Table of Contents
Acas guidance on neurodiversity at work gives UK employers a practical framework for supporting neurodivergent staff fairly and consistently. This guide explains what that guidance says, where Equality Act 2010 duties begin and end, how managers can talk about individual needs, which workplace changes to try and how to review them, and how to build inclusive practice across recruitment, policies and management.
What does Acas say about neurodiversity at work?
Acas treats neurodiversity as an everyday workplace matter rather than a specialist one. Its guidance focuses on understanding people as individuals, having supportive conversations and making practical changes to how work is done.
Neurodiversity and neurodivergence
Neurodiversity describes the natural variation in how people’s brains behave and process information. The term covers everyone in your workforce, not only people who think differently from the majority.
Neurodivergence describes an individual whose way of processing information differs from what is considered typical. ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia are common examples, but a label alone never tells you what support someone needs.
What the Acas guidance covers
The Acas guidance on neurodiversity at work starts with understanding neurodiversity and talking about it with staff. It also covers performance, conduct and capability, and how organisations can become more inclusive overall.
A companion page, Adjustments for neurodiversity, sets out practical examples. These include changes to the working environment, to communication and to the way work is organised.
Understanding individual differences
Neurodivergent people can have very different workplace needs, even when they share the same diagnosis, according to Acas. Two autistic employees may want quite different things from their manager.
That is why Acas advises employers not to assume someone’s strengths, difficulties or preferred adjustments from a label. Ask the person what gets in the way of their work and what would help.
Language matters too. Acas recommends listening to the terms a worker uses about themselves and, where appropriate, asking which terms they prefer.
What are employers’ legal duties?
The law and good practice overlap but are not the same thing. Knowing where the statutory duty applies helps you avoid under-reacting to a legal obligation or treating every request as a legal test.
When neurodivergence may be a disability
In Great Britain, the Equality Act 2010 defines disability as a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities. “Long-term” generally means lasting, or expected to last, at least 12 months.
A neurodivergent person, including someone with ADHD, may meet this definition, but does not do so automatically. Nor is a formal medical diagnosis needed: the effects on the person matter. The Equality Act does not generally apply in Northern Ireland, which has its own disability discrimination regime.
When reasonable adjustments are required
The duty can arise when an employer knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that a worker is disabled and faces a relevant disadvantage. An explicit disclosure is only one way that knowledge can arise; observed difficulties can also be enough.
Where the duty applies, you must take reasonable steps to avoid substantial disadvantage caused by a workplace provision, criterion or practice, a physical feature, or the absence of an auxiliary aid. Treating a disabled worker exactly like everyone else does not necessarily meet that duty.
Whether an adjustment is reasonable depends on its likely effectiveness, practicality, cost, your resources and its impact on others. Our guide to reasonable adjustments in UK workplaces explains how to weigh these factors.
Support beyond the statutory duty
Acas recommends making ordinary workplace support accessible even where the legal duty has not been established. Clear instructions or a quieter desk can help many people without anyone needing to prove a disability.
General support does not replace an individual adjustment the law requires. If the duty applies, you still need to consider that person’s circumstances specifically.
In England, Scotland and Wales, Access to Work can give eligible workers support beyond the employer’s duty. It does not replace or subsidise that duty, and it does not operate in Northern Ireland.
How should managers discuss a worker’s needs?
Most support starts with a conversation. Handled well, it builds trust and surfaces practical barriers early; handled badly, it can feel intrusive or accusatory.
Start with the work, not a label
If you suspect neurodivergence, Acas advises against asking directly whether the worker has a particular condition. Talk instead about the difficulties you have observed and what might help. Keep the discussion confidential unless the worker agrees otherwise.
- Describe what you have seen: for example, “I’ve noticed a few deadlines have slipped recently.”
- Ask about the work: “Is the way work is organised making deadlines harder?”
- Invite ideas: “Would a change to how tasks are set out help?”
- Agree next steps: note what you will try and when you will talk again.
Salusphere Global advises agreeing with the worker what information may be shared, with whom and how. This protects confidentiality and gives the person control over their own story.
Offer support without demanding proof
Acas says employers should offer support whether or not a worker has a diagnosis. No one has to tell their employer they are neurodivergent.
A worker may choose to provide evidence such as a diagnostic letter. Support should not depend on a formal diagnosis. Where further information would help identify suitable adjustments, discuss this sensitively with the worker and explain why it is needed.
When someone is awaiting an assessment, you can still discuss current barriers and practical changes. You do not need to decide whether they have the suspected condition to support neurodivergent employees effectively.
Respond during formal workplace processes
Some workers share their neurodivergence only once a formal procedure has begun. Acas advises taking them seriously and offering support at that point. Before any performance, conduct or capability action, consider whether you have done what you reasonably can, including relevant adjustments. Moving straight to formal action can harm wellbeing and lead to a tribunal claim.
Where suitable changes are unclear, you can ask whether the worker agrees to an occupational health assessment. They do not automatically have to agree, and you remain responsible for workplace decisions.
Which workplace changes can employers try?
Acas encourages a trial-and-review approach. The right choice depends on the particular barrier and the person facing it.
Make communication and tasks clearer
Salusphere Global recommends considering clear written instructions, written follow-up to verbal instructions and meeting summaries, according to individual need.
- Written information: reading or writing software, information broken into clear steps and extra time to read or complete tasks.
- Organising tasks: visual planners, reminders and breaking work into smaller tasks.
- Priorities: regular check-ins and clearly stated priorities and deadlines.
These changes suit the missed-deadline conversation described earlier. A task list with agreed check-ins may resolve the problem without any formal process.
Adapt the environment and working arrangements
Where noise makes concentration difficult, Acas suggests exploring headphones, ear defenders, earplugs or a quiet place to work. Other options include changes to lighting or layout, regular breaks, a standing desk or a fixed workstation. Depending on the role, predictable schedules, advance warning of changes, flexible hours or remote or hybrid working may also reduce barriers. Our page on workplace adjustments for autistic employees gives further examples.
Record and review what works
Acas recommends identifying the specific barrier with the worker, trying a suitable change and checking together whether it reduces the disadvantage. Technology helps only if it meets that person’s needs. A written record should state the barrier, the agreed change, who will put it in place and when it will be reviewed. Acas describes a reasonable-adjustments passport as one way to keep it.
Acas gives every six months as an example review interval, not a statutory deadline. Review sooner when the role, equipment, workplace or the person’s circumstances change. If you decline a request, explain why, record the decision and discuss effective alternatives for the same barrier.
How can employers build inclusive practice?
Individual adjustments matter, but inclusive workplaces also depend on systems that work for people before they have to ask. Taking proactive steps across hiring, policy and management reduces the number of barriers you need to fix later.
Review recruitment and workplace policies
Acas recommends reviewing recruitment processes that might unnecessarily exclude neurodivergent applicants, including offering different ways to complete an application.
- Pre-offer questions: in Great Britain, section 60 of the Equality Act 2010 generally restricts health or disability questions before a job offer, with exceptions such as arranging assessment adjustments.
- Clear policies: explain the support available and state that a diagnosis is not required to access it.
- Visible support: awareness activities, induction information and staff networks, without obliging anyone to disclose.
The section 60 exceptions also allow questions needed to establish whether an applicant can perform an intrinsic part of the job.
Use research to identify gaps
An Acas survey of 1,650 line managers, reported in January 2025, found that 72% saw non-disclosure of adjustment needs as a barrier. In the same survey, 59% cited lack of manager knowledge. A further 39% said managers found adjustment conversations difficult.
In an Acas survey of 1,000 employees in Great Britain, published in March 2026, 32% thought their organisation trained managers effectively on adjustments for neurodivergent colleagues, while 35% thought it did not. Another 32% did not know. A September 2026 government evidence review on recruiting disabled people found 15 moderate- or high-quality studies, with limited UK evidence for smaller employers.
Develop managers’ skills and support
Acas recommends training managers on reasonable adjustments and discrimination, and including neurodiversity in awareness or equality training where possible. Salusphere Global offers tailored neurodiversity in the workplace training: an online introductory webinar, a workplace champion workshop and a manager workshop covering immediate adjustments and longer-term support.
We also carry out workplace needs assessments, with a written report of suggested adjustments and implementation steps. Alongside practical advice, this helps organisations make managing neurodiversity in the workplace part of everyday practice, improving both inclusion and wellbeing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is neurodiversity a disability under the Equality Act 2010?
No. Neurodiversity describes variation among people and is not a disability category in itself. An individual neurodivergent person, including someone with ADHD, may meet the legal definition, but not automatically, and a formal diagnosis is not required. The duty concerns substantial disadvantage, meaning more than a minor or trivial difficulty.
Why are reasonable adjustment decisions sometimes delayed?
Government research reported in September 2026 reviewed 66 tribunal judgments, interviewed 30 experts and surveyed 24 Acas conciliators. It identified unclear procedures and problems with decisions and implementation, noting that smaller employers may have limited HR capacity. Acas research with 30 participants found requests were sometimes treated as performance or conduct issues.
What does a workplace needs assessment look at?
It identifies barriers linked to the role and examines environmental and procedural factors affecting the person’s work. In England, Scotland and Wales, Access to Work may add support for eligible workers, but it does not replace the employer’s duty and does not operate in Northern Ireland.
Want practical support with neurodiversity at work? Contact Salusphere Global to discuss manager training or a workplace needs assessment tailored to your organisation.
