Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Relational Biopsychosocial Perspective on Neurodivergent Talent, Career Satisfaction and Turnover Intention

Neuroinclusion in human resources management (HRM) research and practice should go beyond the business case argument for neurodiversity (ND) to move to a nuanced understanding of harnessing neurodivergent talent. We argue for a biopsychosocial HRM perspective from an explicit non-ableist stance, to illuminate in-work experience to inform employer positions as proactive carers. We conceptualize a model of relational biopsychosocial neurodivergent talent inclusion informed by Organizational Support Theory, comprising employee (person), environment, and people characteristics, to guide a realist and co-creational investigation into (a) neurodivergent conditions and wellbeing, (b) the role of tailored adjustment, and (c) the influence of psychosocial support on what makes people stay (career satisfaction) and makes them go (turnover intention). We collected data from 985 ND employees across a range of UK-based organizations with existing interests in neuroinclusion. Neurodivergent condition co-occurrence was common (complex neurotypes), yet experience varied by condition across the study measures. The number of neurodivergent conditions, wellbeing, knowledge of neurodivergence, support from staff and the manager, and psychological safety predicted career satisfaction. Support from the manager, psychological safety, and career satisfaction predicted turnover intention. Tailored adjustment (to neurotype) became non-significant in each regression equation once other measures were added. We finally found support for a serial mediation where the association between psychological safety and turnover intention was sequentially mediated by wellbeing and career satisfaction. We discuss the need for a more holistic, ecological understanding of potentially vulnerable neurodivergent talent which considers wellbeing, the importance of the psychosocial environment, and the opportunity to realize career ambition in equal measures. We call for future research to develop our understanding of the role of the psychosocial environment in neuroinclusive HRM practices including domain-specific psychological safety.