Neurodiversity at Work: Strategies for Safety and Success with Ben Walkenhorst - Pt 2
Creating Psychologically Safe Workplaces for Neurodivergent Teams | Dear Dyslexic Podcast This Dear Dyslexic podcast episode introduces the show’s focus on lived experiences of dyslexia and other neurodivergent conditions, then explores strategies for supporting neurodiverse people at work through psychologically safe environments. Ben discusses leadership practices grounded in understanding individual and team needs using tools like Myers-Briggs, Clifton Strengths, and emotional intelligence testing, and defines psychological safety as being able to speak up without judgment or retaliation. They outline three key factors: great leadership, job design and demands, and environmental factors, sharing examples such as setting non-judgmental meeting norms, creating online social check-ins during COVID, and redesigning a council appeals process from 23 manual processes to 11 automated systems through inclusive, iterative feedback. Ben also covers workplace adjustments like managing sensory triggers, role clarity, confidential one-on-ones, performance expectations, and building extra time and AI support for proofreading and deadlines. 00:00 Welcome to Dear Dyslexic 00:34 Self Awareness Strategies 03:14 Leadership Builds Safety 04:32 Remote Team Culture 06:25 What Psychological Safety Means 07:34 Job Design and Demand 09:50 Inclusive Process Redesign 14:21 Environmental Factors at Work 18:21 Role Clarity and Supports 23:05 Reasonable Adjustments and KPIs 27:31 Personal Dyslexia Workarounds 29:11 Wrap Up and Resources