One in five working-age adults in the UK identifies as neurodivergent. That number includes people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and a range of other cognitive profiles. In a team of 50, that’s ten people. Most organisations have not put in place the adjustments that would help them do their best work.
Why neurodiversity is the talent conversation of 2026
UK searches for “neurodiversity training” rose by 900% in the first quarter of 2026. That’s not a trend driven by policy compliance. It reflects something more fundamental: organisations are beginning to understand that neurodivergent employees represent a significant proportion of their workforce, and that failing to support them has a direct cost.
The cost is visible in retention. Neurodivergent employees who feel unsupported are more likely to mask, disengage and eventually leave. It shows up in performance: someone who processes information differently but has not been given adjustments to match their working style will consistently underperform relative to their actual capability. And it shows up in recruitment, where candidates who have experienced poor support elsewhere are increasingly selective about where they apply.
The good news is that most effective adjustments are simple. They don’t require a formal diagnosis, a specialist budget or a lengthy HR process. They require managers who know what to look for and feel confident enough to have the conversation.
72% of managers say they feel “not at all confident” discussing neurodiversity with their teams. That gap is where most adjustment programmes fail before they begin. CIPD / Acas, 2024
The adjustment gap: why good intentions aren’t enough
Only 12% of employers have designed their onboarding process with neurodivergent hires in mind. CIPD, 2024 That means that for the vast majority of neurodivergent employees, the first weeks in a new role are structured around processes that don’t work for them. The information comes in the wrong format. The environment is too loud. The feedback loops are too infrequent or too ambiguous.
Many neurodivergent employees have learned to compensate. Masking, as it is known, requires significant cognitive effort. It is exhausting, it reduces performance and over time it is a major driver of burnout. Organisations often misread the result: they see an employee who seems to be coping, and don’t realise the cost at which that coping is happening.
A formal diagnosis is not required before an employer can offer adjustments. The Equality Act 2010 places the duty to make reasonable adjustments on employers whenever a worker is substantially disadvantaged by a provision, criterion or practice, or a physical feature of premises. For many neurodivergent employees, a conversation and a few targeted changes are all it takes.
One of the most common mistakes HR teams make is treating a formal diagnosis as the trigger for a conversation about adjustments. Many neurodivergent employees are undiagnosed or are waiting years for an assessment. The question to ask is not “do they have a diagnosis?” but “is there something we can do to help them work better?”
Ten adjustments most organisations can make this week
The following adjustments are drawn from what we see working consistently across the organisations we support. Most require no specialist tools and no budget. They require a manager who asks the right questions and follows through.
Communication and instructions
- Provide written summaries after verbal briefings. For employees who process auditory information differently, a short written follow-up after a meeting or briefing removes ambiguity and reduces the cognitive load of trying to retain everything in the moment.
- Give clear, specific instructions. Vague briefs like “use your judgement” or “just make it work” create disproportionate stress for many neurodivergent employees. Clear scope, clear expectations and defined success criteria make a significant difference.
- Allow extra time to process and respond. Not every question needs an instant answer. Giving employees the option to come back to a discussion after thinking time produces better outcomes and reduces the anxiety of on-the-spot responses.
Environment and sensory needs
- Provide access to a quiet workspace. Open-plan environments are genuinely difficult for many people with sensory sensitivities. A dedicated quiet zone, a bookable meeting room or permission to work from home on high-concentration days makes a meaningful difference.
- Allow noise-cancelling headphones. This is one of the most low-cost, high-impact adjustments available. For employees with sensory sensitivities or who need to block out distractions to concentrate, it can be transformative.
Structure and planning
- Share meeting agendas in advance. Unexpected topics in meetings can be highly disorienting for some neurodivergent employees. Sending an agenda the day before is a minimal effort with a disproportionate positive impact.
- Build in regular, structured check-ins. Frequent, predictable one-to-ones remove the uncertainty that builds up between infrequent manager conversations. They also create the safety for an employee to raise adjustments before a problem becomes significant.
- Break large projects into defined stages with clear milestones. For employees who experience difficulty with executive function, a large undefined project can be paralysing. Structured milestones make progress visible and reduce the anxiety of working towards a distant deadline.
Feedback and performance
- Give feedback that is specific and direct. Indirect or implicit feedback is easily missed by neurodivergent employees who may not pick up on social cues. Specific, direct and kind feedback lands clearly and gives the employee something concrete to act on.
- Separate performance feedback from broader check-ins. Neurodivergent employees who are managing anxiety about their performance find it difficult to engage with a wellbeing conversation in the same meeting as a performance review. Keeping them separate makes both more effective.
How to find out what someone actually needs
The most important skill in this area is not knowing which adjustments to offer. It is knowing how to ask. Many neurodivergent employees have had poor experiences disclosing their needs at work and are reluctant to do so again. The conversation needs to feel safe, non-judgemental and practical rather than clinical.
A useful starting point is to frame the question around work rather than identity. Instead of asking “do you have any conditions we should know about?”, ask “is there anything about how you prefer to receive information, structure your day or approach your work that would help us support you better?” This shifts the focus from diagnosis to practical preference, and opens the door for the employee to share what they need without labelling themselves.
Not every neurodivergent employee will want to disclose. Some will be unaware of their own neurodivergence. Many of the adjustments in the list above will benefit everyone on a team, regardless of neurotype. Implementing them broadly, rather than waiting for an individual to ask, removes the stigma of having to request special treatment.
The organisations we work with that do this well don’t treat neurodiversity as a compliance issue. They treat it as a talent issue. They understand that the adjustments cost almost nothing and the returns, in performance, retention and culture, are significant. Find out how we support teams with our Neurodiversity Awareness programme.
Build your team’s confidence around neurodiversity
Our Neurodiversity Awareness session gives HR teams and managers the language, the frameworks and the practical skills to support neurodivergent colleagues. Delivered onsite or online across the UK.
Enquire about Neurodiversity Awareness