How does OpenBlend help you to communicate better as a neurodivergent employee?
“[OpenBlend] supports broad conversations that touch on a wide range of influences and factors. For me personally, it provides a safe space to talk about my individual needs and, because my diagnosis is fairly recent, I’ve even used it as a tool for internal reflection. Most importantly, it helps me to articulate how I’m feeling and get the right support from my manager.”
What do you like most about the platform?
“It creates an opportunity for regular two-way conversation and that’s so important. Alongside having a manager who is very patient and understanding, I genuinely believe this is how we solve things and make things work better. Everything gets a lot better when people understand you, and you understand them."
“The prompts and step-by-step guidance within OpenBlend are also especially useful to me as someone who finds it hard to express how I’m feeling. The platform guides me through that process, which means that, ultimately, my manager has the insights they need to support me.”
The managers view: Jason's story
"It's led by the employee and so it gave them a voice to let me know when they were feeling good, bad, motivated, or demotivated. It's a great tool in that regard and it's something I wish I'd had a lot earlier in my career." Jason Cunningham, Principal UI Artist, nDreams
Jason - thanks for talking to us. Can you tell us
about your role at nDreams?
"I’m a Principal UI Artist so I deal with all things graphic design and until some recent changes to my role, I was managing a team of 13 people, which I’ve always enjoyed doing.”
You’ve also managed several neurodivergent
employees…what has that taught you?
"I have dyslexia so I’m neurodivergent myself which helps me to identify with, and better understand, other people who have neurodiverse conditions. The key thing is to keep talking and learning. The workplace
is full of neurodivergent people, especially in tech, and that’s a great thing. We have a lot to offer so it’s all about breaking down the stigma and getting to know what each
individual needs in order to reach their potential.”
How long have you been using OpenBlend, and
how did the platform help you to manage a neurodiverse team?
“I started using the platform when I joined nDreams a year ago and saw it as a great tool for the people I was managing at the time. The Motivators are great because I could see how a specific person was feeling and take the right action based on that information. More often than not, that was simply offering support and talking through the issue.
“One of the things I like most about OpenBlend is that employees don’t need to complete all the information fields…they can just fill in the things that are most important to them, and for neurodivergent employees, that has the added benefit of reducing cognitive overload.”
What was the biggest benefit to you as a manager?
“By far the biggest benefit was being able to understand my team better [...] getting to know each person; what they liked; what they wanted to learn; what interested them; their individual strengths - and having a dedicated place to capture all of that information.”
To learn more about OpenBlend and how we can help your employees, both neurodivergent and neurotypical, get in touch with our team today.
