Neurodivergence at Work: From Inclusion to a Culture of Belonging

Workplace inclusion doesn’t end with access to an opportunity. It also requires us to rethink our processes and create the conditions for different ways of thinking, communicating, and working to belong and thrive.

Talking about neurodivergence at work isn’t only about access to opportunities. It also means looking at what happens next: how we hire, how we communicate, how we support our teams, and what conditions we create for different ways of thinking and working to thrive.

An organization can bring diverse talent into its teams while still relying on processes designed around a single way of working. Interviews that reward spontaneity, ambiguous instructions, meetings without an agenda, or unclear performance criteria may seem neutral, but they can also become barriers that limit how cognitive diversity is supported and allowed to thrive.

That raises a more difficult question: what needs to change within an organization for different ways of thinking to be recognized and fully supported?

From talking about inclusion to listening to lived experiences

At Santex, we’ve been addressing this challenge through hands-on experience. In 2024, together with the PANAACEA–Excelsium Alliance, we launched a neurodivergent talent hiring program. As part of that journey, we decided to broaden the conversation by bringing in other organizations and, most importantly, the people who experience these environments firsthand.

This year, we organized two events, each approaching the conversation from a different perspective:

In Buenos Aires, we invited HR professionals to share the questions and challenges they face when implementing diversity programs within their organizations: how to adapt an interview process, support leaders, evaluate performance, and sustain these initiatives beyond the first hire.
In Córdoba, we brought together neurodivergent people who shared the barriers they encounter when looking for work and navigating traditional corporate environments: how to write a resume, how much effort it takes to navigate unspoken rules, what happens during a traditional interview, and what conditions allow them to make the most of their capabilities.

Watch some of the conversations that shaped this initiative, together with Santex, PANAACEA, Excelsium Consultora, and SAP, featuring María del Carmen Gironzi, Celeste Torresi, Leandro Noya, and Teresita Ormaechea.

Listening to both perspectives led to one central insight: there is no single way to perceive the world. Many of the practices that improve the experience of a neurodivergent person — such as clear communication, agendas shared in advance, outcome-based performance evaluation, or protected time for focused work — also improve the way the entire team works.

Perhaps, then, the conversation is no longer only about inclusion, but about how we build a culture of belonging where different ways of thinking, communicating, and working can thrive.

A Guide Built from Two Perspectives

From these events and our own experience came “Neurodivergence and Work: Voices That Transform,” a guide that brings together insights, data, and practical tools from two perspectives.

On one side, it offers a roadmap for organizations and HR professionals: assessment, hiring and interviews, onboarding, reasonable accommodations, leadership training, ongoing support, performance evaluation, and implementation examples.
On the other, for neurodivergent people, the guide provides resources for navigating the job search and day-to-day work: from self-awareness and resume building to interviews, identifying compatible work environments, and requesting the accommodations they need.

DOWNLOAD NEURODIVERGENCE AT WORK

Through this guide, we aim to share practical learnings that can help organizations take the first step, reassess existing practices, and continue creating more accessible workplaces where people can belong and thrive.