Embracing awareness: Neurodiverse perspectives matter at Oracle

March 16, 2023 | 6 minute read
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No two people think alike. Our tastes, our perspectives, our experiences—they all add up to make each of us totally unique. This is especially true for neurodiverse people. 

Awareness of the many ways that people think, learn, and interact with the world around them is crucial to recognizing what each of us brings to the table professionally and personally. 

That’s what makes Neurodiversity Awareness Week so powerful. It’s a moment to slow down and grow our understanding and appreciation for the incredible contributions of neurodiverse people. It’s also a time for neurodiverse individuals to take stock of their needs and be heard.

Hear from some of our community now, and read on for more insights. 


“Amazing talent”

Juan Jones, EVP of global support renewal, sees this as a moment that’s too valuable to miss. Awareness and acceptance of diverse abilities isn’t just integral to wellbeing, it’s essential to business success. 
 
“The benefits that I've observed in building a diverse and inclusive workforce in my business at Oracle are the ability to problem-solve, innovate and deliver customer success at world-class levels, with operating results that are the best I've seen in the 27 years I've been at Oracle.,” Juan explains.

“Neurodiversity awareness is important to me, because it's critical that we get the best out of all the amazing talent that we have across the broad spectrum that is Oracle.”

Innovation and adaptability 

It’s not surprising that embracing different backgrounds and abilities breeds success. One Deloitte report discovered that companies like Oracle, which emphasize inclusion, performed much better in terms of innovation and adaptability. 

It seems obvious, but sometimes, each of us can lose track of what really matters in the daily drive for results. That’s why understanding plays such a vital role across organizations. In understanding diverse needs and abilities, we’re more likely to live by those values in everything we do.

This type of understanding and acceptance is especially important to Principal Cloud Architect, Rajkeerat Sethi.

“As a parent of an autistic child, this topic is close to my heart. When we create awareness, we not only help individuals with autism, we also make it easier for the people around them, their families, their caregivers. This helps us create and understand and accept the differences, the wonderful differences that we all have.”

Empowerment

For Rajkeerat, acceptance and by extension, empowerment isn’t something to be divided between work and personal life. Rather, it’s something holistic that can benefit everyone, everywhere.

“Knowledge is power. By creating awareness, we help people understand and accept autism. The autistic community needs acceptance not only from within but from the society around them. This is the only way we all can thrive together.”

Julian Morrin, a principal technical account manager at our offices in New Zealand, also shares a family connection to neurodiversity inclusion.  

“I'm the parent of a neurodiverse child and was recently diagnosed with ADHD and autism myself during a mental health crisis,” he shares. “Reaching out for help has allowed me to understand the nature of my diversity and the tasks it allows me to perform well, and things that cause me challenges.”

More than fitting in

Julian, like many neurodiverse people, initially felt the need to ‘mask’ at work. Masking is when a person hides or camouflages parts of themselves to better fit in with the people around them. 

“The effort involved in fitting, in appearing normal, completing tasks on time and reacting to social cues appropriately can be tremendous,” Julian shares. “This can embed a sense of failure and unworthiness that prevents reaching out for help”.

It’s a tactic many neurodiverse people feel they need to adopt to be accepted, but it can have a toll on wellbeing. However, since joining Oracle, Julian feels supported enough to let his guard down and be himself.

“That Oracle has resources to reach out to and employee groups to share experiences with was critical to my personal survival and ongoing journey of discovery.”

He’s also realized that simply ‘getting by’ isn’t enough—neurodiverse people should be empowered to do their best work in a way that comes naturally. 

“Inclusivity is not just about making accommodations, but also about utilizing strengths,” he affirms. 

Hidden potential

It’s thought that up to 20% of people are neurodivergent—a figure that hints at a whole lot of hidden potential. So, how do you unlock that? It’s one thing to talk about awareness, but what does this kind of inclusivity look like in action?    

Brian Ramos, one of our senior principal product managers, understands better than most.

“I have bipolar disorder,” Brian explains. “And early in my career here at Oracle, I had a severe manic episode while traveling. During my hospitalization, one of the first things that my manager asked me was, why didn't you tell me?”

In experiencing the power of real inclusivity and support first-hand, Brian realized he’d been missing out.

“By not being open about my neurodiversity, I was robbing my management and my colleagues of understanding my condition and an important aspect of myself. More importantly, I was missing an opportunity to de-stigmatize my illness through my capability to deliver results and be a valuable part of the Oracle team.”

Freedom to share

So, what makes Oracle’s culture different? Brian thinks it has something to do with a grassroots approach where employees lead the discussion and feel free to share.

“By promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce. Oracle encourages those who might not otherwise speak up to express their often valuable and insightful ideas.”

“Oracle's culture of inclusivity has greatly helped me to accept myself, to advocate for my illness and to help others to be more sensitive towards neurodiversity.”

Accommodating 

Angela Vella tells a similar story. When she started with us as a customer call center supervisor, she never anticipated developed a life-altering auto immune condition.

“My disease developed during the pandemic. So, I've really seen the benefits that Oracle offers, both as a person who's been through the accommodation process and as a manager who's had directs that have developed issues that needed accommodations.”

“Oracle's been amazing. It's the absolute best company that I've ever worked for. They are so accommodating to everything I need. All I need is a doctor's note saying that I can or can't do specific things.”

“It’s the first place that I've worked, where I felt celebrated for being who I am.”

Anyone can thrive

Senior Principal Applications Engineer, Aritra Bandyopadhyay, understands the power of steps like these in creating an environment where anyone can thrive. 

“I have some issues in viewing certain documents because of my low vision, but I can quickly approach some of my colleagues and they're very supportive. It’s very inclusive and it is embedded in the culture.”

She’s keen to stress that there are no quick fixes, and that every person’s needs must be addressed on a one-to-one basis.

“Every neurological condition has its own challenges, I have difficulty walking, have low vision, but somebody else might face a completely different set of challenges and difficulties.” 

“Understanding neurodiversity and the different challenges that each neurodiverse condition comes with is very potent.”

Unleashing potential 

Aritra, Brian, and Angela’s surprise at Oracle’s culture of inclusion is telling. Willingness to engage with neurodiverse people’s needs and find accommodations can be rare, and there’s still a long way to go.

However, it’s clear to see from life at Oracle that things can be different. The power of awareness is unleashing the potential of neurodiverse professionals like never before—and everyone stands to benefit.

Do you want to join a company that truly embraces inclusivity? Learn about our inclusive practices, as well as how to join our team.

Oracle Careers Editorial Team

The editorial team is comprised of members of the Oracle Talent Advisory group, with a wide-range of employer branding responsibilities. They partner with employees across Oracle to capture stories that showcase our company, culture and career opportunities, and help candidates envision their #LifeAtOracle.


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