Bridging the Gap: The Relationship Between Flexible Work Arrangements, the Workforce Participation and Work Hours Satisfaction of Neurodivergent Employees.
Summary
Neurodivergent individuals experience high unemployment rates. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, new employment possibilities have been created through flexible work arrangements (FWAs). This quantitative study employed a survey to examine to what extent the availability, coverage, and usage of FWAs relate to two indicators of the employment experience of neurodivergent employees with ADHD and/or ASD: workforce participation and work hours satisfaction. FWAs were examined across four domains: time, location, workload and work continuity.
The study found that not all aspects and domains of FWAs have a positive effect on the workforce participation and work hours satisfaction of neurodivergent employees. The results indicate that the direction and strength of the relationship between the availability, coverage, and usage of FWAs and the two employment indicators are not identical. Furthermore, differences in individual diagnoses can lead to variations in these relations among subgroups. These findings have important implications for stakeholders related to the employment experience of neurodivergent individuals, such as employers, policy makers and neurodivergent individuals themselves.