Driving Neuroinclusion: Success Strategies from Rolls-Royce & Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

However, two-thirds of neurodivergent individuals do not disclose their condition in the workplace, highlighting a significant gap in awareness and support. Texthelp recently hosted an insightful webinar featuring industry leaders at Rolls-Royce and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) who shared their strategies for promoting neurodiversity inclusion. These organizations are at the forefront of creating neuroinclusive workplaces that not only accommodate but empower neurodivergent employees.

Missed the live webinar? Don’t worry; you can now watch the full recording on-demand! 

Catch up below on the key takeaways and insights shared:

Psychological Safety: Building Trust and Innovation

Psychological safety is integral to Rolls-Royce’s culture, promoting an environment where every team member can freely share ideas and concerns without fear of criticism. Natasha Whitehurst highlighted the company’s recent initiative where over 96% of employees participated in leader-led sessions aimed at embedding psychological safety into daily operations.

Research by Accenture underscores the importance of psychological safety: a mere 26% of employees feel psychologically safe at work, despite its potential to boost engagement by 76%, productivity by 50%, and reduce stress by 74%.

Prioritizing psychological safety not only aligns with regulatory standards but also enhances team resilience and collaboration, critical in an industry where safety is paramount.

Leveraging Diversity Data for Informed Decisions

Rolls-Royce actively promotes diversity through its "Count Me In" campaign which encourages employees to voluntarily disclose under 11 categories of diversity, including neurodiversity, disability, gender identity, faith, and health conditions, among others. Natasha emphasized the importance of using this data to develop effective support strategies while ensuring it does not hinder inclusion efforts.

She noted that while capturing diversity data is essential for understanding the organization, it should not be a barrier to accessing support or progressing inclusion initiatives. Low disclosure rates may indicate a need to enhance psychological safety where employees feel comfortable sharing such information.

Highlighting the global prevalence of neurodivergence, Natasha estimated that around 20% of the worldwide population is neurodivergent. Applying this statistic to Rolls-Royce’s workforce of approximately 40,000 employees suggests that around 8,000 individuals may benefit from tailored support.

The Neurodiversity Toolkit: Practical Solutions for Inclusive Practices

Both Rolls-Royce and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) have implemented Neurodiversity Toolkits to cultivate inclusive workplaces. These toolkits offer comprehensive resources and guidance on creating environments that support neurodivergent employees. Natasha from Rolls-Royce emphasized that the toolkit is accessible globally and available in multiple languages, underscoring Rolls-Royce's proactive stance in understanding and accommodating neurodiversity. She stressed that this strategy isn't focussed on identifying specific colleagues or teams but rather aims to create an inclusive environment beneficial to all employees.

The toolkit aligns closely with one of Rolls-Royce’s core priorities: strengthening leadership capability. It equips colleagues and people leaders with essential knowledge about neurodiversity, including its different manifestations and the importance of creating an inclusive culture. Practical tools within the toolkit focus on adapting workspaces, optimizing work equipment, and fostering effective team dynamics.

Mo from CCEP explained the challenges they initially faced in getting frontline teams and managers to adopt new practices. Through internal audits across their sites and commercial areas, CCEP identified areas needing improvement. This led to the development of a training program with Thrive, a specialised training partner to support health and wellbeing which equipped 500 managers to better support neurodivergent employees.

To achieve their goal of having 10% of their workforce represented by people with disabilities by 2030, CCEP encourages different styles of working and cultivates a culture of openness to gain feedback from employees. This approach ensures that resources are directed where they are most needed, whether for physical accommodations or considerations related to neurodiversity.

Inclusive Technology for Unlocking Talent

Texthelp’s inclusive technology, such as Read&Write for Work, plays a crucial role in supporting Rolls-Royce’s and CCEP's neurodiversity inclusion strategies, ensuring all employees have the tools they need to thrive. This software supports neurodivergent employees by providing assistive features that enhance their communication, learning, and overall productivity. By leveraging such tools, both organizations are not only accommodating diverse needs but also unlocking the full potential of their workforce.

For example, employees at CCEP have described Read&Write as transformative in their daily working life, helping them read emails easier, organize thoughts, and build confidence in their writing tasks.