University lecturer launched the Autism Employment Playbook last year
A leading New Zealand academic is focusing on how workplaces across the country can break down barriers to empower neurodivergent people.
“We analysed data from interviews – and it began clear that autistic job seekers were taking a much different journey to your ‘average’ person,” Dr Dana Ott, lecturer of international management at the University of Otago, told HRD.
“We wanted to understand if there were specific barriers or potentially enablers to autistic individuals gaining meaningful, long-term employment… staying with an organization over time instead of constantly needing to look for new jobs.”
Ott, alongside Miriam Moeller and Emily Russo from the University of Queensland in Australia, launched the Autism Employment Playbook (AEP) in 2024 to help redress “reductive, deficit-based thinking on neurodiversity that informs the popular imagination.”
She spent more than a year to create a real-world-ready practical resource that signposts the path towards meaningful and sustained employment – something Ott outlined as a current missed opportunity in many workplaces.
“The playbook was designed as a tool to assist autistic job seekers, disability employment services providers, and employers to better understand and improve the employment journey,” she said.
Importance of neurodivergent DEI initiatives
For HR leaders, Ott emphasised the importance of initiatives in the workplace beyond simply ensuring compliance.
With autism and neurodivergence being so broad – a one-size-fits-all system simply doesn’t work.
“It’s really a tool for job seekers, disability employment services providers, and employers so that they can gain a better understanding of each other’s experiences and how they can engage with each other more effectively,” Ott said.
“We can put a bit more intention into gaining a greater understanding and improving the experiences that autistic job seekers might have when they’re interacting with organizations.”
Beyond this, Ott outlined that HR leaders and talent acquisition teams are able to gain clear and actionable benefits to greater support to autistic individuals – but can be used for a wider range of workers.
“When organizations invest in making adjustments for neurodivergent employees—such as offering greater role clarity, reducing ambiguity, and providing tailored onboarding—it often leads to improvements that benefit the entire workforce.”
“It’s not enough to just open the door and get people employed within organizations. Recruitment, onboarding, role design, performance management, development, and leadership opportunities all need to be accessible, clear, and adaptable," she added.
Strategic implementation of DEI initiatives
Initiatives with an intentional focus at different stages of the employment life cycle, Ott argued, show that benefits can go beyond inclusion – but also can lead to improved recruitment, attraction and development.
“If you increase everybody’s experience within the organization, they’re going to have a better work environment, more opportunity to be productive, and a greater chance to achieve their potential. That’s what really makes inclusive practices strategic.”
“When businesses embrace neurodivergent talent, particularly autistic individuals, they’re better positioned to gain access to diverse perspectives that drive innovation, enhance problem-solving, and increase resilience.”
The AEP can help organizations not only attract autistic employees but also create systems and cultures needed to ensure those individuals reach their potential—turning inclusion into a competitive advantage.
“I hope the playbook prompts broader reflection on the small changes that can make organizations truly more inclusive—and ultimately improve the employment prospects and experiences of neurodivergent people, including autistic individuals,” Ott concluded.
