askST Jobs: How to thrive at work when you’re neurodivergent

In this series, manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career. Get more tips by signing up to

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Q: I suspect I’m neurodivergent. Will I be able to succeed in my career?

A: Neurodivergence broadly refers to differences in how one’s brain is wired that can impact information processing, socialising and other key aspects of both work and personal life.

Conditions associated with neurodivergence include autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia.

Take it from this reporter, who was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 27, and his two guests in an especially candid episode of the

Headstart On Record podcast released on Jan 20

– neurodivergence can make it extra hard to translate aspiration into tangible outcomes.

However, Mr Himanshu Chaudhari and Mr Rumi Mohd said these differences can provide a fresh way of thinking, enabling individuals to thrive with the right support.

Mr Chaudhari, a finance professional and board member at awareness group Unlocking ADHD, recalled being diagnosed with the condition in 2018 when he was 36, after spending an entire weekend working overtime on a set of slides that should have taken only two hours.

“I went back (to the office) on a Sunday, and I’m wondering: ‘What am I doing? I have two young kids at home, and I’m spending all these hours, and I still can’t do those two hours’ worth of work’,” he recounted.

Meanwhile, Mr Rumi, associate director for sales and marketing hiring at search firm Randstad Singapore, was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was eight, after a concerned teacher flagged his struggles with coping in class to his parents.

Their advice to people who think they may be neurodivergent is to reach out to support groups or charities dedicated to supporting people with the associated conditions. These groups can provide advice and support on how to navigate the challenges of finding a job, communicating with employers, and making workplace adjustments so that one can do the job well.

They include Unlocking ADHD, the Dyslexia Association of Singapore and the Autism Resource Centre, both guests note.

Aside from that, Mr Chaudhari and Mr Rumi extolled the importance of having structured routines that accommodate the way you learn and work best.

For Mr Chaudhari, this includes waking up at the same time every day, as he feels it primes him for a strong start to the work day, as well as listening to audiobooks instead of reading them, as he finds it easier to pay attention to someone speaking rather than looking at words.

In Mr Rumi’s case, he sometimes works from home to complete all his tasks, especially when they involve extensive reading because he can take extra time to read lengthier documents.

Employers can play a big role in easing processes for neurodivergent people, if they are understanding and truly want to be inclusive.

For instance, when interviewing to join his current firm, Mr Rumi said he scored poorly on a reading component of a cognitive test, but was reassured by the firm’s then human resources director that more emphasis would be placed on his personality and interview performance.

The guests also gave pointers on how to decide whether to disclose your neurodivergence to your employer.

Mr Chaudhari said: “It has to be objectively assessed by each employee when considering opportunities in a new organisation.”

In his case, he proactively disclosed his condition while interviewing to join his current employer, but he acknowledged that this may not work for everyone.

Factors to consider include how progressive an employer is, what the workplace culture is like, and whether disclosing the condition would help with job performance through introducing the subject of accommodations.

Asked how he would position a neurodivergent candidate to a client, Mr Rumi said: “I (would) not include it for the sake of including it, but I think if the candidate... is open to share, then I (would) share.

“I think how I position it is they see things a bit differently. It will definitely benefit the team because if you have someone that see things very creatively or differently, it creates a better team.” 

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