Our Neuro-Inclusive Workplace Culture

In February this year, Enna Global came to our office to deliver Neurodiversity Training workshops to our team, to further foster our Neuro-Inclusive Workplace Culture. An expert in the field, Steven Musham came to us with inspiring energy and a fresh perspective, helping us learn more about each other and our customers, so that we can offer the best support both within and beyond the workplace.

At ALA Insurance we strive to provide an inclusive and supportive work environment for our team, which has been celebrated nationally over the past years winning awards for our Employee Experience and listed as one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025, reflecting our “share, care, trust” approach that we are known for. We don’t stop there, extending this care to our customers too, receiving gold awards for our Customer Support.

Our innovative and holistic approach to customer experience results in happy, returning customers. Our secret? Happy, long-standing team members who feel supported by their employer and encouraged to be themselves.

Why a Neuro-Inclusive Workplace matters:

• It is estimated that around 20% of the global population (c. 1.6 billion people!) respond to the world in a different way than society expects
• The NHS recognises over 100 types of Neurodiversity
• 65% of professionals in the ADHD community haven’t informed their employers that they are Neurodiverse, and this is even higher at over 90% for professionals in the Autism community
• Not all great minds think alike! At ALA we celebrate differences, and we want to encourage the potential of all the different ways that each of us work
• A workplace that offers personalised support and guidance allows space for all colleagues to thrive
• A workplace that celebrates difference is best placed to support all customers with the best service

Our training with Enna gave us more skills and ideas to build on our pre-existing support, which already included a quiet room to work in, a 30 minute “phones off” buffer at the start and end of each day for our team to take a moment before speaking with customers all day and wind down before going home, very flexible working arrangements, and tools such as Grammarly Pro. We also give everyone the option to fill out a Workplace Needs Assessment where team members can request any extra tools that might help them, such as speech to written programmes or using our supply of coloured paper to ease reading, and we actively welcome any additional support aids in meetings, such as stimming tools and providing a note-taker so our team can focus on the discussion and their development.

Enna gave us some new insight and fantastic tips to build on these, and we want to share some of these to encourage other workplaces to invest in their teams and customers with a neuro-inclusive workplace approach too.

Some tips we learned:

1.  Literal thinking

Some of us think very literally, so think twice before saying “be right back”, or “ASAP”. Take a minute to think about: When will you actually get back to the person waiting on the phone? How soon is as soon as possible – within the next few minutes or after you’ve got all your other tasks for the day or week complete?

We all have different interpretations of what these might mean, so be clear with your intentions so that you provide realistic expectations and help avoid potential misunderstandings.

2. “Professionalism”

What do “professionalism” and “being professional” mean in your workplace?

Businesses define what “professionalism” means, and it can be really tricky particularly for some of us to understand what this really means without a clear guide. So clearly define how professionalism looks to your business and share this with your team from the outset.

Someone sitting in a meeting with their arms crossed might look to you like they are disengaged, but for this person it might mean they are comfortable, at ease and engaged in the environment. So always keep in mind that we work in different ways, and if you have a concept of professionalism for your workplace, take the time to understand how your team works best and make it inclusive.

3. Can you keep your promises?

If you tell a customer that you will call them back, or that you intend to do something for them, then be sure to follow through on those promises. If things change and you’re unable to, then that’s okay, but make sure to let the person know why you weren’t able to.

Some of us can fixate on statements or promises, which can lead to frustration and confusion when things don’t go to plan. So go the extra mile to support your customers by always setting out your reasons and plan clearly, and ensuring as far as possible that you are promising something that can be delivered.

If something happens that was out of your control, you don’t need to go overboard apologising for something that wasn’t your fault, but instead work to resolve the mistake and find a solution. Offering a solution is much more useful than an apology, helping your customer to understand the situation and that there is a plan to resolve the issue.

4. Apply your Neuro-inclusive support to all

Ask all your team members about the ways they work best, for example by sharing a Working Styles Guide with your whole team.

This helps to avoid creating an “us” and “them” approach, and colleagues have the space to share as much as they are comfortable with without feeling singled out. You are then opening the floor to everyone to have the ability to strive in the working environment in ways that work for them, whilst improving the success of your business.

Remember that neurodivergence can be acquired at any point in our lives, so share your Workplace Styles Guide regularly so that you are supporting colleagues throughout their employment.

Apply your neuro-inclusive approach to all customers too. We can’t know if customers identify as neurodivergent, so by applying the same support to all means that all your customers have a supportive base line from you from the offset. 

We didn’t stop there…

We have now also signed up to the British Dyslexia Association’s “Dyslexia-Friendly Workplace Pledge” to further embed our commitment to providing a supportive and inclusive workplace for colleagues and customers with Dyslexia and other Neurodivergences. 

We are committed to continuing to grow as a company and a team to support all of our colleagues and customers as best we can, and we can’t wait for our next training workshop with Enna this summer!