Building ‘neuro-confidence’: prepare your workplace for Gen Alpha
Amy Pressland from Benenden Health warned that Generation Alpha will enter the workforce in four years expecting greater flexibility and mental health support. Her research found 49% of teenagers prioritised flexible working, whilst 77% wanted workplace mental health support.
She explained that neurodiversity is also at the heart of Gen Alpha’s expectations for the workplace: while one in seven people are neurodivergent, Benenden’s study found that 70 per cent of Gen Alpha identify with the term. Amy concluded by asking the audience whether they were ‘neuro-confident’.
Dr Nancy Doyle, Founder of Genius Within, emphasised the urgent need for neuroinclusive workplace practices, citing a 600% rise in applications for neurodiversity diagnoses. She advocated for organisations to prioritise building neuroinclusive cultures and developing baseline manager knowledge, rather than waiting for formal diagnoses before taking action to support neurodivergent employees.
Business and government need to tackle the UK skills gap together
We also heard from policymakers and CIPD leaders about the pressing need to address UK skills shortages. Peter Cheese and CIPD President Rt Hon Chloe Smith highlighted how employers and policymakers need to work together more effectively, with businesses being clearer about what skills they actually need. Poor communication between the two sides is making it harder to tackle labour shortages that are affecting up to a third of UK job vacancies.
Alison McGovern MP, the UK’s Minister of State for Employment in the Department of Work and Pensions, spoke about the government's Get Britain Working whitepaper and Youth Guarantee programme, which seeks to tackle the problem of people cycling between low quality work and unemployment.