COVID-19 related factors affecting the experiences of neurodivergent persons in the workplace: a rapid review
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic offer possibilities to advance social justice. One such prospect is to make workplaces more inclusive of neurodivergence. OBJECTIVE: This research addresses the question of, in what ways might COVID-19 affect the experiences of neurodivergent persons in the workplace? METHODS: Conducting a rapid review, the author has applied thematic analysis to a total of 50 documents comprised of journal articles, news articles, and guides as retrieved from purposive searches of ProQuest Central, ProQuest Newsstream International, Google Scholar, and Google databases. RESULTS: Research results have revealed themes of challenges and opportunities, and sub-themes of accommodating (i.e., remote working, employee recruitment, retainment or advancement and/or access); and diversity and inclusion (i.e., acceptance, empathy and/or ERGs). CONCLUSION: This study has informed a baseline COVID-19-related guide to accommodating and including neurodivergence in the workplace. The review concludes by offering possibilities as to what a COVID-19 inspired 'new normal' might mean for supporting neurodivergent staff (and prospective staff).
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One rapid review focussed mostly on news articles rather than research studies.
“One rapid review focussed mostly on news articles rather than research studies [22].”
From Homeworking experiences of neuro-divergent workers: systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as [22]
Two previous reviews explored the impact of COVID-19 and the associated change in working practices for neuro-divergent workers but found little relevant primary data.
“Two previous reviews explored the impact of COVID-19 and the associated change in working practices for neuro-divergent workers [22,23] but found little relevant primary data.”
From Homeworking experiences of neuro-divergent workers: systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as [22]
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- Authors
- Mellifont, D.
- Affiliations
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Mellifont, Damian
- ORCID
- Mellifont, Damian
- Venue
- Work
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2022-01-15
- Volume
- 71
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 3-12
- ISSN
- 1051-9815 (ISSN-L)
- 1875-9270
- OpenAlex
- W4200342190
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 3.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Work (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- The Sydney eScholarship Repository (The University of Sydney) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Rights and Representation
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Keywords
- neurodivergence, COVID-19 pandemic, workplace inclusion, workplace accommodations, remote work, personnel selection, employee retention, employee career advancement, employee resource groups, workplace diversity and inclusion, social justice, new normal
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Humans, Prospective Studies, Workplace, Pandemics
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