How we help > The Sensory Compass™

We all have a sensory system. The Sensory Compass™ gives feedback on yours.

Participants working and listening during a workshop

What is The Sensory Compass™?

The Sensory Compass™ is a collaboration between Inclusive Change and the School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University. It was co-created by Natalie Phillips-Mason and Dr Caroline Mills and exclusively licensed to Inclusive Change. It gathers your responses to a series of questions structured on:

  • our 8 primary senses
  • the social environment
  • social communication
  • work design.

Our sensory preferences change over time. They are influenced by age, gender, neurotype and life experiences.

Workforces are neurodiverse by nature. The Compass is designed for all neurotypes and identities.

What are the benefits of The Sensory Compass™?

1. Reduce harmful sensory friction and risk. Identify avoidable sensory barriers and make better workplace decisions. Reduce the conditions that create burnout and psychosocial risk.

2. Build confidence and capability. Give individuals, managers and teams useful language and tools.

3. Help more people work their best. Support stronger participation, performance, employee connection and retention.

How can I apply The Sensory Compass™?

  • Early warning for workplace psychosocial risks
  • Shared language between People Leaders and their team
  • Useful onboarding information
  • Input to ‘Work with me’ guides and Culture decks 
  • Provides knowledge about individual and team sensory preferences
  • Supports workplace adjustment requests and / or policies
  • Supplementary information for clinical, mentoring or coaching support
  • Provides data for office relocations and redesigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Sensory Compass™?

The Sensory Compass is a digital tool that gathers individual sensory preferences within a work context, at a point in time. The Compass is a series of questions structured that takes between 20-30 minutes to complete, at your pace.

Is The Sensory Compass™ a clinical or diagnostic tool?

No, The Sensory Compass is educational only. The tool maps sensory preferences, which is a description of how someone experiences their environment. It is not a diagnostic instrument, and it does not identify or suggest any condition.

Do I need to identify as neurodivergent to use The Sensory Compass™?

No. Everyone has a sensory profile. Most of us haven’t explored our sensory preferences within a workplace context – and workplaces don’t tend to ask. The Compass is designed to encourage curiosity about ways of working, regardless of your neurotype.

How is this different from other work-based profiles?

The Sensory Compass focuses on the underexplored field of sensory processing, designed to provide you with deeper insights to your own sensory preferences. It is a working session with an output, not an awareness session. It’s also a tool that you can revisit and compare at different points in time.

Do I get a digital copy of my Sensory Guide?

Individuals can download their personalised Sensory Guide for their reference. Teams that participate in a Masterclass receive an anonymised Team Profile.

How can The Sensory Compass™ be used?
  • Identifies the risk of workplace psychosocial hazards
  • Shared language between People Leaders and their team
  • Useful onboarding information
  • Input to Culture decks, ‘Work with me’ guides
  • Provides knowledge about individual and team sensory preferences
  • Supports workplace adjustment requests and / or policies
  • Adds to mentoring or coaching support
  • Provides data for office relocations and redesigns.

The Sensory Compass™ for Teams

Many leaders care about neuroinclusion but are unsure where to start.

We offer a practical Masterclass during which each person completes the Compass. Then together you look at your team profile: where preferences overlap, where they clash, and which changes are worth making. Nobody is diagnosed or judged. Your team’s anonymous data guides the Masterclass.

  • Practical and judgement-free.

    Sensory Compass is a practical, judgement-free way to understand how sensory and social preferences shape our work. For me, the most fascinating part was finding out that our senses go well beyond the traditional five. Hello, interoception and movement. The tool gives teams a shared language, helps leaders make simple, meaningful adjustments, and builds real participation, accessibility and belonging. I highly recommend it.

    Amanda Riley, Thriving with Neurodiversity

  • It opened my eyes.

    I really loved the opportunity to take a deep dive into my own sensory preferences. There were a few surprises along the way, and it really opened my eyes to how small changes can make such a big difference to productivity, comfort and how I feel in my workspace.

    Emma Heaton, Client Experience and Systems Manager, Justitia Lawyers and Consultants

  • An overlooked aspect of team dynamics.

    I highly recommend the Sensory Compass Masterclass. A well-paced and thought-provoking session that considers an important but often overlooked aspect of workplaces and team dynamics. The team profile provided valuable insight into our sensory preferences, highlighting the importance of choice and flexibility when it comes to working environments.

    Melissa Scadden, Managing Partner Justitia Lawyers and Consultants

  • Clever questions and a powerful tool.

    The Sensory Compass challenged – in a positive way – what I thought I needed from my work environment. A series of clever questions across a whole range of diverse topics. The results are fluid, it’s about what you need right now, which may be different to what you needed last year. It is a deeply personal and thought-provoking tool that’s also fun. A very powerful way for businesses to understand the sensory needs of their people so they can invest time, effort and resources where it matters most.

    Diana, Change Management Practitioner

Why Inclusive Change?

Our approach is supportive and non-judgmental. In our workshops, your team can explore neurodiversity without fear – and walk away ready to embrace neuroinclusivity.

Book icon
Educational

We share insights from research and lived experience to debunk myths about neurodiversity – and create a safe space to ask questions.

Medal with a tick icon
Authentic

We create a channel for authentic conversations and shine a light on the richness that different thinking can bring to your workplace.

Settings icon
Practical

We teach you how to create measurable, sustainable and authentic inclusion goals so they can become part of your ‘business as usual’.

Ready to transform your workplace?
Get in touch