Part 1: Introduction to the Coeo Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group (ERG)
As part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026, the Coeo Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group (ERG) wanted to take a moment to share insights, reflections and personal experiences of neurodiversity in the workplace.
The Coeo Neurodiversity ERG is a community of colleagues who identify as neurodivergent, have neurodivergent friends or family members, or simply want to learn more and better understand different ways of thinking. The group is voluntary and was created to bring people together in a supportive, open space where we can listen, learn from one another, and grow.
Over the past few years, the ERG has hosted neurodiversity panels, created internal resources, and had open conversations about how we can better support neurodivergent colleagues at Coeo. This year, we wanted to do something slightly different by sharing more personal stories and honest reflections on what neurodiversity can look like in our day‑to‑day work and careers. These stories reflect a range of roles, experiences and perspectives, from navigating careers and leadership, to the practical ways tools, environments and ways of working can either support or hinder how people do their jobs.
Neurodiversity looks different for everyone, and there is no single story or way of working that fits all. By sharing honest, personal reflections from members of the ERG, we hope to bring these experiences to life and show what neurodiversity can look like in our day‑to‑day roles, careers and working relationships at Coeo.
Understanding Neurodiversity Through Experience
In this section, members of the Neurodiversity ERG kindly share their personal experiences of navigating work, careers and growth in the workplace.
Ben Goode, Data Platform Principal Engineer at Coeo – How I harness my enERG for Coeo
I was diagnosed with ADHD pretty late in my career, but in hindsight the signs were definitely there. Rapid career moves, flitting from tech to retail to tech.. until I found a technology that grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. That led me to the internals of SQL Server, and in turn to Coeo – who, at the time, were using the tagline “Making SQL Sense”. I joined as a DBA, focusing on technical problems – generally, the more complex, the more enthused I was to be working with them.
My specific mix brings some strengths, and some weaknesses – to quote the magnificent Sir Terry, I don’t have “middle gears”. I can be entirely invested, or entirely disinterested, no in-between. So, I can flit from issue to issue – rattling down a queue of simple tickets, for instance – or I can get dug deep into an issue – say, when a client has a massive, complex issue that needs serious attention. Swapping between those modes takes a little while, and my first manager realised that (a long time before I did, to his credit!) – and would deploy me each day to one of those models where possible.
Tools That Help Me
- Meeting agendas. Knowing what’s coming lets me drag my train of thought onto the right track, and means I can engage from the word go.
- Spinner rings. I’m not too bad on the physical hyperactivity side, but fidget toys keep my hands occupied so I can’t alt-tab out of a meeting, or keep checking for urgent calls, or…
- Clear queue prioritisation. If your workload tool doesn’t already do it for you, marking each task with a priority (whatever form fits your brain/job – I personally use impact and urgency) and working down can save a lot of decision paralysis/anxiety.
- Apologising when I’ve checked out. It’s not common, but sometimes my brain goes off on a tangent based on some passing comment (or thought… bird… cat… etc), and rather than faking it and nodding along, I’ll raise a hand and say something like “I’m so sorry, I zoned out for a second there, can you please repeat that?”. Yes, it’s not ideal, yes, it’s awkward… but it means I get another chance to engage, and contribute, and not zone out again immediately 🙂.