Caribbean Expert – By Kisean Joseph
Caribbean Expert Calls Urgent
A human resources expert is urging Caribbean businesses to move beyond talk and take concrete steps to recruit and support workers with neurodiverse conditions — warning that the window to act is closing fast.
Tiersa Hall, founder of Impactful Imprints and a Forbes-recognized HR professional, made the call during an appearance on Observer AM ahead of her participation in LOUD 26, the Caribbean Society of HR Professionals’ annual conference, scheduled for St Kitts and Nevis next month.
Hall, who is also a mother of autistic twins, said her personal experience fundamentally changed how she approaches recruitment. She said it forced her to ask what potential employers were missing by failing to properly prepare for neurodiverse candidates.
“From an HR perspective, are you truly attracting all candidates across the board?” she said. “That was a beautiful eye-opener for me.”
She cited research by Deloitte, a multinational professional services network,showing that teams with neurodiverse members are 30 percent more productive in specific roles and that inclusive teams outperform their peers by 80 percent. Despite this, Hall said between 50 and 80 percent of neurodiverse working-age adults globally remain unemployed.
Hall said Caribbean businesses are missing a significant opportunity, noting that every neurodiverse person possesses a highly developed, unique skill that, when properly matched to a role, delivers exceptional results. She used the example of a neurodivergent retail worker who could recall product specifications and locations from memory — making him a trusted, high-performing employee.
On practical steps, Hall recommended that HR managers simplify job descriptions to focus on skills rather than rigid requirements, streamline interview processes, and invest in communication training for managers.
“There are a lot of managers in the department, but do we have true leaders who know the art of communication?” she said.
She also introduced what she calls the ICS cheat sheet — a tool that encourages managers to ask employees directly how they prefer to receive feedback, criticism, and recognition, rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all approach works.
Hall warned that neurodiverse inclusion can no longer be treated as optional, with diagnoses rising sharply across the region. She noted that roughly one in every seven people in any organization is likely neurodiverse.
“It’s not a matter of if, it’s when,” she said. “The skills they have are tremendous.”
The LOUD 26 conference lead explained that while the LOUD acronym stands for Leadership, Opportunity, Unity, and Diversity, key sub-themes attached to this year’s overarching theme – Harvest of Inspiration, also embrace the LOUD acronym with sessions specifically designed to cover: Leveraging Neurodiversity; Orchestrating Antifragile Workforce Development & Multigenerational Teams; Unveiling Next-generation Compensation Design; Driving Employee Engagement & Culture Excellence.
Now in its sixth year, the conference runs from May 28th to 30th at the St Kitts Marriott Resort and is available in hybrid format to both in-person and virtual attendees. Sessions are capped at 20 minutes and include practical activation exercises designed to give attendees tools they can apply immediately upon returning to their workplaces.
