We’re proud to announce we have made a seminal move away from operating the standard ‘Equality’ model, to an ‘Equity’ business model.
“Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognises that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.”
Born from a personal connection – our ‘Founding Father’, Richard’s son was diagnosed with Autism last year. Inspired by amazing skill sets neurodiverse individuals have, we have begun a journey to unlock the vast potential talent of engineers, who may have a neurodivergent brain.
Neurodiversity
While still massively unrecognised, in the UK it is estimated that more than 15% of the population are neurodiverse, while in the world of electronics it’s estimated to be more like 30 – 40%. Which makes sense, problem solving, a talent for coding, lateral thinking, logical diagnostics are all qualities often found with individuals who are neurodiverse.
To encourage the best talent, our leadership team have undertaken neurodivergence training and from that, we have moved from an equality model to an equity model.
To ensure every stakeholder has the opportunity to excel at Ignys, either during their day-to-day work, during our interview processes (which neurodivergent minds can often struggle with), or any other encounter, we have implemented several initiatives, including documentation detailing what to expect during our interview process, social stories and social bios of the team, for onboarding for new members to our tribe.
Everyone’s brain is unique but the majority of us have similar brains to others. Our brains affect how we experience the world around us and how we react to it.
Some neurodivergent brains are very literal and like certainty, so we have created documents that detail what to expect when interviewing with us, crystal clear information on what to expect when visiting us, as well as personality profiles of our team, so they can find common ground in personal taste (regarding preferred entertainment, food, culture, exercise etc).
Our equity model means we are willing to make necessary accommodations, to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to excel in their chosen field, demonstrate their talent and have the best possible experience while working for us.
Mental Health First Aiding
As well as our physical first aiders, this year we have also provided mental health first aid training to two additional members of the team. This means any team member who feels the need, can have a chat in complete confidence, and be advised on best next steps to ensure their mental health isn’t allowed to deteriorate.
There’s nothing more important to us than our people, we lead by example and ensure they have everything they need to create spectacular, best in class electronics and software designs, to the benefit of our communities and the planet.