ADHD and Autism at Work: Adjustments That Actually Happen
Around one in seven people in the UK are neurodivergent. Most workplaces now say they welcome neurodivergent talent, but saying it and building for it are different things. The gap shows up in the adjustments process: unclear how to ask, inconsistent answers, and agreements that fade after three months.
For many people with ADHD or autism, their condition meets the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability, which means the legal duty to make reasonable adjustments applies, whether or not the word "disability" feels like a fit personally.
The disclosure problem
Disclosure is the hardest step. Employees weigh the risk of being seen differently against the cost of struggling in silence. The single biggest factor in that decision is whether the organisation has a clear, trusted process, or whether disclosure means an improvised conversation with an unprepared manager.
Adjustments that make the difference
- ADHD: written follow-ups after meetings, deadline reminders, permission to use noise-cancelling headphones, breaking large projects into staged deliverables, protected focus time.
- Autism: clear written expectations, advance notice of changes, structured meeting agendas, a consistent desk or quiet workspace, alternatives to open-plan hot-desking.
- Both: judging output rather than presenteeism, and a named route to revisit adjustments when the role changes.
How TryMosaic helps
TryMosaic replaces the improvised conversation with a structured one. Employees choose from 177 adjustments across 18 categories (or propose their own) and share only what’s relevant to work, not their diagnosis. Managers get clarity on what to action, and every agreement is tracked so it survives reorganisations, new managers, and time.