Hidden Barriers to Engagement and Retention
What your neurodivergent, disabled, LGBT+ and minority colleagues experience at work and what it costs when you miss it.
1 in 4 of your employees live with a hidden disability or diagnosis
15-20% of the population are neurodivergent.
Around 1 in 10 identify as LGBT+.
Add employees with minoritised ethnic or cultural backgrounds.
You are looking at a significant share of your workforce experiencing barriers that most organisations do not see, measure or address.
These barriers are not (always) dramatic. They are cumulative. The meeting format that rewards fast verbal processing. The social event built around alcohol. The feedback conversation that assumes everyone processes information the same way. The onboarding that works for confident extroverts and fails everyone else.
Each barrier on its own seems small. Together, they drive masking, exhaustion, disengagement and, eventually, resignation. The cost shows up in the metrics every CHRO already tracks: turnover, sick leave, presenteeism and the quiet loss of people who stop contributing before they leave.
In this keynote, Stine Marsal shares findings from 170+ qualitative interviews with employees across the Nordics. She maps the specific barriers that show up across identity groups and shows where the patterns overlap. The focus is on what leaders and organisations can fix in practice, without restructuring or specialist expertise.
What you will leave with:
The most common hidden barriers across neurodivergent, disabled, LGBT+ and minority employees and where they overlap.
How these barriers connect to retention, sick leave and disengagement in measurable ways.
Three to five operational changes that reduce friction across all groups simultaneously.
A clear argument for treating inclusion as operational infrastructure with direct cost implications.
Who this is for:
CHROs, HR directors, people leaders and D&I professionals in medium to large organisations. Particularly relevant for leadership teams who want to connect inclusion to business performance and employee retention.
Pricing and formats
All sessions are available as a standard keynote or fully tailored to your organisation, audience and challenges.
Formats: keynote (45-60 minutes), half-day workshop with group exercises, or online session. Delivered in English, Danish or French.
Online sessions from 2,350 EUR / 17,500 DKK + VAT. Onsite keynotes from 3,350 EUR / 25,000 DKK + VAT. Extended workshops from 4,700 EUR / 35,000 DKK + VAT.
Tailored sessions are quoted based on your brief.
Real reactions from the people in the room
What HR and CX leaders say about working with Stine
“Interesting, entertaining
– and we left with concrete ideas”
“Stine’s presentation and work made it easy for us to turn insight into practice”
“One of the most impactful session this year”
Stefan Gildhoff,
Director Sales and Customer Experience
The Royal Danish Theater
Interesting, entertaining
– and we left with concrete ideas
“Stine’s keynote was a real eye-opener. She created a clear link between accessibility and lost revenue, and showed how small changes can lead to big results for the business.Her concrete examples made us rethink how we integrate accessibility in our work with guests. It was not only interesting and entertaining – we left with clear ideas for creating more inclusive customer experiences.”
__________
Tailored keynote on hidden accessibility barriers in cultural institutions – and what they mean for audience reach and revenue.
Sanne Forsberg Holm
Chief People Officer
LEGO House
Stine’s presentation and work made it easy for us to turn insight into practice
“Stine mapped our guest and employee experience through a diversity lens and delivered a sharp, action-oriented report and presentation to executive management – the most hands-on we’ve ever received. She translated hidden barriers in the consideration and purchase phase, during the visit and afterwards into clear, concrete solutions. She also developed training videos for our guest-facing employees, making them feel more prepared for the diversity they meet every day. We are very satisfied with the tangible results we’ve achieved”.
__________
Executive advisory, guest and employee journey analysis, plus an Inclusive Guest Experience training programme for LEGO House.
Andreas Arentoft
Senior Network Advisor
NOCA - Denmark’s leading HR Network
“Stine’s personality and presentation skills captivated our audience. Drawing on her extensive experience, she demonstrated how diversity drives tangible business outcomes, offering practical value to the leaders and professionals at our ‘DEI Day’ conference.
Several attendees later shared that this was one of the most impactful sessions they had attended this year”.
_________
Keynote on hidden barriers to inclusion, wellbeing and retention for neurodivergent, LGBT+ and culturally diverse employees – and how tackling them drives better business results for everyone.