Neurodivergent people make up approximately 15-20% of the world’s population. While many still view this community with a deficit lens, at Omnidian we share in the neurodiversity movement’s outlook that this community brings their own set of strengths. Embracing these differences isn’t just a matter of inclusion, but also innovation.

Inclusion and Innovation

According to Deloitte, teams with neurodivergent professionals in some roles can be 30% more productive than those without them. In fact, when these professionals receive mentorship, their companies reportedly see an average 18% increase in productivity and 12% average increase in customer loyalty. 

At Omnidian, we believe that diversity and inclusion isn’t at odds with innovation and growth, it can actually help drive it. We’ve seen this first hand, where our steadfast commitment to creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive company has not only helped fuel our incredible growth over the last 9 years, but has just recently helped us be named as one of “America’s Most Innovative Companies” by Fortune. 

In fact, we ranked #2 for innovation culture and #10 for innovation processes, above heavyweights like Alphabet, Microsoft, and Salesforce!

Founding a Neurodivergent Haven

At Omnidian, the employee-led affinity group called Neurospicy-R-Us is leading the charge in creating an inclusive environment where neurodivergent employees can thrive and help bolster our company’s innovation.

Neurospicy-R-Us was formed in April 2024 by and for neurodivergent employees at Omnidian, of which 14% identify as neurodivergent. The name “Neurospicy-R-Us” was proposed by member Lynn Coughlin-Streeting, because “neurodivergent” can sometimes sound too clinical and negative, “like being different is a flaw rather than a cool twist in our wiring.”

“‘Spicy’ also brings to mind variety, vibrancy, boldness, and dynamicness all at the same time. That is empowering to me,” Lynn says. “It reframes ‘different.’ Yes, we know we’re different; we’re reminded of it all the time. But we’re not just different – we bring the spice into the lives of those who love us.”

Neurospicy-R-Us operates through two channels: an open forum that anyone can join, and a private space exclusively for neurodivergent individuals or those exploring their neurodiversity.

Tyler Brown, one of the group’s founding members, says, “This allows us to support each other directly, educate other folks about what it means to be neurodivergent, and drive up positive outcomes for the neurospicy folks at Omnidian.” The private group serves a crucial purpose, providing a safe space for those who may not yet be comfortable publicly identifying as neurodivergent but still want to benefit from community support.

Building Community and Sharing Strategies

The group maintains a deliberately informal atmosphere, with room for more structured meetings when specific topics require focused collaboration. This approach has fostered a supportive environment where members can be themselves without masking, the exhausting practice of hiding neurodivergent traits to appear more neurotypical.

“Having a safe space to ‘unmask’ amongst other neurodivergent folks in a supportive environment is very much needed,” says Holden Better, another founding group member. “Let’s be real – sometimes just hanging out in meetings and infodumping at each other is an essential part of neurodivergent socializing!”

One successful initiative was a weekly practice where members shared personal achievements, regardless of size. These could range from completing a challenging work project to making a phone call or tackling a household chore — all celebrated equally by the group.

Members also discuss and share productivity strategies specific to neurodivergent minds. For example, “body doubling,” where people work on challenging tasks alongside others doing similar work, has proven effective in helping members maintain focus.

Inclusive Interviews at Omnidian

As a recruiter myself, I was excited to reach out and partner with Holden and Tyler last August to review and revamp the interview process to be more neurodivergent-friendly. 

Historically, neurodivergent candidates can be overlooked or screened out in traditional interview processes despite their potential to become amazing and innovative employees. By removing those barriers, we can ensure it doesn’t exclude this pool of talent.

Members of Neurospicy-R-Us helped identify challenges that they have faced during traditional interviews and proposed solutions, including:

• Keeping interview questions clear and direct
• Providing candidates with the interview format ahead of time
• Encouraging candidates to take their time without penalizing candidates for pauses or for looking at their notes
• Continuing Omnidian’s existing philosophy of not rating a candidate based on the amount of eye contact they give
• Providing candidates the option for additional accommodations, such as receiving questions in advance, having 50% extra time, taking the interview in low light, and others

We typed these ideas up and within a few weeks started including a link to our “Inclusive Interviews at Omnidian” page whenever we invited candidates to their first interview.

The Impact on Candidates

I knew this was the right thing to do, but I was unprepared for the positive outpour we’d start receiving from candidates and employees.

“When you sent me the info about our meeting today, I literally cried,” explained Randi Arredondo, one of our newest employees, during her interview. “I am neurodivergent, I’m autistic. I do great things in my career, but one of my biggest challenges has been fitting in. That’s why I do a lot of my work alone.”

“Offering low tone, low light for interviews, I’ve never experienced that in my whole life. It’s okay to be you – that really hit me. This company is a unicorn.” Randi was hired to become one of our newest Technical Solar Experts at Omnidian.

Holden, who was instrumental in revamping our interview process, says, “The ability to have such a tangible effect on a very important process — one that every single one of us has gone through at least once — and to have the opportunity to suggest things that many companies would never dream of considering, have them implemented, and then hear feedback on what a success they’ve been, has probably been one of the highlights of my time at Omnidian.”

Looking Forward

As Omnidian grows, so too does Neurospicy-R-Us. The group aims to welcome new neurodivergent employees and continue advocating for company-wide improvements. Future goals include creating more neurodivergent-friendly in-person gatherings and reviewing other company processes through a neurodiversity lens.

“Neurodivergent folks have so many unique strengths that come along with our neurodivergence — we’re especially great when we find our niche,” explains Holden. “When we eliminate obstacles within our workdays that are created by an environment that caters to a neurotypical brain, our strengths start shining through, which benefits not only us neurodivergent folk but also the entire company.”

At its core, Neurospicy-R-Us embodies a simple but powerful philosophy: when employees can bring their whole selves to work without barriers, everyone thrives. Through community support, education, and advocacy, this affinity group is helping to make Omnidian a model workplace for neurodivergent professionals in the solar industry, and I couldn’t be prouder.

Editor’s Note: All employees named in this article gave their permission to be quoted and named, and were eager to have their stories told.