Neurodiversity, Workplace Design and AI: Our Research From 2024 to 2026
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In 2024, Directioneering published Unleashing the Potential of Neurodivergent Employees, arguing that neurodivergent employees represent underused talent and that the barriers they face are structural rather than personal. Two years on, we have returned with fresh evidence on the law, workplace practice and the rise of AI-driven hiring tools. The key findings of both reports are set out below, and each is also available as a PDF.
Key facts from our research
Neuroinclusion rests on three pillars: a strength-based approach that treats traits such as hyperfocus and pattern recognition as documented advantages, inclusive design that benefits all employees rather than only those who disclose, and consistent support through every stage of the employee life cycle, from onboarding to redundancy.
What's changed since 2024
The National Autism Strategy 2025 to 2031 now gives Australian employers a formal, government-backed framework, shifting the conversation from aspiration to expectation. On the legal side, UK employment tribunal judgements referencing neurodivergence rose from 3 in 2016 to 278 in 2023, and Australia's Fair Work Commission received 44,075 lodgements in 2024 to 2025, up 10% on the previous year. Disclosure rates remain low, with only around one in three neurodivergent employees disclosing at work, which is why inclusive design that does not depend on disclosure matters more than ever.
Masking and the risk in AI hiring tools
Masking, sometimes called the masking tax, is the sustained effort of concealing natural responses to fit into neurotypical workplaces, and peer-reviewed research links it to burnout, anxiety and reduced career visibility rather than improved long-term outcomes. A newer and less visible risk has emerged alongside it: AI-enabled CV screening and video interview tools can penalise candidates whose written or spoken communication style differs from the neurotypical norm the system was trained on. Organisations committed to neuroinclusive hiring need to audit any AI screening or assessment tool for this class of bias before deployment.