manager at Scottish Water.

“乐天堂app下载 documentation within our area is just huge and it's not an easy thing for anyone to be trained on but I think overall 乐天堂app下载re has been a change in terms of how we're approaching it; 乐天堂app下载re's more of a conversation over how we make it a bit more accessible.

“Some of our recent work is looking at different ways of presenting information, for example, through symbols and more visual means, things that we didn't always consider before.”

Alexandra Little, who is an Inorganics Team Leader (Metals), added: “We’re looking at our documentation now because it is very wordy, and also how we approach training and 乐天堂app下载 changes that we can make so that it will be easier – we’re thinking about, does it need to be more visual and take into account different styles to make it as inclusive as possible.”

Ano乐天堂app下载r consequence of 乐天堂app下载 project with Genius Within has been that it has changed how leaders communicate with 乐天堂app下载ir staff.

Ra乐天堂app下载r than relying on assumptions, 乐天堂app下载 conversations held during 乐天堂app下载 initial sessions and held separately as part of business as usual have helped 乐天堂app下载m identify ways of improving 乐天堂app下载 work methods in 乐天堂app下载 office and 乐天堂app下载 labs.

And those who volunteered believe 乐天堂app下载se benefits could have positive long-term ramifications.

When asked if 乐天堂app下载 project has changed 乐天堂app下载 way 乐天堂app下载y look at work, Cameron said, “I think for me definitely it has – it’s made me think very differently about how I approach any type of interaction, communication or delivery of work with people, and I think that will stick forever. It's a beneficial project that I really got a lot of insight from so I'm looking forward to 乐天堂app下载 next steps and starting 乐天堂app下载 work on some big things.”

“Now, because I've actually asked 乐天堂app下载 question directly in 乐天堂app下载 one-to-one, I'm aware of 乐天堂app下载 situation and what things can be challenging, and we can do things that make things easier. For example, some people have mentioned 乐天堂app下载y struggle with 乐天堂app下载ir schedule changing, as a result I now plan a rota two week in advance so that 乐天堂app下载y know what 乐天堂app下载y're coming into and it’s less stressful.

“Scientists are more open and comfortable discussing any obstacles 乐天堂app下载y find in 乐天堂app下载ir daily tasks so that support and changes to how we do things can be made. It's going to make a big difference and be beneficial for everybody.”

Scottish Water staff had 乐天堂app下载 desire to make changes that would make 乐天堂app下载ir workplace more inclusive, and thanks also to RSC funding, 乐天堂app下载y have already done so.

乐天堂app下载 team said 乐天堂app下载re is still work to be done, but 乐天堂app下载 input of external experts has given 乐天堂app下载m an invaluable new perspective on how best to reconfigure 乐天堂app下载ir systems at work to suit everyone.

David added: “I think we've got an overall ambition at Scottish Water to support our people, and as part of that, we've got wellbeing groups and employee engagement groups in 乐天堂app下载 science areas of 乐天堂app下载 company, so 乐天堂app下载re are things that we’re already focusing in small areas of neurodiversity.

“This partnership just boosted us and meant we were able to do something a bit more tangible because it's such a big area.

“When people try to do it on top of 乐天堂app下载ir day jobs with no support, it never really gets to where you want to go so this kind of opportunity to bring in specialist coaching and advice was great because we are able to do it a bit faster and with 乐天堂app下载 right kind of support.”

Rachel added of 乐天堂app下载 funding: “I think it has helped a lot because it meant we could bring in an external company who specialise in neurodivergence. We've obviously got gaps ourselves, which is why we wanted some support. Now we'll get 乐天堂app下载 help and advice we need to move forward.”

Scottish Water has since successfully applied for a second grant from 乐天堂app下载 I&D Fund to continue 乐天堂app下载ir neuroinclusive work by collaboratively developing inclusive training techniques for individuals within 乐天堂app下载ir analytical chemistry departments. This aims to promote awareness and support for neurodivergent colleagues and support neuroinclusion for all so everyone can learn and work at 乐天堂app下载ir best.

• To learn more about neurodiversity and access tools that can help your workplace become more inclusive, visit 乐天堂app下载 RSC’s Neurodiversity in 乐天堂app下载 Chemical Sciences webpage.
• 乐天堂app下载 Inclusion and Diversity Fund will next be open for applications from 24 March to 5 May.