• Set clear expectations for the new employee in their role.
• Create opportunities for questions, clarifications and ongoing management of expectations.
• Support social connections.
• Support executive functions such as time management.

Remember to:

• Send an email in advance of their first day with instructions, including dates, times, locations and contact information (example follows the list).
• Share key documents i.e. forms, organizational charts, policies, etc. and schedule a time to review and to answer any questions.
• Connect information with the vision, mission and values of your organization in concrete ways to help your employee to understand the value of their contribution aligned with your organization’s work.
• Provide a schedule of the first day, week, month with introductory and orientation meetings, training and other activities.
• Highlight available benefits, including health benefits and other resources and supports.
• Assign a ‘buddy’ to support orientation to the unwritten ‘rules’ at your workplace, such as dress code and breaks, and to help facilitate introductions to co-workers.
• Distribute a workplace glossary of acronyms and commonly used industry terms.
• Provide background and context when sharing new information.
• Communicate processes for decision-making to provide clarity and reduce uncertainty.
• Expect many questions and do not infer questions as suggestions of deficiencies.
• Check in regularly with your new employee and schedule 1:1s – ongoing feedback and support in the early days is important.
• Create a workplan during the onboarding process. Workplans are beneficial because they tie individual employee goals and objectives to organizational strategy and vision.
• Be transparent about the probationary period and how performance will be measured and evaluated during this time.
• Make workplace accommodation requests a clear part of your onboarding processes for all – not just by exception. Provide clearly developed and articulated processes to ask for accommodations help employees to advocate for what they need to be successful on the job. These are best practices that will benefit all employees, but they are especially important for neurodivergent employees, as they reduce uncertainty and empower them to address specific needs proactively.

• Access to a quiet workspace that’s free of visual and auditory distractions.
• Adjustments that enable management of sensory differences (e.g., noise canceling headphones; sunglasses).
• Ability to control temperature, fans, and ventilation for their immediate workspace.
• Access to focus tools (i.e., fidget devices).
• Ability to get up and move when needed.
• LED lighting or lighting that doesn’t hum and flicker.
• Flexible working hours.
• Flexible working location (e.g., hybrid work).
• Support with task prioritization.
• Support to breakdown work into smaller tasks.
• Clear, concise, written instructions when assigning work (e.g., two-pages in length).
• Scent-free environment.
• Access to weighted blankets, vests or lap pads.
• Access to different chair and seating options.
• Visual aids (i.e., flow chart) to support text.