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Autistic-majority IT consultancy auticon welcomes three years of operations in Australia, coinciding with the International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD).
Bodo Mann, auticon Australia and New Zealand managing director, said: “Through the work that we have completed since opening here in Australia, we have experienced the way that neurodiverse teams, when managed and coached correctly, produce far better outcomes for business. When you see this working, you know it’s something that needs to be celebrated.”
Mr Mann continued: “Building a cohesive environment where teams feel confident to challenge the status quo, bring new ideas and strive for better outcomes is the bedrock of innovation. Bringing neurodivergent individuals into these teams who are naturally positioned to think differently brings a whole new dimension to problem solving and should be part of any organisation’s innovation strategy.”
Auticon’s hiring policy creates opportunities for neurodiverse candidates. The organisation employs more than 20 full-time autistic workers across Australia and as of 13 September, had a 70 per cent autistic workforce worldwide.
In a statement, auticon asked “businesses to focus on cognitive ability rather than disability” for IDPwD.
Matthew is an autistic IT consultant at auticon. He discussed the opportunities auticon has provided him: “Going through the job application process after graduating university, I realised that as someone with autism, I faced an uphill battle for jobs within my field and being rejected for those positions.
“Since I’ve started with auticon, it has opened a lot more doors and opportunities that I would not have imagined in the past … It’s been a great experience to have worked with some major companies, and I’m quite appreciative of auticon for giving me that opportunity.”
IDPwD will be on 3 December and is recognised by the United Nations as a day for increasing awareness and showing support for those living with disabilities. Australia has been promoting this initiative since 1996.
Auticon’s neurodiverse hiring policy was discussed by HR Leader in October.
Mr Mann commented: “We designed a very specific recruitment process which is different to what we would experience as part of a neurotypical recruitment process. It’s not the competency-based interviews, it’s much more loose and much more practical and experience based.”
Mr Mann discussed the importance of auticon’s policy: “You have some really smart individuals who are completely under-utilised because of a whole array of challenges they were exposed to, whether it was bullying, being accepted, or being made redundant.”
Mr Mann also joined The HR Leader for a podcast episode to discuss auticon’s support for neurodiverse workers.
In Australia, auticon operates in Sydney and Melbourne, and opened an office in Auckland, New Zealand, in October.
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Disability is a persistent condition that limits an employee's capacity to carry out routine tasks. It refers to anything permanent or likely to be permanent, may be chronic or episodic, is attributable to intellectual, mental, or physical impairment, and is likely to require continuous support services.
Jack Campbell
Jack is the editor at HR Leader.
