Reasonable Adjustments at Work: A Practical Guide for Managers, HR and Employees 

Reasonable adjustments come up a lot in neuroinclusion conversations. They also get misunderstood a lot. 

Some managers treat them as a tick-box exercise. Some employees worry that asking for them will make them look difficult. Some HR teams aren't sure where the legal duty starts and ends. This article is for all three. 

What reasonable adjustments actually are 

Under the Equality Act 2010, employers in the UK have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. Neurodivergence can meet the threshold for disability under the Act when it has a substantial and long-term impact on day-to-day activities. That covers a lot of people. 

What matters more than the legal framing is the practical one: if a neurodivergent person is struggling at work because of how their brain works, and there's something that would help, it's worth doing. Not just because the law requires consideration of it. Because it works. 

Reasonable adjustments are not special treatment. They're the removal of barriers that shouldn't have been there in the first place.  

 

You don't need a diagnosis to ask for support 

This is probably the most important thing in this article. 

A diagnosis can be helpful. It can give someone language for their experience and, in some cases, open doors to funding like Access to Work. But it isn't a requirement for getting support at work, and it isn't always a requirement for Access to Work either. 

If someone is struggling, that's enough to start a conversation. Support should be based on what someone needs, not what label they have or don't have. 

If you're a manager and someone is finding things difficult, you don't need to wait for a formal diagnosis before exploring what might help. And if you're a neurodivergent employee wondering whether you're "eligible" for support, the answer is: if you're struggling, yes. 

How to have the conversation 

This is where a lot of people get stuck. They know something needs to change, but they're not sure how to start. 

For managers, the simplest approach is also the most effective: ask. Not "do you have a diagnosis?" but "is there anything about how we work that isn't working well for you?" That question opens a door without putting anyone on the spot. 

Create the conditions for an honest conversation. That means privacy, enough time, and no agenda other than to understand what would help. It also means being genuinely curious rather than coming in with a list of solutions. 

For neurodivergent employees, it can help to think through what you actually need before the conversation. Not just what's hard, but what would make it easier. Concrete examples help: "I find it hard to retain information from long verbal briefings, so written follow-ups would really help me" is easier for a manager to act on than "I struggle in meetings." 

You don't need to have all the answers. Sometimes a workplace needs assessment, carried out by someone with expertise in neurodivergence, is the right next step. What matters is that the conversation starts. 

What adjustments might look like in practice 

Adjustments vary enormously depending on the person, the role and the environment. They don't need to be expensive or complicated. Some of the most effective ones cost nothing at all. 

Here are some examples across common areas of difficulty. 

Concentration and focus Dedicated focus time with a "do not disturb" signal. Single-task working rather than constant context-switching. Flexible working to avoid peak distraction times. Regular short breaks rather than powering through. 

Memory and organisation Written instructions as a follow-up to verbal ones. Shared meeting notes so the pressure isn't on the individual. Split deadlines rather than one large final deadline. Templates to reduce the cognitive load of routine tasks. 

Sensory needs A quieter workspace or the option to work from home on high-demand days. Noise-cancelling headphones. A fixed desk in a hot-desking environment. 55-minute meetings to build in transition time. 

Communication Clear, specific instructions rather than abstract ones. Flexibility in how someone communicates, for example written messages rather than always verbal. An interview buddy or work trial instead of a traditional interview format. 

Literacy and reading Speech-to-text or text-to-speech software. Coloured overlays or background colour changes. Extra time for reading tasks. A proofreading buddy for important written work. 

Emotional regulation and anxiety Breaks to regulate without judgment. Regular one-to-ones that aren't just performance-focused. Reduced or eliminated incoming phone calls where the role allows. 

This list is not exhaustive and it's not prescriptive. The right adjustments are the ones that work for the individual in their specific role and environment. 

What happens after the conversation 

Agreeing adjustments is the start, not the end. 

Put them in writing, even informally. An email summarising what was agreed is enough. It protects everyone and means there's something to refer back to. 

Build in a review. Adjustments that work well in January might need revisiting in June if the role has changed or the person's needs have shifted. A short check-in every few months, specifically focused on how the adjustments are working, keeps things from drifting. 

And when something isn't working, say so. Adjustments are allowed to evolve. That's not a failure, it's the process working as it should. 

What good looks like 

Don't wait for formal disclosure before checking in. Creating the conditions for honest conversations regularly, not just when something has gone wrong, makes a bigger difference than any formal process. A simple "is there anything about how we work that isn't working well for you?" asked routinely and genuinely opens more doors than most managers expect. 

Ask before you suggest. It's tempting to offer solutions early, especially when you want to help. But the most effective adjustments come from understanding what someone actually needs, not from a well-intentioned guess. Ask first. Listen properly. Then explore options together. 

Treat adjustments as flexible. Needs change. Roles change. What worked six months ago might not be working now, and that's fine. A regular, low-key check-in specifically about how adjustments are working keeps things from drifting without anyone noticing. 

Keep it proportionate. A lot of effective adjustments are small. A standing check-in to review priorities. Written confirmation after verbal conversations. Permission to use headphones. You don't need a formal process to make a practical change that helps someone right now. 

And remember that reasonable doesn't mean unlimited. The duty is to be thoughtful and to genuinely try, not to agree to everything regardless of feasibility. If something isn't workable, it's fine to explore alternatives together. 

If you're a neurodivergent employee reading this 

You're allowed to ask. You don't need to justify yourself extensively or produce evidence of difficulty. A clear, practical request is enough to start with. 

If you're not sure what you need, that's fine too. Starting the conversation is the important bit. You can figure out the specifics together. 

And if a previous request didn't go well, or you've been put off asking before, it might be worth trying again, either with the same manager or through HR. The quality of these conversations varies a lot, and one bad experience doesn't mean support isn't available. 

The bigger picture 

Reasonable adjustments matter. They also have limits. 

The most neuroinclusive workplaces aren't the ones that have the best adjustment processes. They're the ones that have designed their environments, their systems and their cultures in ways that work for more people from the start, reducing the need for individual adjustments in the first place. 

That's the longer-term work. In the meantime, getting adjustments right and having the conversations well makes a real difference to real people. And that's worth doing. 

Hayley Brackley is a neuroinclusion consultant, executive coach and speaker. She works with HR teams, managers and senior leaders to build workplaces that work for everyone. Get in touch if you'd like to explore working together.