KGHM co-organizes a conference on neurodiversity

As part of the pilot educational program “Equal in Diversity” carried out by KGHM for its employees, a special conference and a workshop were held. At the palace in Krotoszyce, specialists and business representatives discussed the phenomenon of neurodiversity and building of a work environment that is friendly to everybody.

The patron of the event titled “NEURODIVERSITY. The power of differences, or how to create a work environment that utilizes potential” was the Ministry of Education and Science. KGHM’s partners in the organization of the conference were: Union of Large Families 3 Plus and the Naval Academy in Gdynia.

“I would like to thank KGHM, a national champion, for working on such an important topic as neurodiversity. The company understands other people and understands that we are different. Dissemination of the knowledge about neurodiversity is your strength. Thank you for this commitment,” said Marzena Machałek, a Deputy Minister of Education and Science, at the opening of the conference.

“KGHM is a diverse company and we are building our potential on that. The neurodiversity project is raising awareness in our organization, but not only. This topic affects not only our current or future employees, but also their families. Interacting with people with different needs will only strengthen our workforce,” added Marek Makuch, the Executive Director for Human Resources Management at KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.

The phenomenon of neurodiversity is increasingly present in the awareness of the public. Every year, many companies, including KGHM, engage in a number of campaigns, such as “Poland in Blue,” which aims to promote awareness of autism. Autism, however, is not the only disorder that is covered by this term, which includes ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, Tourette syndrome, and highly sensitive personality.

The company also undertakes its own activities, such as the “Equal in Diversity” pilot project for KGHM’s employees and representatives of schools mentored by KGHM in the Copper Belt. Special workshops were organized and lectures were given by specialists from the Naval Academy in Gdynia. The participants were able to learn, among other things, about how neurodiverse people function in the labor market. An important topic was the integration of teams that include neurodiverse people.

During the meeting in Krotoszyce, KGHM’s activities to date were summarized, but there were also lectures and training sessions for the participants. During a panel discussion with representatives of various companies, some ideas, but also proven practices related to building a work environment that is friendly to everyone were presented. The discussion also concerned the possibility of supporting neurodiverse students in the education system in Poland.

Studies indicate that the phenomenon of neurodiversity may affect 15 to 20 percent of the general population. In practice, this means that we encounter neuroatypical people in our surroundings on a daily basis, and they are not only children and adolescents, but also adults we meet in professional settings. Efforts to gain adequate knowledge of how the brain of atypical people functions, to learn how to properly deal with them and, most importantly, to how to benefit from their positive aspects are beginning to become more common among informed employers.