'An underutilized pool of talent'
Josh Crafford was unable to read or write in the second grade. He remembers his parents being told that he might not graduate from high school.
"The next thing I heard was my mom breaking down and crying, so that confirmed 'I'm bad. I'm broken. There's something wrong,’ so I hung out with kids who would accept me for who I was,'' he said. "Freshman year in high school I was an unruly punk.''
After years of believing he wasn't meant for success, a high school science teacher encouraged Crafford to aim for more. His GPA rose to 3.0, and not only did he go to college, he went on to earn a master's degree and to have positions at four Fortune 200 companies. He is now vice president for technology learning and development for the financial services company Synchrony.
There, he serves initiatives on hiring and better supporting employees who are “neurodivergent” – people who have attention-deficit and/or hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, autism or other cognitive conditions, and who communicate, behave and perceive differently from many others.
👋 Nicole Fallert here, and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). This week, we talk with Paste BN business reporter Charisse Jones about her conversations with people like Crafford to highlight how employers are working to include neurodivergent employees.
But first, don't miss these stories made possible by your Paste BN subscription (and keep scrolling for more headlines below!):
- Trump is running out of other people's money to pay lawyers. The Save America PAC is almost broke.
- American classrooms need more educators. Can virtual teachers step in to bridge the gap?
- 'We need responsible tourism': Maui businesses plead tourists to help economy after fires.
- The West Point time capsule mystery took a twist: There was something in there after all.
- Behind the scenes with Deion Sanders, Colorado's uber-confident football czar.
- At 61, Meg Ryan is the lead in a new rom-com. That shouldn’t be such a rare thing.
Making neurodiversity a business priority
Even once he had achieved professional success, Crafford didn't reveal to his colleagues that he had dyslexia, high anxiety and dyscalculia (a learning disability that makes it difficult to process numbers) until 2019 – 13 years after he had joined the company. He later found out he also had ADHD after being tested for it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reporter Charisse Jones said the pandemic changed the work environment, resulting in stories like this one.
"COVID really helped in the sense that you had a lot of people at home and working in a new environment, and that really forced employers to check in more with employees in terms of mental wellness and how people were able to best perform," Jones said. "That opened up the conversation."
This goes beyond just including neurodiversity in technical roles with low personal contact, but working with an understanding of how hiring should change to improve workplace culture.
The story idea came "when I was contacted by Wells Fargo, who have made neurodiversity a priority," Jones said. "It made me think, 'I want to question how other businesses are following suit.' It became a fascinating project in realizing there are so many businesses that see this underutilized pool of talent."
Jones interviewed hiring managers who specialize in sensitivity for neurodivergence and spoke with a group at the University of Connecticut that emphasizes connecting students with opportunities. Her reporting showed her that awareness of neurodivergence in the workplace is building, but there's still a need to recognize that these conditions are often invisible.
She also noticed "how not everyone wants to self-identify," Jones said. "When people are 'othered,' there's a greater nervousness."
Paste BN is unique in its commitment to journalism about the many facets of workplace inclusion, Jones said, and publishing stories that go beyond obvious representations. To help readers take the conversation further, Jones has prepared a special list of tips for readers on how to help make their workplaces more neurodivergence-inclusive, featuring interview tips and disclosure to new co-workers.
Thank you
Jones' reporting is an important reminder of the little ways in which we can do better to include and celebrate those with whom we work. I'll be keeping her tips in mind. Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you.
Best wishes,
Nicole Fallert