Gain insight into neurodiversity as we talk to .Net Developer Tim Osborne about the impact of being neurodivergent in the workplace.

What do you enjoy about working at Zeus?

It’s a great environment. Coming to work daily and the challenges my job brings everyday are different. I love a puzzle as they are like a mental fidget toy. Software development is all about attacking logic problems and finding solutions to bring what is envisioned to reality, it’s one massive logic puzzle.

Finding solutions to build a feature or working my way through a bug in the code is what I love, so doing it for Zeus, a company that understands me, is amazing.

Why are you a great employee?

I think I am a great employee as I think in 3D and can see a problem that needs resolving from multiple angles, this in turn can help me resolve problems quickly and this ability helps me in aiding my fellow team when they have an issue they can’t resolve.

I am also a fast learner, so I can pick up on new tech and start implementing it as required.

What do you think you have brought to the business?

I think I bring a fresh look and need for understanding more sometimes to the company. My ADD can sometimes get me in trouble as filtering can be a challenge, I often will speak my mind, but this can be a good thing as it allows the business to see that I am foreseeing an issue that could be resolved before it can become a problem.

How does being Neurodiverse impact your role? 

Being neurodivergent has both its positive and negative qualities. It can impact my day in both ways.

On a good day, my ability to hyper focus will kick in and I will be a bullet train forcing my way through the projects of work, on other days it a challenge fighting against my neurodivergence to focus or keep my emotions in check.

One of the hardest aspects of my neurodivergence, is the ability to communicate with the correct emotional message both receiving and sending, and this sometimes can be misinterpreted by myself or by others, this can lead to conflicting opinions even when on the same page.

Just as my job is different from day-to-day, so is how my neurodivergence will affect me.

What would you say to other employers looking to employ neurodiverse staff?

I would say that neurodiverse staff are a must have for any company. We bring an element of thinking and work ethic that not a lot of non-neurodiverse staff can have. We are strong workers and tend to try to please people. This makes us want to work harder.

Employers just need to take the time understand us, our working methods and to place us in the right work environment that will make us thrive for them and they will have a valued asset to their business.