Neurodiversity in the Workforce: Synchrony’s Christine Kica On Why It’s Important To Include Neurodiverse Employees & How To Make Your Workplace More Neuro-Inclusive

Research suggests that up to 15–20% of the U.S. population is neurodivergent. There has been a slow but vitally important rise in companies embracing neurodiversity. How can companies support neurodiversity in the workplace? What are some benefits of including neurodiverse employees? To address these questions, we are talking to successful business leaders who can share stories and insights from their experience about “Neurodiversity in the Workforce”. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Christine Kica.

Christine Kica is a Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing at Synchrony and leads cross functional teams focused on delivering innovative digital products and capabilities for Synchrony’s customers. She also leads Synchrony’s EnAbled+ Diversity Network which is committed to cultivating a workplace environment of universal inclusion without limitation or biases. She is based out of Synchrony’s headquarters in Stamford, CT.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you ended up where you are?

I have been working for Synchrony for more than 20 years in various commercial and marketing leadership positions, including new market and new product development, customer experience management, innovation, and Chief Marketing Officer roles for various business lines.

In my current role, I lead large cross functional teams focused on delivering new and innovative products, features, and capabilities that improve our customer’s experience. I also lead Synchrony’s EnAbled+ Network, which is one of eight Diversity Networks focused on making Synchrony a great place to work and our communities a better place to live by building an accessible, inclusive, and supportive culture that enables everyone to be valued for their abilities and contributions. We currently have more than 3,000 Synchrony employees in the network.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

• Adaptable. Change is constant and inevitable. Leaders must be flexible, open and adapt to the changing environment. The pandemic, for instance, changed the way we work and required us to think differently about how to best support our customers. Nearly overnight, we moved our employees and call centers online, and created new programs and services. To be successful you need to adapt and lead through change and then show resilience when things do not go as planned, learning from the experience.
• Empathetic and Compassionate. Synchrony earned the #20 spot on Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work’s 2023 100 Best Companies to Work For list by building a culture of trust and transparency that enables everyone to thrive. As a leader, I strive to create an environment where the members of my team feel valued, understood, and heard. This is critical especially through changing or uncertain times as it generates stronger collaboration, motivation, and trust among the team. Leading with empathy and compassion drives innovation and stronger employee engagement.
• Passionate. To be passionate, leaders need an intense dedication to a future state and a commitment to finding better ways. For me, that means building better experiences for Synchrony’s partners and customers. This passion translates into behaviors including looking for opportunity in adversity, generating positive energy, anticipating rather than reacting and always learning

Can you share a story about one of your greatest work-related struggles? Can you share what you did to overcome it?

Earlier in my career, I did not understand the value and benefits of participating in employee resource groups (ERGs). I believed that if I dedicated my time and effort to my daily job responsibilities, it would be everything I needed to be successful in my career. I was struggling to build connections with coworkers that I did not work with on a day-to-day basis.

After joining an ERG — or ‘Diversity Network’, I learned that being an active member of the Network was a great way to build relationships with coworkers that I typically would not meet and gain exposure to senior leadership. It provided me with critical leadership experiences beyond my job — which made me more qualified for future opportunities. I also found that being a part of a Diversity Network made me feel that I could be my authentic self at work as it provides a structure that strengthens camaraderie and acceptance.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

As the leader of the EnAbled+ Network, my team and I are working to develop and implement strategies that cultivate an environment of inclusion where employees with disabilities can bring their authentic selves to work every day. We also provide support to empower, inspire, and equip employees with disabilities.

These strategies include a focus on:

• Hiring and Careers: Working with our partner Disability Solutions, Synchrony has a deliberate focus on hiring people with disabilities. We have also developed programs to help our employees build their skills and enable them to reach their career goals.
• Families and Caregivers: Developing and implementing programs aimed at supporting our employees and their mental wellness and caregiving journey.
• Accessibility: Ensuring our employees have access to the assistive technologies to help them be successful in their roles.
• Citizenship: We proudly support national organizations that make a difference for people with disabilities. These organizations include International Dyslexic Association; Organization of Autism Research; PACER Center; and the Special Olympics.

Fantastic. Let’s now shift to our discussion about neurodiversity in the workforce. Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to include neurodiverse employees? Can you share a story with us?

Innovation, creativity, and a unique perspective are just some of the benefits that neurodivergent employees can provide companies. But these qualities can also generate barriers to employment due to traditional screening methods, interview practices, and requirements that dismiss candidates before they have the opportunity to demonstrate their talents.

Synchrony partnered with University of Connecticut’s (UCONN) Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation to change that dynamic and support neuro-inclusive employment policies. This first-of-its-kind training program equips executives, managers, teams, and HR talent professionals with neurodiversity training and tools to support these individuals in the hiring process and in the workforce. The program builds awareness of the strengths and the challenges that neurodivergent individuals encounter and demonstrates that an inclusive culture that provides support and different accommodations can help not just neurodivergent employees, but all employees.

In addition, Synchrony partnered with UCONN and the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, to develop a summer internship program for first and second year autistic college students. This six-week program provides these students with exposure to early career tracks; they attended professional development sessions, as well as obtained support in career exploration. Each student was aligned with a Synchrony mentor who received neurodiversity training.

This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have an inclusive work culture?

Studies show that diverse teams are more creative, productive and perform better. Diversity of thought comes from diverse teams and that’s critical to being a good leader who encourages a range of different perspectives and provides access and opportunity for all. We have made equity, diversity, and inclusion a strategic priority.

In addition to the overall benefits of inclusion, neurodivergent individuals can have unique strengths that neurologically “typical” people may not have, which can be a tremendous asset to employers and teams. Non-traditional thinkers, for instance, are often more creative problem solvers, see different patterns, can be innovative, observant and have keen memories.

In an inclusive culture, employees feel safe and supported, which helps them perform better and contribute perspectives that reflect our customers and communities, which strengthens customer service, innovation and productivity. More than 50 percent of our workforce — over 9,500 employees — belong to one or more of our eight Diversity Networks+.

Can you share a few examples of ideas that were implemented at your workplace to help include neurodiverse employees? Can you share with us how the work culture was affected as a result?

From its beginning, Synchrony’s people-first mindset was deeply focused on supporting its employees’ well-being and mental health. By embracing a diverse, inclusive workforce and normalizing self-care and mental health, employees will be more apt to tell you what they need to do their best work.

Being open to feedback and having an unending desire to understand are just some of the ways we continually foster inclusion. Our people are empowered to be vulnerable and have the courage to lead and weigh-in on tough conversations. We acknowledge how experiences that occur outside of our walls can affect us, so we make space for the varied ways we show up.

We leverage a variety of feedback methods, including surveys, informal conversations, “Ask Us Anything” town halls and engagements with our eight Diversity Networks+ (including the EnAbled+ Network) to help ensure our employees’ voices are heard and to create more equitable experiences for everyone. More than half of our employees participate in our diversity networks, which also provide critical support and resources.

We have also embraced a new way of working by becoming a fully hybrid workforce. Our approach to how and where we work provides flexibility to work from home and includes feedback and coaching conversations, leveraging new digital engagement tools, and an employee listening series to help ensure that we understand and are responsive to the needs of our people.

What are some of the challenges or obstacles to including neurodivergent employees? What needs to be done to address those obstacles?

People with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological differences are referred to as neurodivergent individuals, and they often experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment than the typical population. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimate that 85% of the people on the autism spectrum are unemployed, compared to 4.2% of the overall population.

Once hired, neurodivergent employees can experience difficulties connecting and communicating with their teams and managers, approaching workflow in different ways and other stressors.

Companies can address these obstacles by creating a safe, inclusive, supportive environment such as a disability focused ERG where employees feel they can be their authentic selves at work. And by understanding the different needs of their employees and reinforcing equity from all viewpoints such as the interview / hiring process and ensuring employees have the right technology and ergonomics to be successful in their roles.

How do you and your organization educate yourselves and your teams on the concept of neurodiversity and the needs of neurodivergent employees? Are there any resources, training, or workshops that you have found particularly helpful?

Many workplaces may not have a high level of awareness and understanding about what being “neurodivergent” means, which is why we worked with the University of Connecticut’s Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation to develop training for executives, managers, teams and HR professionals. Other great programs include A Brighter Tommorow and Service Skills’ Neurodiversity at Work Training Series.

This is the main question of our interview. Can you please share five best practices that can make a business place feel more welcoming and inclusive of people who are neurodivergent? If you can, please share a few examples.

1. Reconsider hiring approaches: Unemployment for neurodiverse adults runs as high as 30–40%, three times the rate for people with any disability, and eight times the rate for people without disabilities. To combat this, consider getting rid of timed tests during the interview process, ditching long application forms and think about a new hire as a “culture add” rather than a “culture fit.”
2. Tap into existing education platforms that support employers in their neuro-inclusion journeys: Employers should consider investing in an education/training program. One of our team members, Joshua Clifford, helped create a first-of-its-kind training program with the University of Connecticut’s Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation to equip executives, managers, teams and HR talent professionals with neurodiversity training and tools to support these individuals in the workforce. Other great programs include A Brighter Tommorow and Service Skills’ Neurodiversity at Work Training Series.
3. Make it safe for people to “come out” as neurodivergent: Neurodivergent people may feel uncomfortable bringing their full self to work, especially when it means they may not be able to do their job without assistance (e.g., needing different technology). Employers can combat this fear by supporting a people-first mentality. By embracing a diverse, inclusive workforce and normalizing self-care and mental health, employees will be more apt to tell you what they need to do their best work.
4. Ask for feedback: The best way to know whether your approach to managing neurodiverse employees is working? Ask them! I constantly ask for feedback on the inclusion practices at Synchrony, and how they might be updated to include more support.
5. Tools and Technology: Ensuring that all employees have the proper equipment and technologies to enable them to do their jobs.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant in your own life?

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” — Ralph Braun

At times the problems that we want to solve can seem unsurmountable. But for every inequity we see, we also see everyday people stepping up to do something, to create change, to make a difference. This quote reminds me that even if I am not changing the world, I can always do something to make someone else’s life better in my corner of the world. We all have the power to make a difference; it is all about putting the effort in and giving it a try.

Whether it be mentoring college students, supporting people with disabilities, volunteering at community events, or leading our EnAbled+ Network, it is very important to me to do what I can to positively impact another person’s day — everyday.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

#Universal_Inclusion. A movement that builds a culture where everyone is included and feels that they belong regardless of any differences. This movement would ignite innovation and creativity within our workplaces and communities, helping everyone reach their fullest potential.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Readers can follow me on LinkedIn.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!

About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.

While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.

Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.

Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at eric@pinesfederal.com.