“Disability does not equate to inability,” said job coach and recruiter Arwyn Swanger.

An estimated 15-20% of people are neurodivergent, a term that refers to the differences in brain function and information processing among individuals. Neurodivergence includes people on the autism spectrum as well as those with ADD or ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, dyslexia, obsessive compulsive disorder or a number of other sensory processing conditions.

With convenience retailers no strangers to labor, recruitment and retainment challenges, tapping into this abundant talent pool of individuals with unique skillsets is a practical solution.

The unemployment rate for neurodiverse adults is between 30% and 40%, according to a CNBC study. A recent Deloitte study finds that as many as 85% of people on the autism spectrum are unemployed.

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), which offers resources to help employers recruit, hire, retain and advance people with disabilities, noted this huge untapped talent market offers companies skills that may include:

• Innovation and creativity
• Technical, design and creative strengths
• New ways to solve problems
• High levels of concentration
• Keen accuracy and ability to detect errors
• Strong recall of information and detailed factual knowledge
• Reliability and persistence
• Ability to excel at work that is routine or repetitive in nature

Swanger, who uses her own experience as neurodivergent to help others, said employers should remember that every neurodiverse person is unique. “No two people are alike. When you meet one neurodivergent person, you’ve met one,” she said.

Another benefit to companies is that the IRS offers tax credits and incentives for hiring disabled workers, including, in some cases, neurodiverse individuals.

REDI for Retail

Walgreens is committed to giving neurodivergent individuals a chance to succeed in the retail industry, said Natalie Pollett, a West-coast based area field disability inclusion specialist for the drugstore chain. “We want them to have the same opportunities.”

The Walgreens Retail Employees with Disabilities Program (REDI) offers three-to-four weeks of training to teach entry-level prospective employees how to stock shelves, unload trucks, run a cash register and other core retail competencies.

The 20 to 25 hours of training is flexible and individualized, with a focus on customer service, Pollett said. “We want folks to get exposure to everything—merchandising, inventory, stocking, helping with the truck, curbside service.”

The cashier position can be especially daunting for prospective hires. “It’s the one people are most nervous about, but you can simplify the process and make it pretty user friendly,” she said. “Their biggest concern is trying to count cash and having a line stack up,” so designating credit card-only lines can help alleviate feelings of stress.

REDI is offered in partnership with job coaching agencies at 8,500 stores nationwide, according to Pollett, who was a job coach before she joined Walgreens. “We rely on the expertise of the job coach agencies that provide services to folks with disabilities.” Having a job coach is the only requirement for the program, she adds. “We don’t collect medical or disability information.”

As prospective employees go through the training program, “We’re looking for core competencies. When a person meets the minimum, we flag them and expedite the process, bypassing the personality test,” she said. “We think of this as a working interview. It’s an alternative way of interviewing for the position that is more demonstrative” of candidates’ true skills.

There’s no guarantee of a job, Pollett noted, but everyone involved is working toward that goal. After neurodivergent individuals are hired, REDI team members—and sometimes job coaches—continue to work with them if store managers, co-workers or family members express concerns.

Tweaking the Process

The usual steps convenience stores use to recruit, onboard, train and retain employees can—with some tweaks—be used with neurodivergent individuals.

Effective recruiting is about widening your net, said Swanger.

Swanger calls on companies to use a wide variety of job boards, Craigslist, community organizations and employment consultants. “Work with job seekers through social media. Search Reddit for different posts. Use keywords customized to your search.”

Before operators advertise for positions, Ludmila N. Praslova, an industrial-organizational psychology professor at Vanguard University of Southern California, recommends carefully cataloguing the various tasks that make up the job in question.

“It could be so many hours of putting things on shelf, so many hours of working the cash register. In the ad, be very specific. Advertise for just what you need, then you will attract the right kind of person. If you have unnecessary job requirements, you will not find people.”

Flexibility is the one feature that will attract the most neurodivergent candidates to a role. “Many people also like paid time off or paid time off that accrues faster. They’re particularly interested in healthcare that aligns with their needs,” Praslova said.

When onboarding and training neurodivergent workers “You need to be flexible. One size fits none,” Praslova emphasized. She urges companies to customize training as much as possible to assist people with different kinds of needs.

Give people who don’t fit the mold an opportunity to show that they can contribute.

Don’t overload new workers and be sure to limit multitasking. “Many people want to do one particular thing at a time. Don’t tell them ‘here are 10 things,’” she said. Be sure to allow all employees to feel comfortable asking questions.

It’s best to have a system that looks at each individual’s strengths and adjusts for what that person can best contribute on the job, Praslova said. “For example, someone might not care for social interaction. Another person likes social interaction but doesn’t like doing records. If you can separate the different parts of the job, why not? Give them jobs that align with who they are.”

If a neurodivergent worker is carefully matched to a job in the first place, chances are they won’t need any type of accommodation, she added.

When accommodations are needed, they frequently cost little to nothing.

“Sometimes someone needs a quieter environment. If someone is sensory sensitive, allow them to wear protective gear. Maybe have a quiet shift. … If someone is using a communications device they may need a little extra time,” she said.

Persons with severe dyslexia or other conditions may benefit from signage that includes pictures or is color-coded. Visual reminders such as flash cards are often helpful. It may help to record someone completing a task to train people who best learn visually.

C-store co-workers may be concerned about working with neurodivergent individuals, Swanger said. “Sometimes people on staff will say: Is this going to mean more work for me? I say: ‘my disabilities are not going to make your job harder.’”

Ultimately, the goal is to give people who don’t fit the mold an opportunity to show that they can contribute. Spread the net to recruit them and customize the training to suit them. “Start with smaller tasks. Find out what a person’s strengths are. Find ways of incorporating their passions into their work.”