Mike Lamm from RethinkFirst | Building Neuro-Inclusive Cultures That Unlock Potential

Christine: [00:00:00] Welcome back to another episode of the HR Scoop. I’m Christine Muldoon, and I’m your host today for another great discussion. I’m thrilled to welcome our guest, Mike Lamm, Chief People Officer of RethinkFirst. Rethink is a global health technology company providing cloud-based treatment tools, training and clinical support to employers, educators, payers, and behavioral health professionals.

Rethink’s award-winning solutions serve over 1 million employees worldwide. One third of Fortune 100 companies, many of the country’s largest public school districts, and over 96,000 individual behavioral healthcare providers. Mike is a seasoned HR executive and has directed all aspects of HR across multiple industries.

Predominantly with high growth organizations in the technology [00:01:00] space. I guess you could see why we thought he would be a perfect guest for the podcast. Mike, welcome to the HR Scoop.

Mike: Thank you so much for having me, Christine. I’m, I’m so happy to be here and, uh, looking forward to, to the, uh, discussion.

Christine: Me too.

I’m really excited for our conversation today because I think you’re bringing a topic to our listeners that’s both important and probably often overlooked. Now rethink plays a unique role in the world of employee wellbeing with a special focus on neurodiversity. So to start us off, can you explain what neurodiversity means and what inspired rethink to make it a central part of your mission?

Mike: Absolutely. Um, yeah, so, you know, this is a really important community, uh, that we’re serving, and I think oftentimes you hear some of these things get tossed around. Neurodiversity, neurodivergence, behavioral health, all of these things. And, [00:02:00] uh, I appreciate starting with, you know, a definition. Um, I think it was back around 1997, uh, there was a sociologist named Judy Singer.

And, uh, Judy, I believe was the first to coin the term, uh, related to neurodiversity. And it, it really referred to the differences in how people communicated, how they learn, and how they socialize. Uh, just basically due to biological differences in the brain. So, you know, there are diagnoses of A DHD, you know, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and, and many others that are considered natural forms of neurologic, neurological diversity.

Um, and they’re found across all races, cultures, economic conditions, life experiences, you name it. You know, diversity, uh, when it comes to neurodiversity is something that we really focused on, uh, a lot at Rethink. And, uh, you know, RethinkFirst was a company that was founded back [00:03:00] in 2007. So if you remember what I first started with, uh, you know, neurodiversity was a term coined in 1997.

Our, our business really kicked off, uh, you know, in, in 2007. So not too, too far after. Uh, it’s a very clear mission, uh, rethink. First, we wanna provide scalable, evidence-based autism, uh, treatment and training tools and caregivers support to an underserved population. So that’s where we started. Uh, you know, our co-founders really saw that this was an underserved, um, population.

There was an opportunity to use technology to support them and the caregivers to give them the support that they needed. And we launched our first solution back in 2010. So again, we’re talking, you know, 15 years ago to when we’re speaking today, which was a suite of special needs and behavior management offerings, uh, to the K to 12 education industry.

I um, so that’s really where we started. We’ve since expanded into, you know, selling into the employer space. So [00:04:00] workplaces, the corporate environment. We provide, um, practice management tools to behavioral health clinics and even into the payer industry. So we’ve really, um, know from definition in 1997 to Rethink’s launch in 2007.

To where we are today. We’ve really seen our business broaden the support that we provide to the communities that we serve. But we’ve also seen, um, you know, this definition or idea of neurodiversity sort of emerge and flourish with us. Um, and so that’s really how we’ve made it a focal point for us from the beginning.

But also we have evolved as you know, the understanding and and evolution of neurodivergency, uh, just in society. Ha has grown with us.

Christine: I’m, I’m kind of thinking about what you just said because it’s, if you, you, you know, started in, or started with, um, autism and K through, K through 12, and then it sort of has evolved as you think [00:05:00] about the impact that these neuro diverse, divergent, um individuals differences in how they communicate and socialize. Obviously that starts to merge into the workplace. And I mean, maybe I’m making an assumption here, but I think this sort of is similar to mental health in the way that neurodiversity is becoming an increasingly, uh, recognized topic in the workplace.

And so as we look at kind of some of the numbers. I think you had shared with me earlier on that research suggests that up to 20% of the workforce is either neurodiverse or support someone who is. So we’re definitely, I. You know, talking a little bit more about this, um, like the same thing that’s happened with mental health in the workplace.

So knowing that from [00:06:00] your perspective as chief people officer, what do you think that means for HR leaders that might be listening to today? Um, in terms of creating more inclusive and supportive workplaces?

Mike: Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, what a stat, right? You know, 20%, one in five, uh, adults. Are, you know, either identifying as neurodiverse or, or someone who, uh, supports someone who is neurodiverse.

So think about that in, in, in the workplace and, you know, one in every five colleagues that you interact with, uh, not only understands what Neurodiversity is, but is experiencing that, uh, day in and day out. And so, you know, as chief people officer, you think about it in, in many different ways. Um, it’s not, you know, we oftentimes we think about.

Accommodation as a topic. How are you accommodating employees so that you have a welcoming environment? And what we’re seeing now, when you start to see statistics like that, about 20% of the [00:07:00] workforce, um, it’s no longer about accommodating. It’s really about how are we actively investing in unlocking the potential of all of our employees, including, you know, the 20% who may, uh, be identifying or may supporting someone who’s neurodiverse.

So it, it’s interesting, within the Rethink Care platform. We have a few different things that, that are included in there. A lot of it is actually video and so I think it was something like we, we had a little over a million views that we could take a look at and, and see what people are really interested, uh, in viewing and how they can take advantage of some of those things that nearly a quarter of, of our overall views, I think it was a little over 22% of the views within Rethink Care.

Prioritize, uh, the course of the video that was legal, this understanding neuro data. So what is this like when you see that over a million views, people, uh, are very much focused on and they want to understand, [00:08:00] uh, as a business how, not only how we can support them, how we can invest in it, but how do you create a more inclusive environment?

And, you know, maybe something we’ll talk about in a little bit is when I think about, uh, myself as a chief people officer. The role that I can play in this, when we talk about investment and the culture is, you know, we have a a, a people strategy at RethinkFirst that have broken down into four pillars.

It’s about attracting the best talent. Develop developing them while they’re here, uh, retaining them and ensuring that we have an amazing, uh, employee experience and then connection, right? The connection to our important mission that we have, that we’ve already talked about, connection to each other, and so as a, as a leader, it doesn’t even need to be a chief people officer.

When you build a strategy, what I try to think about is inclusive in my mind is how do I build my strategy and be inclusive of the entire community? So when I think about attracting talent, what are the ways that I can attract all types of talent, including neurodiverse? [00:09:00] Uh, when I think about developing and talking about performance, do I have, uh, processes and an environment where everyone can thrive?

Even with some of the, the, uh, sort of, uh, diagnoses that we talked about in the beginning, that. Build this, uh, this ecosystem of what neurodiverse is. Can everyone, even within those, uh, diagnoses thrive at my organization? Same thing with retention and connection. So for me, I think, uh, you know, we can break it down into those specific categories and understand.

What does that look like? What is investment? What does inclusion, and what are the ways that, uh, no matter what seat you’re in, but as a Chief People Officer, you can make sure that you’re just taking advantage of the great talent that, uh, everyone across the board at your organization is able to bring.

Christine: Okay, so your pillars, as you said, was attract the best talent, develop them, obviously retain them, and then. Really connect not only to the mission but each other, which are fantastic. So sort of [00:10:00] building on that, because as I think about it, um, it’s having those pillars is one thing, but then how, like are there certain company policies or you know, sort of how you shape your culture?

For when it comes to things like leadership development, communication norms, or accommodations because you kind of have to make it for everyone, but recognizing that someone that’s neurodiverse, you know, you have to kind of think about how you need to communicate or socialize and, you know, kind of bring those into the culture as well.

Mike: Yeah, absolutely. And, and it’s a great setup because I think that sometimes it’s a little bit easier, Audi. In understanding how to get operational when you break it down into bite-size pieces like that, right? So if I think about hiring, if I think about talent acquisition, talent attraction, you know, when you’re looking at Neurodiverse talent, [00:11:00] uh, you know, some of the research says, and we have it in our state of neurodiversity report that we released earlier this year, but it’s not just our research.

There’s plenty of research out there, um, you know, focusing on things like skills rather than truth. Is an important piece of ensuring that everyone has equal shot at the table. Um, there’s a little bit of a debate around, and even ourselves as candidates for, for roles, sometimes work samples, right? Or, or work assignments or tasks in a talent acquisition process.

You know, sometimes you may see it as, oh, am I really gonna ask someone to do a, a work assignment as a part of this interview process in order to see who the best candidate is? You know, there’s plenty of research that says, especially for neurodiverse individuals, that might be a more accurate representation of how they’re gonna show up on the job than, you know, a behavioral interview.

And if you’re gonna be doing conversational interviewing, uh, make sure it’s structured, make sure it’s [00:12:00] predictable. You know, you want to make sure that, uh, there’s no surprises in the process. You’re very clear with all of your candidates who’s gonna be there. What are their titles? Why are they there?

What’s the, their role in the interview process? So that when anyone is entering into the room, um, you know, it’s very clear what everyone’s role is and, and there’s no sort of, um, surprise that could throw anyone, let alone, you know, a neurodiverse talent, just anyone in general. So we really feel as though it’s important.

You know, we drive home the importance of, you know, those tasks or those work samples. We make sure that we’re really clear throughout the process and on what each stage is and who’s gonna be involved when, and we try to bring as much structure around that process. As we can. Uh, so really keeping it, uh, to a process and, and not be as fluid, uh, as we can.

’cause again, you know, there there’s different ways that people can bring their skills and, and straight to the table, and we just wanna see what it’ll look like on the job. Um, the other side of it too is like when you think [00:13:00] about performance and so, um, you know, you finally have. Attracted great talent to your organization, and they’ve got the ticket to the show, and now we want to make sure that they’re, um, performing well.

And I think, you know, one of the things that we try to tell everyone, especially managers as we’re developing them, is, you know, feedback is the most important piece of performance at the time. And so, especially when you’re working with, uh, neurodiverse talent or autistic employees, a big piece of that is, you know, you need to be direct.

You need to be explicit. So be as direct as you can with your employees as you’re delivering feedback to drive towards the performance that you want to see. Um, you wanna make sure that there’s less, uh, impression management, right? It’s not about sort of trying to figure out what’s the message behind the message, but everything is out on the table and you’re being as direct as possible.

And it should be, you know, again, I talk about this with managers [00:14:00] all the time. You know, observable specific feedback, job related behaviors, disconnected to the actual work that individuals are doing on a regular basis as much as possible. So a lot of those things, as, as I talk through them, you know, we are, the focus of our conversation is about, um, you know, neurodiverse talent.

These are things that managers and companies could or should be doing anyway. And so, right. You know, you, you think about this investment in neurodiverse talent and this investment in neuro inclusion and behavioral health. This is just good business practice, right? So what, what, the way that we try to show it is like, this isn’t extra effort.

This isn’t something that you’re doing on top of what you’re already doing. You’re purely being just mindful that you’re taking on best practices and sharing good feedback and, and making sure there’s no surprises along the way. So. It shows up in each of those pillars and, and that’s how I like to talk about it, is you bring these things to the table and as you evolve the conversation, it’s like, well, [00:15:00] we’re either doing these things already or we can do them better, or we should have been doing them and we need to pick up.

Christine: Okay. That makes a lot of sense. I was gonna say, these seem like just best practices in general. Um, there’s also, I think this misconception that supporting Neurodiverse employees is mainly by focusing on physical accommodations.

Mike: Right.

Christine: But it sounds like there are some other best practices like, uh, differences in how you might.

Structure meeting or different leadership styles that can be just as critical. So can you just talk about some of those, um, elements or give some examples?

Mike: Yeah, I mean, you know, and we talked about this in our, uh, initial conversation too, like this accommodation factor. Um, you know, there are definitely moments in, in supporting neurodiverse in individuals where you [00:16:00] may have physical accommodations that make sense.

Um, given whatever that diagnosis might be. But, you know, oftentimes the things that come up the most, uh, especially when you’re working with, uh, neurodiverse sound autistic talent, it’s working styles, it’s communication styles, having, as we just talked about with feedback, having clear direct communications around what the working norms are, onboarding preferences.

So it, it’s a, it’s a dialogue. The accommodation is. Is ensuring that everything is out on the table and there’s transparency around how everyone can thrive. And so, um, you know, when you are, again, good management, good business practice, you want to try to build trust and confidence with the team, um, that you’re building, uh, as a leader, as a manager, as a CEO, CHRO, whatever it is.

And when you’re having conversations around, you know, asking the question, what, what type of feedback do you prefer? Like, are you, [00:17:00] you know, you have a new person joining the team. If I have feedback to share with you, do you like point in time feedback? Would you rather me take a step back and we talk about it in our next one-on-one.

How do you like to receive and share feedback? It’s like a really important discussion to have to accommodate a neurodiverse, uh, individual’s way of work. Um, what are the things that you enjoy to do at work? Right? Are you. Do you feel as though you’re having a lot of impact and you get the most joy out of working in, in the details, in the data, working in spreadsheets?

Or are you someone where your preference is to brainstorm collectively, cross-functionally? You want to be at the table thinking through different topics and lessen detail. So it’s almost like. A lot of us have been in them as leaders, you know, personality assessments, right? What, what is the way that you like to work?

I’ve been through, um, you know, insights, discovery, where you talk about, I like to either be in the details, I like to [00:18:00] be, show me that you care. That’s how I build energy communication or, um, you know, I want to be included in the decision and that’s really important to me. So, um, what we, or what I’ve seen is most helpful is.

Having those discussions and accommodating the working style and the communication preference of everyone on their team, and again. Maybe it’s a recurring theme, but if you’re doing this already as a manager with the members of your team, these are important conversations to have In general, what you just might find in having neurodiverse uh, employees on your team is maybe their answers are a little bit different than you expected, or maybe you have to, you know, give them feedback in a very specific way versus the rest of your team in order for you to get the result that.

So it’s really about like putting in the effort to ask the questions, to be inclusive, to really meet them where they are, and then you’ll have the same impact and, and output that you were hoping for the rest of the team as well. [00:19:00]

Christine: So, I mean, that’s again, maybe standard leadership practices, right? But how do you, I mean, I, I know you can’t ask someone, right?

Oh, are you neurodivergent? But. You know, how do you know if someone is neurodiverse so that you can support them in the right way? And you know, if I’m a manager of a team, obviously, like what are some of the things that I might, that might be more evident to let me know, or maybe that individual goes and talks with someone in your role first.

And then would you come to me as the manager? Like, how can you show up and be the right leader? For a neurodivergent person in a meaningful way without overstepping, because obviously you can’t ask, you shouldn’t ask.

Mike: Yeah. I mean, it’s a good question, right? I think it’s very much up to the individual as [00:20:00] far as you know, what that conversation is going to look like.

And the reason why I lean so heavily in this conversation and most conversations in, um, sort of. Mentioning that these are just good business practices in general is you may not get that sort of answer that you’re looking for. If you’re suspecting that someone may need a little bits of support and maybe you’ve read a bit on what neurodiversity is and you’re feeling as though, um, an individual is showing signs of that, that may not be a, a conversation that they want to have or, or they’re willing to have in the workplace.

And, and that’s okay. You know, that’s their every right to sort of say, well, that’s. For me personally and, and less so about the professional workplace. So, you know, you may not have that explicit conversation where someone identifies as a part of this neurodiverse community. So if you’re leveraging in your, if you’re leaning into these business practices around communication style, around working style, if you’re investing in the right [00:21:00] areas of, um, talent attraction and development and, and connection, um, you’re gonna be supporting those individuals no matter.

And that’s why we try to stay, try to be as inclusive as you can across all the different working styles, and your team will thrive. Um, if they choose to come to you and, and sort of say, Hey, listen, you know, um, things are going well. I feel like I’m doing a, a good job in, in how I’m delivering in, in the work that’s expected of me, but.

There’s just this little bit of extra something I need, or in case you don’t know, I wanted to share this information with you. You know, just be welcoming of that information. Be thankful that they’re willing to share it and have it be on their terms. So that’s why the dialogue is really question and answer.

How do I support you? What do you enjoy your work doing? What’s the best way for you to receive feedback? So that you can be more successful and that’s the best way to take it moving forward. So, you know, whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate, it, it’s the sense of you may not have that easy sort of [00:22:00] formulaic answer that you’re hoping for as a manager.

And so in order to just make sure you’re being as inclusive as possible and you’re getting the most performance you can outta your teams, those best practices are what’s the most important.

Christine: Okay? So it’s about being as inclusive as possible in. How you manage or support your team members. Um, I think it’s also about building that trust as a manager.

So there is those level or that moment of if anyone was, you know, felt comfortable enough that they could trust you with whatever it is they wanna share, not just around neuro neurodiversity. Uh, so be as inclusive, you know, uh, build that trust, have that open communication with your team. So I think that’s helpful because we know that.

Similar to mental health, it’s like becoming more of, um, a discussion or, uh, a focus within the workplace. And you kind of have to think about everyone’s in a, a different place and it [00:23:00] may not not be that they are ready to share. Right. That information. Okay. I wanna switch gears a little bit and talk about rethink first.

’cause obviously, you know, you focus on and support individuals across the full spectrum from childhood where there might be a diagnosis and then obviously through workforce integration and someone’s coming into the workforce. So tell the audience a little bit about how you support that through your solutions and.

How you see that continuum really driving impact for both employers and employees?

Mike: Yeah, I mean, I, you know, we, we tend to, as, when we think about rethink first and, um, you know, the, the vertical within our business that, uh, we work most with employers and within the corporate environment is our Rethink Care product.

Uh, so that’s, you know, a brand that’s out there. [00:24:00] Um, we really, you know, we, it, it kind of has three prongs, right? We have our, our app that has some of those videos that we talked about earlier and, and where we got some of the statistics around what are, what’s the content that is, uh, really being watched the most or that’s driving the most impact.

Um, you know, there are also, uh, offerings that we have within recent care that provide consultations, uh, to professionals in the workplace and, and parents, right? So, um. You know, one of the things that you have to acknowledge as you are doing this is, you know, there’s obviously exceptional strengths that neurodiverse talent can bring to your organization.

Um, but you know, there’s also unique challenges that you need to navigate and, you know, through those practices that we talked about earlier, you’re able to support them. But, you know, struggling with communication differences or executive functioning challenges. Um, you know, it can impact performance if it’s not addressed.

So [00:25:00] what we want to try to do as, as recent care delivers to employers is, you know, providing training to the organization is really important. Um, like the, the offering that we talked about defining or introduction in neurodiversity. It, it provides the employees an opportunity to understand this community that exists, that’s 20% of, of the workforce.

But also, you know, it helps drive productivity, wellbeing and retention if you’re just understanding what the environment is that, that you’re operating within. And, you know, within Rethink Care, um, the consultations that we provide to professionals in the workplace, it could range from a myriad of different things.

And this is that continuum, right? Could, you know, we’ve seen, uh, neurodiverse support show up in the sense of I’m having a difficult conversation with my manager and I need someone to help me through it. Or I’m a manager and I’m having difficulty with specific individuals on the team in providing feedback that sticks [00:26:00] or, um, ensuring that I’m being sensitive to all of the different experiences that my employees are bringing to the table.

So I think that what we try to do is provide support. Um, sort of like on time support within the app and, and giving people content videos, trainings, courses, even meditations, uh, that they need in order to support their mental health and their wellbeing in the workplace. But then these consultations is where we take it to the next level and giving people through the support of a board certified behavioral analyst, um, which we’ve seen a major uptick in usage and utilization.

People just wanna work through issues with someone who can. Talk through with them, that’s not their manager. But as you know, tactics, research and experience that can guide them behaviorally toward the outcome that they want. And how that extends one step further is, again, going back to that 20% statistic.

You know, a lot of, uh, a lot of employers are employing parents and as we have seen a lot of children. [00:27:00] Are in this, uh, statistic as well. We’re seeing, you know, more and more children be identifying and being diagnosed with some of these diagnoses that we would define within neurodiversity. And so a lot of the times the consultations that the Rethink Care team is doing with employers or or employees at these companies who have signed up for our product is at home, right?

So how do I have a child who has, um, you know, a behavioral issue that I’m trying to work through? Through the Rethink Care offering and the Rethink Care app and product, you can get a consultation with a board certified behavioral analyst paid for by, you know, your employer to work through some of those things.

We’ve seen increasing rates of, of utilization within this area where parents are going to our BCBAs and, and talking through some of the issues that they have. At home with their children and getting the support that they need that they might actually find is a little bit hard to find, uh, locally, like in where they live or, or within practices that are, are local to their [00:28:00] home.

And so what’s really interesting and, and the utilization shows it is when employers are making this type of investment, right? They’re acknowledging the, uh, increased levels of neurodiversity within the workforce. They are giving people the tools that they need to use at their leisure whenever they need to through the content that we have.

But then it’s happening in the workplace and extending outside of the workplace too, where now an employer can say, we wanna support your mental wellbeing. We wanna support your family, but we’re also gonna give you that support outside of the, and so it’s a really unique way of an employer to talk about the culture.

Create at their company by giving parents, caretakers, whoever it might be, who are in difficult situations, who aren’t sure exactly how to navigate it, to get the support through work. Um, which is a, a great place to work, uh, if you can get that sort of offering. So, um, that’s how we see the continuum shifting, is you give the people the content they need for when they [00:29:00] need it, all the way to, we’re actually gonna give you consultative support for issues that are existing outside of the home on our value.

Which is, is really a great evolution.

Christine: It’s a great investment for employers because it, you know, your employees that are, you know, stressing over this at home, it kind of helps them bring their best selves to work because their employers helping them kind of work through the challenges that they’re facing at home.

So, uh, okay. So we probably have, um. Many listeners whose organization, you know, this might be a new consideration for them. They hadn’t really implemented something like this. They haven’t really thought about it. So could you share maybe some examples of, you don’t have to name the companies, but companies that are really getting it right when it comes to neurodiversity support, and maybe if there are any, you know, best practices that stand out that.[00:30:00]

Some of our other listeners, you know, should consider adopting when they think about neurodiversity in their workplace.

Mike: Yeah, I mean, you know, there’s many different ways that you can in invest in this and, and what we’ve seen, and they’re, you know, keeping the company names out of it. They’re companies that you’ve, everyone’s heard of right there.

Some of the top companies, uh, in the world, uh, name brands are making investments and it’s really about, you know, initially it’s participation, right? So. Whether it’s participating in round tables, for example, there’s a neurodiversity at work round table. Um, and that is, uh, I think that was, that started maybe back in the late 2010s, 2017, um, where it brings, uh, employers to the table, uh, that are truly committed to neurodiversity focused hiring initiatives.

Um, and so this is an external round table where. People are coming together similar to the conversation we’re having today and talking about best [00:31:00] practices to make sure that, um, we’re bringing, you know, every, uh, talent that we can to the table, no matter how they identify, and sharing some of those best practices with the each other.

And, and I think that that’s a really important message to send is, you know, people are also looking external in order to get the resources that they need in having those conversations. Um, you know, there’s also this idea of. Building a playbook for managers, right. So, um, from an HR perspective, we’ve really seen a, a, a huge investment in employee resource groups over the last 10 or so years.

Um, and a lot of that exists in, you know, supporting and helping communities thrive within the workplace. And so there’s been an increased rise, uh, in mental health related employee resource groups. These are people who are, um, really passionate about, um, supporting each other and themselves when it comes to their mental [00:32:00] health or when it comes to neurodiversity in general.

And these are generally, you know, a, an employee run group, um, that may get some sort of, uh, company level support or an executive sponsor in some way. And they’re just having really important discussions within the workplace in order to push. Initiatives forward that will enable mental health or neurodiversity initiatives, um, get launched and get off off the ground.

And so best practice with that is, uh, you know, enable them to thrive. Invest the time, invest the resources needed to ensure that employees can have these conversations, uh, and push the culture forward. Towards this. ’cause there’s a lot of companies that share on their career page or on their front sites around, you know, employee resource groups with a, a major uptick in neurodiversity and mental health be one of the key pillars within the employee resource group strategy that companies are, are rolling out.

And the other thing that, that I [00:33:00] would say is like, career development is an important piece of, of. Organizations who are getting it right. So oftentimes, you know, the neurodiverse, uh, community will thrive in like a mentorship, uh, sort of, uh, relationship, right? So if they, uh. If they’re getting the feedback that they need to, if they are, um, going through hiring practices and, and performance practices that are inclusive in nature, but they also have a mentor or someone in the organization who can guide them through all of the complexities that exist in working in the corporate environment.

We’ve seen that as a, a best practice of enabling all talent to thrive. So people who can, uh, who are in further leadership ranks or have been with the organization for a long time. Who can help, um, neurodiverse talent, navigate, you know, the things that aren’t as direct or on the nose like we talked about, and we’ve all seen it, you know, the political landscape that exists within an organization.

Hopefully it’s minimal. [00:34:00] Um, or, you know, understanding the lingo or understanding how to get a decision across the finish line. Sometimes having a mentor and having a mentorship program, uh, launched within your organization that neurodivergent, uh, talent can participate in. Is actually a really helpful resource to navigate the, the not clear elements of what it means to work at your organization.

So I think that, you know, the external, uh, view is really important. Getting best practices from other companies, ensuring that you have mentorship as a key element of your, uh, sort of career development playbook. Um, and then, you know, those great business practices that we talked about, uh, really enable these companies to do well.

Christine: And I would say that if someone is listening in and they’re, you know, wondering if this is something that they, as an organization should invest in, big or small, because it really doesn’t matter the size, you know, similarly, like as you’re investing in wellbeing and trying to decide what [00:35:00] other, um, components you should add to that program.

If there’s nothing wrong with surveying your, your population and finding out, you know, would you be interested in, of course, making the survey anonymous, you know, um, a financial wellness solution, uh, mental health support, menopause support, neurodiversity solution. I mean, these are, you can ask your population because, you know, getting that direct feedback helps you determine what benefits or solutions you need to evolve what, how you’re supporting.

Population. So Mike, let’s think about the vision. Uh, what’s your vision for the state of neurodiversity in the workplace, and what do organizations from your perspective need to do to get ahead of that curve?

Mike: Yeah, I mean, you know, we’ve had a great conversation around, you know, some of the best practices.

I think what we’re finding is that, you know, I. [00:36:00] There’s a correlation that exists, that exists between neurodiversity training, personalized behavioral health support and, and workforce performance. It’s, it’s undeniable, right? And what we’re also finding is that the ticket to entry in order to unlock that performance, even through this, you know, short conversation, it’s not something that is a huge hurdle to get over.

And so, you know, the vision for where we need to take this next is. Companies that provide the right support. They’re experiencing measurable gains in, you know, things related to their employees when it comes to productivity, satisfaction, retention, um, we talked about within the recent care app, right?

There’s working parents that are a huge component of a lot of our organization, especially those that are raising neurodivergent children. Could be 20%, right? We just carry that 20% or that one in five across all the verticals. Um, you know, there’s this increased [00:37:00] engagement with executive functioning content, or they want to have more of those consultations.

Um, it signals this broader impact of neuro affirming practices on, on workplace wellbeing. So what I think the vision is, is, you know, we want to continue to broaden myself, whether it’s with Rethink first or recent care, or just in general as an HR leader. What this has shown me, even in my, my short time with Rethink and learning about the benefits of what all of these companies are in, in interacting with our products.

It’s sort of like, how can we continue to invest? This is a population that exists. It’s a population that brings great impact to an organization. So for me, it’s, it’s one unlock after another. And so if I want to ensure that I have a neuro affirming like wellbeing strategy at my company. I’m gonna connect it to each of the verticals within, you know, those elements that I talked about within my people strategy, so that I’m bringing everyone to the table.

[00:38:00] And as we continue to see, we’ve seen it since 2007. Broaden from, you know, supporting scalable evidence-based solutions for autism to now addressing so many different elements of both the industry, the marketplace, and the community that we’re supporting. I think the vision is, let’s keep going, right?

What are the other areas, um, within. The entire life cycle of an individual within a neurodivergent community. We’re already supporting them through their education at Rethinks. First, we’re supporting them as they’re getting clinical support through behavioral health solutions. We’re supporting them in the workplace as with our Rethink Care, uh, solution.

But there’s more that we can do. And so our vision is what are the untapped opportunities that we can continue to invest in while taking the experience and the knowledge that we have? Because as we continue to dig in, we’re just unlocking not only, you know, uh, impact and value for, uh, the customers and the industries that we’re supporting, what we’re supporting, and, and giving the [00:39:00] Neurodiverse community, um, different chances and different opportunities that perhaps they wouldn’t have had before 2007.

That’s so close to our hearts and the mission that we have at this organization. So we just want to keep going and, and see what other untapped opportunities we can unlock and, and bring as many people as we can, uh, empowerment to thrive.

Christine: So you heard it from the people guy. Make this part of your people strategy.

And so Mike, I have one more question for you that actually I ask all of our guests on the HR scoop. So that question is, can you share, share with our listeners what you do to support your own personal wellbeing?

Mike: Absolutely. Yeah. So, um, I have a 4-year-old daughter named Shea. Um, there’s nothing and I’m, I’m here in our New York offices, uh, today.

Um, I’m looking forward to [00:40:00] maybe not the commute home or the train ride home. When I walk through that door, um, you know, it’s starting to get warm here on the East coast now, and we’re starting to build a routine and a ritual that, um, I take a little 15 minute walk, uh, with my daughter as soon as I walk through the door to just sort of unwind decomp.

She’s very good at letting me, or enabling me to forget everything that I talked about throughout the entire day and just focus on her. So that’s my, that’s my unlock opportunity. I walk through the door, maybe take off the sweater, whatever it is, and, and just go for a 15 minute walk and hear how her day was.

And, and that is a huge moment for me, not only to connect with her, but to also remember what’s most important. And, uh, that really helps me with my mental health every day.

Christine: That’s probably one of the best responses I’ve had to that question, you can leverage your commute to decompress Yes. So that you are fully present and enjoying that moment.

There you go. And, and take it from me whose kids [00:41:00] are. A lot older than your daughter and, um, the time flies. So definitely make connecting with your, your kids part of your wellbeing strategy.

Mike: A hundred percent.

Christine: Well, thank you, Mike. This has been such an insightful conversation. I personally have learned a lot, um, not just about neurodiversity, but why, um, it’s something every organization should really be actively investing in.

And I hope today’s discussion inspires our listeners to make meaningful steps in their own organizations and reflect on how they can help build more inclusive, supporter supportive cultures. So thank you, Mike. I appreciate you joining.

Mike: Thank you, Christine. I appreciate you having me. It was great.

“It’s not about accommodating—it’s about investing to unlock everyone’s potential.“ 

This conversation covers: 

• • What neurodiversity means (origin, scope) and why ~20% of today’s workforce is directly affected 
  • Concrete hiring tactics: skills-based assessments, predictable interview steps, clear expectations 
  • Manager playbooks: direct, observable feedback; aligning communication and work 
  • A forward vision: connecting neurodiversity training + personalized support to measurable business outcomes