After graduating from college, Alex Lieberman struggled to find and keep a job — even a part-time position. Despite being a published writer and having not one but two degrees from reputable universities, Alex’s autism created barriers in his job search process. As someone with autism, he struggled with social interactions and found himself excluded from opportunities before he even got a chance to show his skills. But all that changed when Alex found Wells Fargo’s Neurodiversity Program and was offered a job where he could at last launch his care.
“My career has grown in ways that I did not anticipate,” said Lieberman. “Now that I’m here, I have connections; I have experience; I have research under my belt. Wells Fargo gave me a career. It’s a chance I never would have had otherwise.”
Wells Fargo’s Neurodiversity Program launched in April 2020 and has been led since its inception by Senior Executive Stephen DeStefani.
“Our sole purpose was to create meaningful employment and opportunities for a deeply underserved and disproportionally unemployed community,” said DeStefani. “As a firm, we recognized that interview expectations regarding social priorities like eye contact or a firm handshake, or a stated requirement of ‘excellent verbal communication’ rather than the technical skills and competencies necessary to perform in the role, were causing us to exclude an enormous population of talented candidates who present differently.”
Under DeStefani’s leadership, Wells Fargo pledged to make changes to how they understand, value, and employ neurodivergent people.
While people with these cognitive differences can make smart and capable employees, many employers don’t go out of their way to support them. Wells Fargo wanted to be different.
The company trained 215 hiring managers on how to make the hiring and employment processes easier by implementing accommodating interview practices, removing uneducated biases, creating accessible support structures and universal design, and encouraging positive coworker attitudes among 3,500+ employees, who have completed training.
Since its launch, 190 full-time employees have been hired into eight technology roles in the U.S. and India, and the program has seen a 99% retention rate. Of these hires, 40% have been women and 55% identified as Black, Hispanic, or multiracial.
The program’s expansion also provides opportunities for neurodivergent employees to work in corporate finance, and it will launch in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East in 2024.
While Wells Fargo is eager to foster the untapped talent of the neurodiverse community, the company is also excited to see how the Neurodiversity Program will benefit employees in their everyday lives.
“There is a rippling effect,” said DeStefani. “They develop a career, a stronger sense of self, financial independence. They extend their community and social structure and create a new version of what their life could be.”