Bureau looks after neurodiverse employees through a focus on adaptable working environments, hours and locations.
The global manufacturer, which designs and delivers acoustic pods for open plan workplaces, has 70 employees in the US, Australia and the UK, where it has seven workers. It has plans to expand its UK office.
All of Bureau’s employees can use its products, which support neurodiverse individuals feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated by a busy office environment and in need of a quiet place to work. It also offers flexible-working options to support different working styles and needs, such as hybrid patterns or specific individual requirements around working hours or locations.
This helps to maximise productivity and inclusiveness in the workplace, explains Kathryn Nicholson-Brown, specification director at Bureau.
“We have a focus on trying to make sure our working environment adapts to all of our employees,” she says. ”So rather than enforcing a rigid traditional workplace environment or a conventional open plan office that can be bombarding on the senses, we like to make sure that it flexes to whoever is using it. Our staff have the right to curate how they work within their own days.”
In terms of benefits to support receiving a diagnosis and afterwards, Bureau offers a free-to-access 24/7 employee assistance programme, which includes financial advice, mental health support and counselling. This is intended to help staff navigate symptoms and explore if they fall on the spectrum, while also supporting through the diagnosis process. The mental health assistance provides practical coping strategies for work stress or other neurodiversity-related issues during and after a diagnosis journey.
Nicholson-Brown cites examples of employees who found that elements of their role did not completely work for them because of their neurodiversities.
“In those instances, we created new roles for them that help to maximise their skills,” she says. ”We focus on getting to know employees individually and supporting them in whichever way they might need. We’ve got a strong belief that no one should feel they have to leave a career because of an office environment, so we’ll do our best to adapt.”
The organisation additionally allows flexibility in how neurodiverse employees engage in meetings, so where appropriate, those who find being on camera for long periods of time difficult can attend meetings with the camera off.
Overall, Bureau aims to listen to its team and make sure they are guided on how to make the most of the workplace they are in.
“We really care about the team. We have a natural self interest in being able to recognise that neurodiverse employees bring something special to a business. There are so many qualities these individuals bring and we want to make sure that we can get the best out of them, because that only helps to drive the business forward,” Nicholson-Brown says.
