How do you organise a neurodiverse-friendly New Year’s reception at work?

“It’s that time of the year again when end-of-year parties and New Year’s receptions at work or privately fill our calendars. Organising these events has become a tradition and an opportunity for many companies to connect and bond among employees. To achieve this, it’s crucial everyone can be their authentic selves and feel welcome at the event. This often raises the question: how can we ensure our events are inclusive and welcoming to everyone? We often think about avoiding religious aspects, food and drinks, and yet neurodiversity is often overlooked in the organisation. This article provides tips on organising your event to be neurodiverse-friendly and inclusive.

Check-in about expectations and preferences

“If you’ve met one neurodivergent person, you’ve met one neurodivergent person.” This means everyone is different, and it’s best not to make assumptions. For example, not every autistic person dislikes social events, and not everyone with ADHD is a lively dancer on the dance floor till the early morning hours.

Additionally, minor adjustments often benefit everyone in hindsight. Therefore, check with everyone, not just neurodivergent employees, about their expectations and preferences, and aim for consent—an agreement everyone can agree on.

No time for this? No problem—form a party committee or seek advice from various neurotypes within your company. They often shed light on hurdles or challenges that seemed evident to us and that we’ve never considered as a challenge or hurdle before.

Hands-on approaches

With these approaches, you take the first steps towards an event where everyone feels welcome and comfortable:

• Provide a space where people can retreat from sensory overload (such as noise, light, smells, etc.) and relax a bit, escaping the hustle and bustle of the party—a chill-out area or a low-stimuli space.
• Provide earplugs and sunglasses so those who prefer less noise or light can still join the party and feel at ease, preventing them from feeling excluded.
• Avoid mixing concepts like networking and parties. Having a networking conversation with party music in the background is a challenge for everyone, and even more so for neurodivergent employees since they often struggle to filter out background music.
• Intervene if people start yelling over each other to be heard. It often begins with one person, and before you know it, it becomes a loud buzz of voices that become overwhelming, making optimal communication difficult. At such times, take the word and ask people to lower their voices so that nobody leaves with a headache, a hoarse voice, or an overwhelmed feeling.
• Provide clear and concrete information upfront in written and video or audio formats. This way, people know where the event will take place, how to get there, what the space looks like, what will happen during the event, and how long it will last. If there’s a dress code, it’s best to mention it clearly and well in advance. This helps people prepare for the event and reduces stress.
• In the invitation and announcement of the event, provide the option for participants to indicate if they have specific needs that need to be considered.
• Offer diverse activities so that everyone finds something they can enjoy.
• Allow people to arrive and leave at flexible times so they don’t feel pressured to be present throughout the entire gathering. Also, ensure that people can decline to attend the event without negative consequences afterwards. Not everyone is always in a festive mood. Consider people who have recently experienced loss or other possible situations. Don’t ask for reasons why people won’t attend the event. If they want to, they’ll share this with you.
• Focus on inclusion and diversity throughout the year, ****making it part of the company culture to consider each other and understand each other’s contexts. Organising an inclusive New Year’s reception is a first step in the right direction; nonetheless, striving for inclusion should be an ongoing process. Ensure team members are aware of neurodiversity. Provide training on neurodiversity at work and make it accessible to all employees. This fosters understanding and creates a culture of empathy and adaptation, enhancing inclusion not only during the event but also in the long run.
• After the event, ask for feedback to find out what worked well and what could be improved for future occasions. It’s essential to be open to suggestions and adjustments from employees because they often know best what works for them.

Step by Step

Do you need to implement all these things directly for your events? Of course not. Start with a small step and work step by step towards more inclusive events within the company. Just reading this article is a first step towards inclusion. The next step could be sharing this article with your colleagues and/or starting a conversation about creating events where everyone can be themselves and feel welcome. Together, we build a world where everyone feels at home.