Why did you register with the Autism Accreditation programme?

We joined the Autism Accreditation programme in 2025.

Despite being a relatively small company, we already employ several people who are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. In addition, several members of our management team, including myself, have autistic children. As a result, there is a strong shared understanding of the barriers autistic people can face and a strong commitment across the business to supporting autistic people both into work and to succeed once in post.

We had previously recruited autistic employees through personal recommendations. Through these experiences, we became aware of the difficulties they had encountered with standard recruitment processes and in securing appropriate employment elsewhere. This highlighted the need for us to review and improve our own practices.

By registering with the programme, our aim was to ensure we provide the right level of support to our existing neurodivergent employees, while also strengthening our recruitment processes so they are fair, inclusive and accessible. We want to remove unnecessary barriers from our application and selection processes and ensure that autistic and neurodivergent candidates can demonstrate their skills and potential without being disadvantaged.

Ultimately, our objective is to build a more inclusive workplace where neurodivergent colleagues can thrive and our business can continue to attract and retain talented people from a wider, more diverse pool.

How did the best practice framework support your self-reflection and development of your organisation?

We found the best practice framework a helpful and practical guide. It allowed us to work through one area at a time, identify gaps and build a clearer understanding of what good looks like.

We formed a working group with representatives from across the business, including HR, line managers and neurodiverse colleagues. We met monthly and reviewed a section of the framework each time. This gave us honest feedback, different perspectives and a clear view of what we were doing well and where we could improve.

The process reassured us that we had many of the right behaviours in place. It also showed us where we needed to update policies and procedures, so they were clearer, more consistent and easier to apply in practice.

A group of us undertook the Autism in the Workplace training provided by the National Autistic Society, and we found it informative and incredibly useful. We presented a summary of the training to all staff so that the importance of creating an inclusive workplace was understood across the organisation.

Can you provide any anonymous positive outcomes that have occurred for the neurodivergent staff members as a result of the Accreditation process?

One of the most positive outcomes of the accreditation process was the direct involvement of neurodivergent colleagues in our working group. Their feedback helped us understand workplace challenges more clearly and identify practical improvements.

For example, we discussed how hot-desking can create stress or uncertainty for some colleagues. As a result, we updated our guidance to allow desks to be reserved in advance as a reasonable adjustment. This helps colleagues feel more comfortable and supported in the office environment.

We also included a question about reasonable adjustments in our annual employee survey. This highlighted further office improvements we could make, such as providing improved noise-cancelling headphones and reviewing the impact of bright lighting in certain areas.

What does it mean to you as an organisation to have achieved the accreditation kitemark?

We are absolutely delighted to receive the award. We are proud of the efforts made across the business, particularly by the working group of volunteers who helped us review and improve our approach.

We marked the achievement by sharing the news on LinkedIn. It was a chance to celebrate the award and encourage other employers to consider the programme. We’ll also be looking to spread the word further over the coming months.

I hope the award reassures our existing neurodivergent colleagues that we will continue to support them and gives future candidates confidence to apply for roles at Oxygen Finance.

What benefits do you see the programme having for other organisations wanting to ensure they are supporting their workforce well, and would you recommend others undergo the process?

Although we have already taken steps to improve inclusion and provide adjustments for colleagues, it was extremely useful to have the National Autistic Society’s expert support and guidance to identify other areas for improvement. It was also reassuring to have their seal of approval, confirming that the steps we have taken have put us in a strong position going forward.

We hope that recognition of the award on our website will give neurodivergent candidates greater confidence to apply for suitable future opportunities at Oxygen.

I would encourage all employers to register with the programme, so they can remove barriers and create meaningful opportunities for neurodivergent people across the UK and beyond.