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Fortune
The rise of the neurodivergent-friendly office—How a once-niche workplace idea is catching on in corporate America
Emma Burleigh
Updated Fri, December 13, 2024 at 7:54 AM PST
7 min read
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
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An office in downtown Manhattan looks like an average workplace at first glance, but there are some key differences.
The overhead lights are softer. There are several designated quiet rooms. And some spaces are warmer, while others are cooler. The headquarters of Understood, a nonprofit that provides resources to people and families who are neurodivergent.
It's just one of many spaces popping up all around corporate America specifically designed with these employees in mind, workplace and design experts tell Fortune. And although this particular space may be more robust than other examples, an increased awareness about neurodivergent employees, along with widespread employer interest in new ways to boost employee retention, has led to a careful rethink among employers about office space.
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"People are really aware of neurodiversity right now, and there's a lot more literature and information about this," Florencia Kratsman, interior practice leader at FXCollaborative, a U.S. architecture firm, tells Fortune. "Companies want to stay on top of that to attract their employees and make sure they are coming back."
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There have always been neurodivergent people, but better education about how differences manifest and who it applies to has given rise to an increase in diagnoses over the past few years.
Neurodivergent employees often have different kinds of cognitive and motor abilities that impact the way they process information and their surroundings. The umbrella term includes things like ADHD, OCD, autism, and dyslexia. Back in 2000, one in 150 children were on the autism spectrum; by 2020, about one in 36 were diagnosed, according to a report from the U.S. Center for Disease Control. Around 15% to 20% of the U.S. population identifies as neurodivergent, according to a 2020 study.
cutting down on the potential for sensory overload—when one's sight, hearing, smell, touch, or taste becomes overstimulated..."