CASE STUDY
Neurodiversity - Courage to do things differently, Sue Falch-Lovesey, Vattenfall
Vattenfall Diversity and Inclusion Strategy focuses on embedding D&I by living our principles and broadening thinking; going beyond gender and ethnicity to drive ALL dimensions including differently-able and neurodiverse characteristics. One initiative focuses on supporting colleagues on the autistic spectrum and their managers.
By having the courage to widen the conventional hiring process to actively recruit neurodiverse talent, Vattenfall has benefitted from the great qualities and unique analytical and logical skills that these colleagues bring. These strengths not only bring us nearer our D&I Strategy vision, but enhance the delivery of our portfolio and contribute to a competitive edge.
Vattenfall’s Head of IT Common Transformation Service, Pierre Pönisch, remarks; “There are many individuals with Asperger’s who are unemployed, despite having skills that are extremely valuable for companies.”
The traditional recruitment and interview process makes it difficult to identify the talent that enables neurodiverse people to excel in specialist roles.
“This means we miss out on a great resource, it is a real opportunity loss,” Pönisch says.
A collaboration like this makes perfect business sense and when both manager and employee/consultant understand each other, the expectations and how to contribute, everyone benefits – the individual, the team, and the business.
* UNICUS www.unicus.com (and in the UK - AUTICON https://auticon.com ), support Vattenfall to achieve a more neuro diverse workforce