Embracing Neurodiversity in the Workplace

In support of Atos’ Diversity and Inclusion strategy, the company hosted its first Ambitious about Autism intern, Josh Evans, who completed an eight-week customer insight internship. Ambitious about Autism is a national charity for children and young people with autism, offering autistic individuals aged 18 years and older the chance to showcase their skills and attributes in the workplace.

During his internship, Josh took part in several projects and contributed outside of his day-to-day work. This included delivering a market research report on ‘Engaging younger generations in Pensions’; a market research report on ‘Digital Exclusion’; conducting survey analysis within the Contact Centre IVR; conducting user testing for our customer and gaining market research accreditation. In addition to this, Josh also participated in Market Research Society training and subsequently presented his research findings.

The pilot internship was a success with Josh making his mark in the short time he was with Atos. The opportunity will now be scaled to enable several internships to be held in parallel across Atos.

 

“Inclusivity is very important to me and throughout the whole experience, everyone I met was supportive and eager to help me grow as an individual. It has been such an incredible opportunity and I am so thankful for Atos and everyone I have worked with for making it such an enjoyable experience. I feel more confident, able to be myself and realise that being neurodiverse is a strength, not a barrier.

Josh Evans, Market Research Analyst Intern, Atos

 

“As a manager and mentor, I get a lot from seeing people develop and achieve their potential. What I hadn’t realised was the level of self-development and learning I would gain from the opportunity on a personal level. From the in-depth training myself and teammates received from ‘Ambitious about autism’ to the opportunity to work with Josh and his own bravery in terms of discussing the challenges he faces. We are keen to play a role in promoting neuro-diversity in the workplace ”

Paul McCallin, Head of Customer Insight, Business Transformation Services, Atos

 

“I’m proud that Atos is making strides in supporting the employment of people with neurodiversity. It’s a key part of our work as a disability confident level 3 employer. We can’t wait to welcome our next set of interns later in the year.”

Rachel Edwards, HRBP Equality, Diversity & Inclusion