Op-Ed: A Good Business Strategy

A wonderful oped from Crain's New York Business from a great parent and business partner. We need more folks like Ellen Zimiles.

As the parent of a son on the autism spectrum, I think it's time more employers realized the vital role that our nation's special-needs population can play in the workforce. When I was in a position to make hiring decisions for my own firm, now part of Navigant, I decided to "walk the walk" and set a good example for other employers to follow by offering career opportunities to persons with developmental disabilities.

While this clearly is a deeply personal matter for me, I also strongly believe it is the right decision from a business perspective. It has proved to be a powerful way to build a culture of respect for all employees. I find that employees value a company that is accepting of people's differences and able to understand where employees' skill sets best fit within the business' needs.

Matching Keen Eye for Detail and Routine to Jobs in Technology Sector

As our International Conference nears (May 4-7 in NYC), it makes us proud to see former keynote speakers have such an impact. Thorkil Sonne of Specialisterne is just one example.

Although he enjoyed his first job in software development when he left university in the late 1970s, Thomas Madar found difficulty in fitting in. Like many people on the autistic spectrum, the now 58-year-old had problems in the working world and was dismissed as a poor communicator.

Thomas Madar

Over the coming years, he went from courses in third-level education to jobs and back again, but sometimes struggled in interviews where, by his own admission, he would not sell himself as someone who was likable and who fitted into teams.

When he got his current position as a software tester at Ernst & Young last year, he says his social skills had improved over the years. Also at hand was Specialisterne (Danish for the Specialists), a company which strives to match up people with autism to jobs where characteristics such as attention to detail and a an adherence to structure act as a competitive advantage.