Designing better mental healthcare facilities

News

How remote working can benefit the neurodivergent

How remote working can benefit the neurodivergent

A 25-year-old autistic woman has shared how remote working has helped maintain her busy career, explaining that by working this way she is able to control factors such as all her sensory inputs in a way that is not possible in the office.

Bronwyn Francis, diagnosed as autistic at 25, says remote working has helped her maintain a full-time job as a ‘People Advisor’ for the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), after the organisation’s involvement in a Coventry University research study that revealed how remote working can be a positive intervention for people with a disability and/or neurodivergent.  Bronwyn is involved in the Remote4All project, launched by Dr Christine Grant, a researcher in the University’s Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities, ‘in a bid to fill a gap in understanding the impact of remote working on disabled and/or neurodivergent people’. The research explored the lived experiences of working remotely, and found the advantages and disadvantages can depend on an individual’s needs and specific disability and/or neurodivergence.

Bronwyn Francis said: “For me, remote work has been vital in ensuring I can work full time in a busy career. Through remote working I can control things like all my sensory inputs in a way not possible in the office – for example I can wear comfortable clothes, and adjust noise and light levels. Remote working also cuts out that overstimulating commute, and gives me the privacy to decompress privately if get overwhelmed.

“Having a supportive manager who listens to my suggestions, and asks what I need, makes this all possible too. The most important thing employers can do to level the playing field at work is to listen to their employees and ask them what they need. By taking the time to talk and experiment, employers can really change how someone can contribute, and make them feel welcome.”

The Office for National Statistics published data in 2021 in which it estimated that only 29% of autistic adults are employed in the UK. Coventry University’s Dr Grant said: “This project found both enablers and barriers to working remotely for this community of remote workers, but overall remote working was found to be a very positive intervention for many. It has become clear through the pandemic that virtual means to interact can really help this community of workers – by helping them manage their communication preferences more easily, and for some to manage their sensory needs better.

“These findings revealed that line manager support is vital to ensuring a well-supported remote working experience, not making assumptions, and working with people to find accommodations that work.”

Dr Grant worked with a number of organisations on Remote4All, including Vodafone. NHS Employers was also involved in the stakeholder advisory group part of the project.

Carl Clarke, director, Vodafone Learning Organisation, said: "The Remote4All research reconfirms the central role leaders have in fostering an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and shine. At Vodafone, we know it starts with our leaders. That’s why we offer leadership training and support on inclusion and allyship, equipping them with the tools to listen, connect, and celebrate each person’s unique strengths.”

Dr Deborah Leveroy, head of consultancy and research at neurobox, collaborators on the Remote4All project, said: “Everyone is different; it’s not a one size fits all, and that’s why the Remote4All project is so important for helping employers and industry understand the nuances of this area.”

As part of the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit), this work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

Pictured left to right, are: Bronwyn Francis, Dr Christine Grant, and Dr Deborah Leveroy.

Features

AGM attendees hear of ‘evolutionary journey’

A well-attended online Design in Mental Health Network 2023 AGM in November saw the Network’s Workstreams report on a busy year

Trust’s proven success with media solution

A collaboration between Lincoln Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dutch company, Recornect, has resulted in a new, accessible media and communication solution for seclusion, de-escalation, and other rooms within the Trust’s medium-security units

How ‘Bedroom Evolved’ pushed the boundaries

Louis Sullivan, Principal architect at leading healthcare construction specialist, Darwin Group, explains how the firm’s ‘Bedroom Evolved’ has, as it puts it, ‘set a new bar for mental health accommodation standards’.

The postive impact of building-integrated art

Drawing on Scandinavian mental healthcare projects, Arkitema’s Stence Guldager argues that early selection and involvement of the artist, and giving the artist the maximum creative freedom, are key to ensuring that art installations have the optimal impact.

Products

LATEST ISSUE

February 2024

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR
Tel: 01892 779999
www.step-communications.com
© 2024 Step Communications Ltd. Registered in England. Registration Number 3893025