EY Japan Launches New Scheme to Develop Neurodiversity Human Resources

Development and provision of a flexible working system and working environment that allows talent with diverse abilities to work in a way that suits them

• Launching a team that can take on challenges by using their “diverse abilities”
• Supporting the demonstration of special abilities in an appropriate environment by considering disabilities to be “diverse abilities” rather than “disabilities”

EY Japan (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Chairperson and CEO: Moriaki Kida) is proud to announce the launch of the Diverse Abilities Center (DAC), an organization that enables individuals to experiment with flexible work styles to suit their individual neurodivergent needs while acquiring professional skills and a career. Opened on June 1, 2022, DAC was launched in collaboration with Kaien (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Keita Suzuki), and aims to improve the employment and working conditions of neurodiversity*¹ talent who have been diagnosed with mental or developmental disabilities. We have recruited 22 participants to the first program session. DAC is an EY Japan-wide initiative. Rather than establishing a special subsidiary company, we have built a support structure by forming a new team within EY Japan Markets.

EY Japan considers disabilities to be “diverse abilities” rather than “disabilities” and believes that such can be demonstrated as special abilities if the right environment is provided. However, in many cases, people with disabilities in Japan have very few opportunities to build a professional career and the opportunities to get involved in work that will help them improve their skills and advance their careers are also limited. This led us to establish DAC, which aims to enable people with disabilities to gain professional skills and work experience and to broaden their career options by working at EY under flexible work styles.

Details of the new scheme:

• When recruiting the first group of participants, we took the same or more steps than during the regular recruitment process to carefully examine each candidates’ skills. We will provide equal opportunities for people with disabilities who lack employment opportunities despite their abilities, to start their careers.
• Participants will engage in tasks equivalent to those of other EY members. This applies to all aspects of our work, including interacting with clients, and we will provide a wide range of career-building opportunities.
• EY Japan fully embraces this initiative, based on the notion that “people can demonstrate their abilities as long as the environment is right”. We have appointed full-time staff from an outside support group and will enhance training opportunities.

Instructors and support staff from Kaien, whose employees are experts in providing employment support for neurodiversity talent, will be assigned to DAC to help manage work, provide guidance, offer advice and manage participants’ health. The tasks assigned to newly recruited members will range from general clerical work to research, translation, document preparation, web design, and video production. Upon joining EY Japan, participants will, in principle, be able to take advantage of our flextime and work-from-home programs, in the same way as other members. Employment that involves commuting or relocation and working hours are major issues for people with disabilities and so we will reduce the burden on participants by offering remote employment and shorter working hours, as well as recruiting a number of people living in rural areas.

Comment from Megumi Umeda, EY Japan DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness):

“Although the employment rate for people with disabilities is increasing, in terms of the quality and options available, we have not yet reached the point where the next generation can dream about the future. Balancing a disability with a career is not easy. This is why we are providing as many people as possible with the support they need to carve out their careers as specialists using their own skills and experience, through their work experience at EY. This is just one of the measures that EY has been focusing on since 2021 to promote D&I initiatives to realize an equity society.”

Comment from Yoshihisa Kato, EY Japan Diverse Abilities Center Leader:

“Long-term value is one of the important issues that EY is focusing on. As a capitalist society we have been focusing on results such as short-term increases in shareholder value, but going forward companies will need to take a longer-term approach and consider non-financial values such as social contribution and environmental protection. Some of the partners and managers at EY are open about their disabilities. Although there are differences based on individual efforts and the nature of their disabilities, I believe that equal opportunities should be given to those who wish to learn and work hard and advance their careers, and having a disability is irrelevant to this. EY will continue to strive to be a model for creating long-term value for all of our stakeholders.”

*¹ The word “neurodiversity” is a combination of the word “neuro” and “diversity”. The concept is based on the idea that “differences in the brain, nerves, and various characteristics derived from them at the individual level are mutually respected as diversity, and that these differences should be used by society”. In particular, this concept views the phenomena that occurs in developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and learning disabilities as “natural and normal variations in the human genome,” rather than as a lack of ability or superiority or inferiority.

Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “Promotion of Neurodiversity”
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/economy/jinzai/diversity/neurodiversity/neurodiversity.html  (Japanese only, accessed June 10, 2022)

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