What do best practice benefits to support neurodiversity include?

Almost a third (30%) of workplace professionals said their managers were not very confident regarding conversations on reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent employees, according to VinciWorks’ April 2026 research. In order to tackle this, organisations could explore the type of neurodiversity support they offer in the workplace and what reasonable adjustments mean for their staff. 

Neurodiverse conditions includes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, and while some employees may not have a formal diagnosis of one or more of these, they may still experience difficulties with concentration, organisation and processing speed. Others may also have communication or sensory sensitivities. 

Some of these conditions might also not be apparent in an everyday working situation, says Edward Watling, head of health and wellbeing benefits at Mattioli Woods,

“A person with dysgraphia will struggle with writing, but if their day job involves moving supplies around a warehouse on a fork-lift, it might not be easily spotted,” he explains. ”It is also common for neurodivergent people to have more than one condition, such as ADHD and dyslexia together.” 

Some neurodivergent employees may have spent years masking or trying to fit into workplace environments that were not designed with them in mind. Tracey Paxton, clinical director at Perkbox, says: “As a result, they may be highly capable and successful, but also exhausted, overwhelmed or struggling in silence.”  

They may also feel unable to discuss their adjustment needs at work; Department for Work and Pensions’ research, published in February 2024, found that only a third of autistic employees felt able to do this. Meanwhile, of those who did, a quarter had proposed adjustments refused. This opens up an opportunity for employers to implement neurodiverse support to ensure their working environment is inclusive to all. 

Support pre and post-diagnosis

Half of neurodivergent employees have taken time off work due to their neurodivergence, according to City and Guilds’ March 2024 Neurodiversity Index. With this in mind, offering the right support and ensuring best practice has never been more important.  

Waiting lists for adult ADHD and autism assessments can be long, particularly within NHS services. This can leave some people struggling. One way employers can support this is by including neurodiversity assessments within their private medical insurance (PMI) policies so employees can bypass waiting lists. 

However, Watling says: “With the current rates of PMI premium increases, adding what might be expensive neurodivergent services is often beyond budgets. Some health cash plan providers will allow members to use specialist consultation benefit allowance towards the cost of obtaining a diagnosis as a low-cost form of support. Help for neurodiverse dependents might also be available from employee assistance programmes, such as support for stress or assistance in finding suitable childcare.” 

Employers can also offer paid or unpaid time off for assessments and occupational health referrals to support diagnostic pathways and post-diagnosis. Dependents can be added to PMI or health cash plans so they can access these too.

While an official diagnosis can be useful in employees understanding themselves and their needs, employers should offer support and adjustments whether or not someone has one. These should be person-focused, so asking what employees need is critical. 

Rebecca Sterry, interim chief executive officer at autism research and campaigning charity Autistica, says: “Often, a lack of understanding among line managers and employees remains a barrier to implementing reasonable adjustments, so training is needed across organisations. The government’s Access to Work scheme can offer support to employees with or without a formal diagnosis, but may be difficult to access due to its high demand.”

Post-diagnosis support will depend on the specific condition and what support employees require. It should also be noted that the statutory duty for employers is only to make reasonable adjustments so long as an employee’s condition has met the definition of a disability under the Equality Act 2010. A formal diagnosis is not needed for support and adjustments to be considered. 

How well an adjustment deals with the disadvantage caused to an employee will be considered, along with cost and practicality, explains Aparna Sudhir, solicitor at Winckworth Sherwood.

“Best practice would be flexible hours or altered break patterns, quiet workspaces, and assistive technology such as speech-to-text, mind-mapping tools and noise-cancelling headphones,” she says. ”Clear written instructions and structured workflows, and adjustments to performance management processes such as clarity in goals and reduced sensory pressures also help.”  

Parents and carers of neurodivergent children would benefit from flexible working for appointments or if they need to take leave at short notice. Paid or unpaid carer leave, or building this into standard parental leave, can be beneficial too. 

Post-diagnosis, organisations could offer counselling support and education programmes for employees of neurodiverse children. Wellbeing resources, mental wellbeing apps or helplines can offer ongoing or in-the-moment support, which can also be available to dependents. 

Jamie Tuffield, consulting team lead, Europe people solutions, at Lockton, says: “Some insurer add-ons will include coaching sessions to help manage how neurodiversity impacts employees and their roles, as well as medication reviews after a period of time to make sure employees are supported effectively.”

More employers are putting adjustments in place without waiting for a diagnosis, adds Michelle Carson, chairwoman of talent advisory and executive search firm Holmes and Noble,

“Best practice should include private meeting or deep work spaces to get away from the distractions of an open plan environment,” she explains. ”There’s also a shift towards structuring work more deliberately day to day, such as predictable workflows, more disciplined meetings, and creating environments that better support focused work.”

Adapting communication and environments

Having an inclusive environment is key, as is the understanding that support should be tailored to the specific employee, how their condition affects them and their role. Supporting neurodivergent employees should involve recognising different ways of thinking and working, and creating workplaces where they do not have to hide who they are in order to succeed.

In short, best practice is about creating a genuinely neuroinclusive culture, explains Sterry.

“This should start with designing management practices with neurodivergent employees in mind, making support easy to access, and regularly listening about what is and isn’t working,” she says. ”It’s important to be clear on what’s available and stress that taking advantage of these will not affect career progression.” 

Awareness and understanding of neurodiversity can be built through manager and employee training and guidance, as well as developing a specific neurodiversity policy, or including it within diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Reasonable adjustment passport systems can help employees, managers, HR with navigating and disclosing diagnoses, and building helpful data for the future, adds Carson.

“Absence and productivity rates are impacted by poor environments and work structure,” she says. ”If set up correctly, however, employees can perform at their best and employers see a return on their investment.” 

DEI employee groups with neurodiverse members, and wellbeing and neurodiverse committees, can encourage more open conversations so neurodiverse staff feel able to ask for support when they need it. These help strengthen inclusive practices and ensure staff feel heard, seen and respected. 

Small changes in how organisations communicate can make a difference to employees’ confidence, performance and wellbeing. Offering communication options, such as webinars, presentations or one-to-ones, are useful. 

“It’s important to think about how to communicate with affected employees in an inclusive way, and be mindful that certain communication modes or times could be more challenging,” says Tuffield.

Employers should equip and support managers to have respectful conversations about adjustments. They could offer more time for processing information and clearer deadlines and instructions.

“Best practice is about creating a culture where people feel safe to disclose, ask for support and work in a way that allows them to perform at their best,” says Paxton.