Being neurodivergent will often amount to a disability as defined by law and so employers need to be aware of the duty to make reasonable adjustments. This is not always straightforward as the particular needs of neurodivergent employees will vary greatly from person to person.

Some examples of reasonable adjustments that employers may consider for a neurodivergent employee (or applicant for employment) are as follows:-

• Allowing a candidate for a job to see interview questions in advance to allow them some additional time to process the question and formulate their answer
• Allowing later start times or making the working day shorter
• Allowing more regular breaks
• Providing a space where they can decompress / regulate if they feel overwhelmed
• Allowing the use of noise-cancelling headphones
• Giving instructions in writing if the employee has auditory processing or memory difficulties
• Providing assistive technologies to help boost the employee’s productivity

Since every neurodivergent person is different, we would recommend having an open discussion with your employee to establish what reasonable adjustments will help them. There may be times when they are coping well and don’t need much in the way of support or adjustment and other times where additional support is required.

For more advice on this or any other employment law matter, please get in touch.