Yahoo : Introducing Yahoo’s Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group

By Margenett Moore-Roberts, Global Head of Inclusive Diversity

I am excited to announce the creation of Yahoo's newest Employee Resource Group (ERG) focused on Neurodiversity, spearheaded by Margaux Joffe, Yahoo's Head of Production, Global Marketing Department. The ERG's mission is to champion neurodiversity at Yahoo in order to create an inclusive workplace for minds of all kinds.

If you're unfamiliar, neurodiversity refers to differences in learning and attention as normal variations of the human brain. At Yahoo, we recognize minds of all kinds and respect all forms of human variations - from dyslexia, to ADHD, to the autistic spectrum and more. In partnership with Yahoo's Office of Inclusive Diversity (IOD), the new Neurodiversity ERG will help encourage that anyone with these differences can utilize their strengths at work and thrive through one another's support, as well as supports OID's mission of advancing diversity and inclusion in Yahoo's workforce, workplace and marketplace.

Margaux is the chair of the program and her passion stems from her personal experience in being diagnosed with ADHD three years ago, when she was well into adulthood. She felt compelled to found the Kaleidoscope Society, an empowerment project for women with ADHD which shines a light on inspiring stories of trailblazing women with ADHD for its more than 700 members. After joining Yahoo and talking to the OID about their commitment to creating an inclusive working environment, she proposed the idea of creating a Neurodiversity ERG in order to extend the OID's efforts to colleagues (like herself) with neurological differences.

The ERG is hitting the ground running, and the first internal campaign is introducing poster series and screens in all offices globally to highlight the strengths associated with a few neurological differences such as Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and OCD. The ERG will also meet regularly to provide support to relevant members of the Yahoo community and collaborate on how to grow and bring awareness to their mission. Four initial focuses of the program include: learning the needs of employees, creating a community of support, providing resources at Yahoo and increasing the cultural competency of managers so they can effectively manage their diverse teams.

In the coming months, the ERG will work with the OID and Human Resources to ensure Neurodiversity is incorporated into our Inclusion strategy and our manager competencies.