What's missing in your inclusion initiatives - and what people really need to feel engaged

There’s often a gap between an organisation’s inclusion efforts and what people actually experience at work.

Many leaders are actively trying to improve their team's performance through engagement initiatives. They’ve communicated their values, invested in engagement workshops, and put time into creating a clearer vision for their teams.

But despite those efforts, something still isn’t landing. People still seem unclear and engagement isn’t where leaders expect it to be. The behaviour change they hoped to see in their team isn't there and it’s not always obvious why.

From the team’s perspective, the picture looks very different.

They may have heard the values and seen the vision, but they don’t always understand what that means in practice for them. They’re not always clear on how their role connects to the bigger picture, what the values mean to them or what’s expected of them day to day. Without that clarity, disengagement is easy to follow. 

Meanwhile, leaders feel like they’ve already provided the clarity everyone needs to get going.

The missing link for employee engagement 

This gap becomes even more complex when you consider how differently people experience the same workplace.

For neurodivergent individuals in particular, clarity, communication, and environment aren’t just helpful, they’re critical to how they engage and perform. What feels clear or obvious to one person may feel ambiguous or overwhelming to another.

Without recognising these differences, it’s easy for leaders to believe they’ve provided enough clarity, while parts of their team are still trying to make sense of what’s expected.

A large part of this misalignment comes back to the gap in intended communication and actual impact. Leaders often communicate values and expectations at a high level, assuming they will naturally translate into day-to-day behaviour. But for many people, that connection isn’t always obvious. 

Different people process information in different ways. What creates clarity and engagement for one person can have the opposite effect on another:

• Some people are energised by possibilities and big-picture thinking, while others focus on what’s practical and deliverable today
• Some thrive on flexibility and letting things emerge, while others need structure, planning, and clear milestones
• Some prefer to think out loud and build ideas through discussion, while others need to reflect before they share their thinking
• Some prioritise relationships and harmony, others are focused on results and moving things forward quickly

None of these approaches are better than the other, but when only one is catered for, part of the team is left disengaged. The shift for leaders is to recognise these differences and know how to adapt to give their teams what they need to feel connected to the organisation and their roles.

Four areas to consider when communicating with different styles in a team:

The added complexity of neuro-inclusion

But there’s a more practical side to it all too. Inclusion efforts often show up in values statements, initiatives, or one-off workshops, but not always in the everyday decisions that shape how people get work done. 

This becomes even more important when working with neurodivergent talent. When it comes to the environment people work in and the structure around them, even small factors like noise or lighting can influence how people experience their role. For some, this can make a real difference even if it seems like something minor to others. 

This is where awareness becomes something that needs to show up in everyday decisions in the workplace. In how roles are designed, how expectations are set, and how consistently messages are communicated over time. 

But there’s also an important balance to strike. Leaders need to create environments that support individuals, while also allowing space for challenge and development. Lean too far in either direction and something could be lost, either in inclusivity or in resilience.

In this episode of the Out of Office Podcast, Dr Tascha Clapperton explains the link between understanding people and increasing performance. When people feel clear on what’s expected, understand how they contribute, and are supported in how they work best, the impact shows up not just in how they experience work, but in the results they deliver. For leaders, this means that improving engagement and inclusion isn’t just about increasing effort. It’s about deepening understanding.

Listen to Dr Tascha’s expert guidance on what leaders can do differently to engage their teams and improve performance now.