Briefcas EMPLOYMENT
Flexible working agreements
Allow remote working where possible, flexible working hours and quiet spaces for use when required.
Clear and concise communication
Organise structured meetings followed by a written overview, encourage regular email communications between teams and departments, and have regular check-ins with neurodivergent employees.
Inclusive recruitment practices
Consider alternatives to the standard interview procedure, such as work trials or assessed tasks.
Additional considerations ACAS also raises the following points [ 1 ]:
• An employee does not have to inform their employer that they are neurodivergent
• Talking about neurodiversity is encouraged within the workplace, to help employers understand how to support employees in their roles
• If an employee discloses they are neurodivergent they should be taken seriously and offered support regardless of when they make the disclosure
• Sometimes employees may not want to disclose their neurodivergence because they are worried about receiving a negative reaction, so employers should make the workplace neuroinclusive.
Employee performance
Employers must not discriminate against neurodivergent employees when dealing with issues associated with their performance; this relates to their conduct( an employee ' s behaviour at work) and their capability( an employee ' s ability to do their job) [ 6 ].
Before implementing any formal performance procedure against a neurodivergent employee, an employer should make sure they have taken all reasonable steps to support the employee.
Employers should also consider dealing with any issues informally in the first instance, for example, through reasonable adjustments, an Access to Work scheme or relevant training.
A universal approach
Not all neurodivergent people have received a diagnosis, which is compounded by long waits for assessments. Those with a diagnosis may not want to make themselves known, and there is no requirement for them to do so. Therefore, Birkbeck, University of London [ 7 ] suggests that organisations should design a universal approach to their infrastructure, which is inclusive of all staff and helps to prevent issues before they arise. The university has created a document [ 8 ] to support employers, which covers the whole employee lifecycle.
Further information https:// www. acas. org. uk / neurodiversity-at-work
https:// www. cipd. org / uk / knowledge / guides / neuroinclusion-work /
https:// www. vetlife. org. uk / neurodiversity /
https:// www. vetlife. org. uk / wp-content / uploads / 2024 / 06 / Vetlife-Neurodiversity-12June2024. pdf
https:// leademployer. merseywestlancs. nhs. uk / media / Documents / Disability % 20Support / Neurodiversity _ Guidance _ v1.1. pdf
REFERENCES
1 ACAS. Making your organisation neuroinclusive. Available from: https:// www. acas. org. uk / neurodiversity-at-work / making-yourorganisation-neuroinclusive [ Accessed 23 April 2025 ].
2 Attention Deficit Disorder Association. ADHD Hyperfocus: The Secret Weapon to Unleashing Productivity and Creativity. Available from: https:// add. org / adhd-hyperfocus [ Accessed 24 June 2025 ].
3 MyDisabilityJobs. Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Statistics: Update 2024. Available from: https:// mydisabilityjobs. com / statistics / neurodiversity-in-the-workplace /# neurodiversity-statistics [ Accessed 24 June 2025 ].
4 Gov. uk. Employment prospects for neurodiverse people set to be boosted with launch of new expert panel. Available from: https:// www. gov. uk / government / news / employment-prospects-forneurodiverse-people-set-to-be-boosted-with-launch-of-newexpert-panel [ Accessed 24 June 2025 ].
5 Neurodiversity in Business. Neurodiversity in Business: Research Report 2024. Available from: https:// www. neurodiversityinbusiness. org / research / nib-and-university-of-birkbeck-researchreport-2024 / [ Accessed 27 June 2025 ].
6 ACAS. Neurodiversity at work: performance, conduct and capability. Available from: https:// www. acas. org. uk / neurodiversity-at-work / performance-conduct-and-capability [ Accessed 27 June 2025 ].
7 Birkbeck, University of London. Birkbeck Research Blog: Intersectional stigma at work. Available from: https:// research. blogs. bbk. ac. uk / tag / inclusion / [ Accessed 23 June 2025 ].
8 Birkbeck, University of London. Universal Design for ND at Work. Available from: https:// www. bbk. ac. uk / documents / universal-designacross-the-employee-life-cycle. pdf [ Accessed 27 June 2025 ].
For advice on employment matters, contact the BVNA Members Advisory Service( BMAS) at advisoryservice @ bvna. co. uk.
Volume 40( 4) • August 2025
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