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To be unclear is to be unkind: neurodiversity and the trust trap

“To be clear is to be kind. To be unclear is to be unkind.” Brene Brown.

Not long ago, someone I worked with was struggling in their role. They were not hitting targets. Their team was frustrated. Their manager did not know what to do. On paper, it appeared to be a poor performance.

But what was really going on?

The expectations had not been made clear. The communication was patchy. The rules of engagement were never agreed upon, and in that silence the individual began to spiral. They grew anxious. They began to feel scrutinised. At one point, they wondered aloud whether spyware had been installed on their device to track their every move. It had not. Their manager was not surveilling them. But the damage was done.

A seed of doubt had been planted. And it did not grow in a vacuum: it grew in the rich soil of silence.

To be unclear is to be unkind: miscommunication is costly

Misunderstandings like this do not just cost time: they erode trust. They create stories where none exist. They lead people to feel unseen, unheard, and unsafe.

And it is not just an interpersonal issue. A recent poll found that employees spend around 7.5 hours per week dealing with miscommunication, nearly 20% of their working week, and that the majority of workers say unclear communication directly wastes their time.

Now imagine this playing out in a neurodivergent workplace.

To be unclear is to be unkind: why ambiguity is a stress state for neurodivergent employees

For many neurodivergent people, whether autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, or otherwise, ambiguity does not feel like flexibility. It feels like a risk.

No clarity on how to ask for help? It may not feel safe to try. No defined expectations on output? Someone might keep tweaking endlessly or freeze entirely. No shared rules of engagement? They may assume they are doing everything wrong and start bracing for the fallout.

It is easy to label this as oversensitivity or paranoia. But these are often people who have experienced unclear communication as a consistent barrier, sometimes a threat to their credibility or psychological safety. That context matters.

The danger of assumptions

When there is a communication gap, people do not simply sit in the unknown. They fill that gap. And rarely generously.

In the story above, the employee assumed they were being monitored. Why? Because no one had said otherwise. There was no transparency about how performance was being assessed. Silence left room for doubt.

From the manager’s side, they assumed the employee understood what was expected. They thought they would speak up if something was wrong. Two people, two different stories, neither with bad intentions. But assumption, silence, and vagueness created a trust gap that neither side knew how to close.

5 communication practices for managers working with neurodivergent teams

1. Paint done: show what good looks like

Do not just say “make sure this is finished by Friday.” Spell out what done means: what the final deliverable looks like, where it should be stored, who needs to review it, and what should happen if things go off track. This removes guesswork and saves hours of rework and anxiety.

2. Set and revisit rules of engagement

Especially in hybrid or remote teams, clarify which tools are used for what, the expected response time, how people should flag when they are overwhelmed or stuck, and what a successful check-in looks like. This is not rigidity: it is shared scaffolding. For neurodivergent employees, that scaffolding can make or break performance.

3. Make the trust conversation explicit

Rather than assuming trust is implied, say it directly: “I do not monitor every move. I look at results, communication, and outcomes. If something is unclear, I want us to be able to talk about it early, not after the fact.” Creating a shared expectation that talking about the process is part of the process changes everything.

4. Use curiosity rather than assumption

Instead of “Why did you not do this?”, try “Help me understand how you approached this” or “What was your understanding of the ask?” These questions keep the conversation open and uncover the real root of the problem without putting people on the defensive.

5. Name and challenge your own assumptions

Assumptions are easy to miss. You assume someone is disengaged because they are quiet. You assume they understood the deadline. You assume they prefer async communication. Start naming these internally before taking action. When you model that kind of thinking, your team learns to do the same.

Trust is not just built: it is repaired, revisited, and re-clarified

No team gets this right all the time. Miscommunications will happen. But the difference lies in what happens next.

When you lead from the belief that misunderstandings are not failures but invitations, you create environments where neurodivergent employees can focus on their strengths rather than burning energy decoding vague signals.

Clarity is not control. Clarity is care.

Ready to build more neuroinclusive communication in your organisation?

If this resonates and you would like practical support in building clearer, kinder communication across your teams, our talks and workshops give managers and HR leaders the tools to make this shift in practice.

For one-to-one support, our coaching offer helps both managers and neurodivergent employees build strategies that work. And if a more structured assessment of an individual’s workplace needs would be a useful starting point, our Workplace Needs Assessment packages provide a clear, evidence-based route forward.

You are welcome to get in touch to discuss a specific situation, or sign up for our newsletter for monthly insights on supporting neurodivergent employees at work.

Two people walking through a park with speech bubbles over their heads. showing why movement in coaching matters.

Movement in coaching: The power of unleashed thinking

Introduction

When we think about coaching, we’ll often picture the coach and coachee sitting rigidly face to face in a quiet room, but the truth is, this doesn’t work for everyone. Lots of us need movement in coaching. Human connection in a professional context is often misunderstood, and traditional fixed-position coaching can sometimes create barriers to meaningful conversation. If we shift the physical context of our interactions, we can unlock deeper, more meaningful growth.

Movement in coaching: Why it matters

Think about the ways in which we build relationships in our personal lives; we may go for a hike, engage in a class or share a drink in the pub. Similarly, we build connections in our professional lives by having lunch together or collaborating on a project. These side-by-side interactions create a psychological safety zone where conversation flows naturally. Neurologically, movement triggers different parts of the brain than a sedentary conversation, releasing endorphins and increasing blood flow to the brain. This, in turn, reduces anxiety and enhances cognitive function. Many people simply find it easier to process complex thoughts when their hands or bodies are otherwise engaged. Far from being a weakness, this is just a different path to meaningful connection.

The “Sandwiching” effect: Doubling the benefit

This curious term speaks to the powerful method of movement-based coaching, which addresses two critical human needs in a single activity. Put simply, we’re working on our cognitive processing and emotional expression while simultaneously addressing the fundamental need for physical movement. The fact is that in Western Europe, a sedentary lifestyle has become the norm, and we simply do not move enough. This can have a significant impact on our physical and mental health, including increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders as well as anxiety and depression.

Introducing a dual-purpose activity can:

  • Enhance cognitive function and emotional processing
  • Contribute to vital daily physical activity
  • Reduce the total time spent sedentary
  • Model healthy behaviour integration
  • Make movement feel purposeful rather than obligatory

This “sandwiching” approach recognises that our physical and mental well-being are not separate domains but deeply interconnected aspects of our lives. Any opportunity to address both simultaneously represents an efficient and holistic approach to health and development.

Personal Connection: Finding words through action

Working on something together, whether that’s building a fence or fixing a car, triggers a bonding process. As we measure, cut, and secure each piece, we tend to open up, sharing stories about the challenges we’ve faced. This rarely happens when we’re sat face to face in a conventional setting because the rhythm of the work creates a safe container for vulnerability.

Even during difficult moments, perhaps after a significant failure or disappointment, it’s often during a walk that the most healing conversations happen. With the subtle distraction of movement and without the pressure of being face-to-face, people can voice their shame and uncertainty without the intensity of direct eye contact, which many find uncomfortable. These experiences reveal something fundamental about how many individuals access deeper parts of themselves through shared activity.

Coaching on the move: What it looks like

Walking sessions create a natural rhythm for conversation. Whether strolling through a park or urban environment or even pacing a hallway during a phone call, the steady movement helps pace the dialogue. The changing scenery can also serve as metaphorical touchpoints, inspiring new perspectives as the physical landscape shifts.

Activity-based coaching incorporates purposeful tasks, such as gardening together, playing sports or organising a space. These activities provide natural breaks in conversation, allowing insights to be integrated without awkward silences. They also create metaphorical opportunities—pruning what no longer serves, building something new, creating order from chaos.

Even in driving sessions or workshop environments where people can fidget, tinker, or build while talking, this can be transformative. When we’re semi-focused on using a tool or controlling a vehicle, this often bypasses the analytical brain’s censors, allowing more authentic expression.

When movement is essential

For some people, movement is vital for effective communication as they are simply unable to process information and articulate thoughts while sitting still. When we see somebody fidgeting or pacing, we can sometimes assume that they’re bored or stressed but, in reality, many folks need this movement in order to regulate sensory input and therefore focus on the conversation. When forced to remain still, mental resources get diverted to the effortful task of controlling the body rather than engaging with the discussion.

Movement-based coaching allows people to access their full cognitive capabilities without unnecessary physical constraints. This isn’t accommodation—it’s optimisation.

The benefits of non-traditional coaching spaces

If sustained eye contact makes you anxious or uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Evolution has programmed sustained eye contact as either an intimacy or dominance signal, which can hinder professional growth. During coaching, side-by-side positioning neutralises this tension.

Movement also helps people to navigate emotionally charged topics. The physical outlet helps prevent emotional overwhelm when discussing challenging issues like career transitions, relationship struggles, or identity questions. The body processes stress while the mind processes insights.

The most powerful, action-oriented coaching embodies the very change that thinkers seek. There’s an elegant alignment between walking a new path physically, whilst exploring new directions mentally. The coach and thinker literally move forward together, reinforcing the journey metaphor at the core of personal development.

Addressing our movement deficit

The evidence is compelling: as societies become more technologically advanced, our physical activity levels have plummeted. The average adult in Western Europe spends a staggering 9-10 hours daily in sedentary positions—at desks, in cars, or on couches. This represents a dramatic shift from our evolutionary history and carries significant health consequences.

By integrating movement into professional interactions, such as coaching, we begin to address this deficit in small but meaningful ways. A 45-minute walking coaching session might contribute 4,000-5,000 steps to a person’s day—almost half of the recommended daily target for adults. Over time, these movement-integrated sessions can help establish healthier lifestyles and show us that work and physical activity don’t need to be separate entities.

The beauty of this approach is that it doesn’t require additional time to be taken out of already busy schedules. Instead, it transforms necessary conversations into opportunities for physical movement, making the most efficient use of limited time resources.

Resistance is natural, but it doesn’t last

Initial scepticism about unconventional coaching approaches is common. “Shouldn’t we be sitting down for a serious conversation?” some might wonder. Others worry that walking or activity-based sessions might seem unprofessional or lack focus. Yet, most people who try movement-based coaching quickly recognise its benefits. Many report feeling more at ease, having unexpected breakthroughs and retaining insights better than in traditional settings. The informality of the format often becomes the very thing that enables formal progress for people who struggle to articulate feelings in office settings. Reduced performance pressure and increased neurological activation can therefore create an ideal learning state.

Adapting to individual needs

We need to recognise that coaching is far from “one size fits all” and that different people require different formats in different circumstances. Consider offering different options based on the topic, energy levels, weather, or individual preference. Some sessions might benefit from a face-to-face focus, while others need the creative stimulus of movement or activity.

Creating psychological safety through movement in coaching

Our traditional coaching environment can sometimes inadvertently create power dynamics that heighten vulnerability. The formal setting, the coach behind a desk and the expectation to maintain composure can all trigger performance anxiety rather than authentic exploration. Movement tends to equalise the relationship. Walking puts the coach and thinker on the same level while activities provide natural opportunities for competence and confidence to emerge. This shift in physical dynamics often translates to psychological safety.

Final thought: Movement in coaching needs to be built for the individual

Effective coaching meets people where they live—not just conceptually but physically by removing unnecessary friction from the growth process through coaching experiences that align with how many individuals naturally process information and emotion.

Movement-based coaching isn’t a gimmick or workaround – far from it. It’s a deliberate approach grounded in psychology, neuroscience, human experience and public health research. By giving people permission to move, fidget, build, or walk, we invite them to bring their full selves into the conversation while simultaneously addressing our societal movement deficit.

The most powerful coaching often happens when we shift not just the things that we discuss but also how and where we engage. For many people, the path to deeper insight starts with a single step—literally.

What is a “Thinker”? 

In thoughtful coaching practice, the term “thinker” rather than “client” describes the individuals we work with. As Clare Pedrick explains in her book Simplifying Coaching, a “thinker” is someone engaged in deliberate reflection, analysis, and meaning-making. Unlike the more transactional term “client,” which can imply a service being delivered to a passive recipient, “thinker” acknowledges the collaborative agency, intelligence, and creative capacity that each person brings to the work.

If you don’t have a copy, grab one here

When we move during coaching sessions, we’re not just exercising our bodies—we’re creating optimal conditions for minds to explore, discover, and transform. By recognising those we work with as thinkers first and foremost, we acknowledge and respect the cognitive and emotional work they’re undertaking, whether that happens while sitting still or in motion.

If you’d like to find out more about my coaching, get in touch for a chat by emailing me here.

What to read next: Neuroinclusive meetings: what an excellent recipe looks like: https://theneurodivergentcoach.co.uk/neuroinclusive-meetings/

A hurdle on grass

What stops Workplace adjustments working

A workplace needs assessment has been completed. Recommendations have been made. Everyone agreed the adjustments made sense. And yet, six months later, very little has changed.

This is one of the most common and frustrating patterns in neurodivergent workplace support. Understanding what stops workplace adjustments working is not just useful, it is essential if you want the investment of time and resource to translate into real, lasting change.

This post explores the barriers that repeatedly come up in practice, grouped by theme, with practical guidance on what HR leaders and managers can do about each one.

What stops workplace adjustments working: the relationship layer

The single most significant factor in whether adjustments succeed or fail is the relationship between the employee and their line manager.

When there is trust and psychological safety, adjustments can be explored collaboratively. When there is not, even well-designed recommendations sit untouched. An employee who does not feel safe raising concerns will not flag when something is not working. A manager who feels blamed or undermined by the process will implement adjustments grudgingly if at all.

Effective adjustment implementation requires:

  • Clarity about what is being asked of the manager and why
  • Genuine openness on both sides to try things, review, and adapt
  • A shared understanding that this is not a judgment on either party

If the working relationship is strained before the assessment begins, that context matters. A good assessor will work with that reality rather than around it.

What stops workplace adjustments working: unclear expectations

Many adjustments fail not because they are wrong, but because neither the manager nor the employee is clear on what success looks like.

Adjustments that are vague  “check in more regularly” or “be flexible about deadlines” leave too much room for misinterpretation. The manager thinks they are doing it. The employee feels nothing has changed. Neither is wrong. The adjustment simply was not specific enough to be actionable.

This is compounded when employees are unsure what good looks like in their role more broadly. If feedback is infrequent, unclear, or inconsistently delivered, even someone who is performing well can feel perpetually uncertain. For neurodivergent employees, that uncertainty carries a disproportionate cognitive and emotional cost.

Clear expectations, delivered consistently and kindly, are one of the most powerful adjustments a manager can make — and they cost nothing.

What stops workplace adjustments working: time, focus, and task management

A significant proportion of workplace adjustment recommendations focus on how work is structured and sequenced. These are often the adjustments that get deprioritised because they require the most ongoing attention.

Common barriers in this area include:

  • Time blindness, making it genuinely difficult to estimate how long tasks will take or to sense urgency without external cues
  • Difficulty switching between tasks, particularly when interrupted
  • Poor planning systems that do not match how the individual actually processes work
  • Focus on challenges that mean open-plan or noisy environments create a consistent drag on performance

These are not motivational problems. They are neurological differences that require practical, specific adjustments: protected focus time, visual task management tools, clear prioritisation support, or a quieter working environment. Where those adjustments are put in place and reviewed regularly, performance typically improves. Where they are agreed once and then forgotten, nothing changes.

What stops workplace adjustments working: the emotional and psychological layer

This is the layer that is least often discussed and most often the root cause of stalled progress.

Shame and fear are quietly present in many neurodivergent employees’ experience of work. Fear of being judged as insufficient. Shame about patterns that have caused difficulty for years. Anxiety about being misunderstood, or about asking for too much. These feelings do not disappear once adjustments are in place. They often shape whether someone is willing to use them.

Masking the effort to appear neurotypical in order to fit in is exhausting and corrosive. When an employee is spending significant energy managing how they appear, there is very little left for the actual work. Adjustments that reduce the need to mask are among the most impactful, but they require managers to actively create an environment where difference is genuinely accepted, not just tolerated.

Perfectionism and overworking are also common, particularly in high performers who have learned to compensate for their difficulties by working harder than anyone else. When energy drops, as it inevitably does, the gap between expectation and output can feel catastrophic. Adjustments that explicitly allow doing less, pacing more carefully, or stopping at a reasonable time are harder to implement than they sound.

What good implementation looks like

Adjustments work best when they are treated as a starting point rather than a fixed solution. What helps at the beginning may need to evolve. Regular check-ins between the employee and their manager, focused specifically on how the adjustments are working, create the conditions for refinement.

The managers who implement adjustments most effectively tend to approach the process with genuine curiosity. They want to understand what is actually happening, not just what the report recommends. They treat the relationship as collaborative and the adjustments as shared experiments.

That mindset cannot be mandated, but it can be developed. Our talks and workshops are specifically designed to build this kind of practical confidence in managers, giving them the knowledge and tools to support neurodivergent employees effectively in the day-to-day.

When to bring in structured support

If adjustments consistently fail to work despite good intentions on both sides, it is worth asking whether the original assessment fully captured what is going on. The ACAS guide on reasonable adjustments is a useful reference point for what the process should involve and what obligations sit with the employer.

Our Workplace Needs Assessment packages are designed to go beyond a standard list of recommendations, providing context, manager involvement, and follow-through support that increase the likelihood of successful implementation. And where ongoing one-to-one support would help an employee embed new strategies, our coaching offer works alongside the assessment process rather than in parallel.

Ready to take the next step?

If you are working through what stops workplace adjustments from working in your organisation, we can help you identify the specific barriers and build a practical plan to address them.

Get in touch to start a conversation, or sign up to our newsletter for monthly insights on supporting neurodivergent employees at work.

Colleague Dynamics at Work Two speech bubbles on a blue background

Colleague dynamics at work: the hidden impact on neurodiversity and what managers can do

Work is not just about tasks. It is a living ecosystem of conversations, expectations, and unspoken rules.

For many people, colleague relationships shape whether they thrive or simply endure the working day. For neurodivergent employees, this impact can be even more pronounced. Subtle tensions, unclear communication, or shifting social dynamics can be difficult to interpret. What might feel like a minor issue to one person can create disproportionate stress, confusion, or distress for another.

This is why colleague dynamics at work are not a soft issue. They are central to performance, wellbeing, and retention and every manager and HR leader needs to understand them.

The hidden layer: what managers often miss

Many workplace challenges are not about capability. They are about context.

A team member might be struggling to focus, appear withdrawn, avoid collaboration, or seem overly sensitive to feedback. But beneath the surface, there may be confusing or inconsistent communication, unspoken tensions within the team, a sense of exclusion from informal networks, or persistent anxiety about being misunderstood.

For someone who finds social interpretation difficult, this can feel like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces. Over time, that uncertainty can lead to increased masking, burnout, reduced confidence, and disengagement.

As the CIPD’s research on neurodivergent employees highlights, the workplace environment and the quality of working relationships are among the most significant factors in whether neurodivergent employees can perform at their best.

Fairness, not sameness: a better approach for managers

Supporting neurodiversity at work is not about treating everyone the same. It is about treating people fairly, with awareness of different needs.

This often involves being curious rather than making assumptions, noticing patterns in team dynamics, creating space for open and non-judgemental conversations, and being willing to experiment with adjustments.

Small changes can have a significant impact. Clarifying expectations and communication styles, addressing tension early rather than letting it build, making implicit team norms more explicit, and checking in regularly rather than only when something goes wrong, these approaches cost little but can change everything.

When dynamics become distressing

In some cases, workplace colleague dynamics can cross into unkindness, exclusion, or persistent misunderstanding.

This might look like being consistently left out of conversations or decisions, communication that feels abrupt or unclear, misinterpretation of tone or intent on both sides, or escalating tension that no one addresses directly. For neurodivergent individuals, these situations can feel intense, personal, and very difficult to resolve without support.

Managers play a crucial role here. Noticing what is happening and stepping in early can prevent significant and unnecessary distress. This does not mean taking sides. It means creating clarity, facilitating understanding, and supporting healthier ways of working together.

The role of Workplace Needs Assessments

A powerful starting point when colleague dynamics are affecting a team member’s performance or well-being is a Workplace Needs Assessment.

These assessments go beyond tasks and look at the full working environment, including colleague dynamics and relationships. They help explore how someone experiences their team, where communication breakdowns may be happening, what is visible to others and what remains hidden, and what practical adjustments could reduce stress and improve performance.

Importantly, they create a structured, supportive space for conversations that might otherwise never happen.

Strengthening teams, not just individuals

While individual support matters, the real opportunity lies in supporting the whole team.

This can include building the building manager’s confidence in handling neurodiversity, improving team understanding and communication, creating shared language around strengths and challenges, and designing ways of working that reduce friction. When teams understand each other better, collaboration improves, misunderstandings reduce, and people spend less energy navigating tension and more on meaningful work.

If you would like to build this kind of understanding across your organisation, our talks and workshops are designed specifically for managers and HR teams who want practical tools for navigating exactly these dynamics. One-to-one coaching is also available for managers who want to build confidence in supporting neurodivergent team members directly.

What to look out for

If you are a manager or HR professional, these questions can be a useful starting point:

  • Does this person feel seen and understood, or are they masking?
  • Are there unspoken tensions affecting their behaviour?
  • Do they feel included in informal networks or isolated?
  • Are they carrying stress that is not immediately visible?
  • Is the team environment helping them succeed, or making things harder?

Sometimes the biggest barriers are not obvious. They sit quietly in day-to-day interactions, and they rarely resolve themselves without someone deciding to look more closely.

Creating workplaces where people can thrive

Recognising the human side of work is not about fixing people. It is about creating conditions where people do not have to carry everything alone.

When managers notice, listen, and act thoughtfully, stress reduces, trust builds, and performance improves. Most importantly, people can show up as themselves without unnecessary strain.

Ready to take the next step?

If colleague dynamics at work are affecting someone in your team, or if you would like to build wider understanding across your organisation, we can help.

Our talks and workshops give managers and teams the practical tools and shared language to work more effectively together. A Workplace Needs Assessment can provide a structured starting point when individual support is needed. And our coaching offer supports both managers and employees in building the confidence and strategies to navigate these challenges well.

You are welcome to get in touch to discuss a specific situation, or sign up for our newsletter for monthly insights on supporting neurodivergent employees at work.

Neurodiversity and time - A clock with multiple hands in different colours showing different times. Neurodiversity and time

Neurodiversity and time: what HR leaders and managers need to know

Time is one of the few things we all share, yet how we experience it can vary significantly. When it comes to neurodiversity and time, this variation can be even more pronounced, showing up in everything from difficulty sensing the passage of time to having specific windows of intense productivity that do not align with the standard working day.

As organisations work to become more inclusive and unlock the full potential of their teams, understanding how time shows up differently for different people is not a nice-to-have. It is an essential part of good management.

Neurodiversity and time blindness: a hidden challenge

One of the most common time-related challenges for neurodivergent people, particularly those with ADHD or autism, is time blindness. This is a neurological trait that makes it difficult to sense the passage of time or estimate how long tasks will take.

For managers, this can look like:

  • Missed deadlines and consistent difficulty with time estimation
  • Overcommitting or underestimating recovery time between meetings
  • Late arrivals or missed appointments that appear careless but are not
  • Increased anxiety and shame when the behaviour is misread as a lack of effort

Importantly, this is not a question of effort or willpower. Researcher Dr Russell Barkley has described ADHD-related challenges as deficits not in knowledge but in performance, driven by differences in executive functioning. When managers understand this, they respond differently.

Everyone has a rhythm: are you paying attention?

Beyond time blindness, there is another important layer to the neurodiversity and time conversation: natural energy rhythms.

While some people are productive at 8am, others hit their stride mid-afternoon or in quieter, lower-stimulation periods. These patterns are influenced by chronotype, sleep, nutrition, environment, and sensory input  and for neurodivergent individuals, they can be particularly pronounced.

A team member might be sharply focused and idea-rich in the morning, but struggle to process verbal instructions after lunch. Or they may be slower to start but become deeply productive later in the day, particularly when the office has quietened down.

Neither pattern is wrong. Both are real, and both have implications for how work should be designed and scheduled.

Why this matters for HR and leadership

Understanding and working with these personal time rhythms is a leadership responsibility, not just a personal preference.

When organisations design work around peak energy periods, the results are measurable: increased productivity, improved wellbeing and morale, stronger employee retention, and better return on investment from external support such as Access to Work provisions.

But here is the key: these adjustments must be made with people, not to them. Imposing a new schedule without understanding someone’s actual patterns is unlikely to help and may cause harm.

Neurodiversity and time: why partnership is everything

Effective support is not about top-down change. It is about partnership, creating space where employees and managers can explore together what works, what does not, and what could help.

This is where a coaching approach becomes genuinely valuable. Rather than jumping straight to solutions, coaching invites curiosity and collaboration. It makes space for questions like:

  • When do you feel most focused during the day?
  • What tends to drain your energy?
  • How do you know when you are slipping into overwhelm?
  • What adjustments have helped you before, even small ones?
  • What would a good working day look like for you?

This kind of conversation, when handled well, shifts the dynamic from performance management to genuine partnership. It also tends to surface practical, low-cost, high-impact adjustments.

As coach and author Claire Pedrick puts it: “Great coaching is not about fixing people; it is about enabling them to think.” In a workplace context, that might mean co-designing a schedule, experimenting with different meeting times, or negotiating deadlines that better match natural energy peaks, all with shared ownership and respect.

Practical approaches that make a difference

Supporting neurodivergent team members with time-related challenges can involve a range of practical tools and adjustments.

Some approaches that work well include:

  • Visual timers or clocks to reinforce time awareness
  • Time-blocking techniques tailored to energy levels, not arbitrary 9-to-5 slots
  • External reminders and accountability tools, such as apps or shared calendars
  • Regular check-ins to review workload and energy across the week
  • Encouraging the use of Access to Work support for coaching or assistive technology

What matters most is that the process is collaborative. What works for one person will not work for everyone, and building in space to test, adjust, and review is what makes any of these strategies sustainable.

If you are unsure where to start, a Workplace Needs Assessment provides a structured, evidence-based way to identify what adjustments would make the most difference for a specific individual.

Building a culture of time awareness

Supporting neurodivergent employees with time and energy is not just about individual adjustments. It reflects a broader aspect of workplace culture.

Moving away from one-size-fits-all assumptions about the ideal working day, and towards asking when people work best and how the organisation can support that, creates a ripple effect. Trust improves. Output improves. People stay longer.

That shift benefits not only neurodivergent employees. It tends to benefit everyone.

Ready to take the next step?

If you would like to build this kind of understanding across your management team, our talks and workshops are designed to give managers the practical knowledge and confidence to have exactly these conversations.

For individual employees who would benefit from one-to-one support with time, energy, and executive function, our coaching offer is a natural next step.

You are also welcome to get in touch to discuss a specific situation or sign up for our newsletter for monthly insights on supporting neurodivergent employees at work.

 

A level gauge showing high energy levels with a smiley in the middle

Supporting energy regulation at work: A manager’s guide.

Supporting energy regulation at work can feel daunting, especially for managers who are well intentioned but anxious about getting it wrong. When someone’s energy fluctuates, it is often misread as a motivation issue, disengagement, or poor performance.

In reality, energy regulation is about capacity, not effort.

Many people, including those with ADHD or other neurodivergent traits, experience uneven energy across the day, week, or month. Others may be impacted by stress, workload design, health, or broader life demands. None of this is visible at a glance.

This guide is not about diagnosing, fixing, or managing someone’s personal life. It is about helping managers create the right conditions, ask better questions, and work in partnership to support sustainable performance.

Supporting energy regulation at work: why it is not a performance problem

One of the most important mindset shifts for managers is this: fluctuating energy is not a lack of commitment or capability.

In fact, some of the people who struggle most with energy regulation appear to be high performers. They deliver excellent work, meet deadlines, and say yes to everything. The cost is often hidden.

Over time, this can look like:

  • Working long hours to compensate for low-energy periods
  • Hyperfocus that masks exhaustion
  • Sudden drops in capacity after periods of intense output
  • Burnout that feels unexpected because performance looked strong

Supporting energy regulation at work means learning to look beyond outputs alone and to notice how work is sustained.

A shared responsibility, with clear boundaries

This is not about managers taking responsibility for sleep, exercise, hormones, or self-care. That is neither appropriate nor effective.

Instead, energy regulation sits across three layers.

What sits with the individual: self-awareness of energy patterns, communicating what helps or hinders, and experimenting with strategies that support them.

What sits with the manager: creating psychological safety, structuring work thoughtfully, reducing unnecessary energy drains, and opening up supportive conversations.

What sits with the organisation: meeting culture, expectations around availability, workflow design and pace, and how time and attention are valued.

When these layers work together, energy stops being a personal struggle and becomes a shared design question.

Matching tasks to energy: a core principle of supporting energy regulation at work

Different types of work require different kinds of energy. This is true for everyone, but especially important when supporting energy regulation at work.

For example, high-energy or high-focus periods may suit deep thinking, problem-solving, or creative work. Lower-energy periods may be better for admin, routine tasks, or preparation. Social or collaborative energy may peak at different times than analytical energy.

When this alignment is off, people become distracted, inefficient, and frustrated. They may spend prime energy time in meetings that add little value, then struggle to complete focused work later.

A simple but powerful manager question is: “What kinds of work feel easiest or hardest at different times of the day?” This is not about rigid schedules. It is about permission to experiment.

Designing the working day to support energy regulation at work

Energy is shaped by how the day fits together, not just individual tasks.

Managers can support energy regulation at work by paying attention to:

  • How the day is started, since rushed starts drain energy quickly
  • Whether focus time is protected or constantly interrupted
  • How meetings are scheduled and whether they are truly needed
  • Whether there is space to close the day down, rather than carrying work mentally into the evening

Poor day design leads to constant context switching, wasted effort, and the feeling of being busy without making progress. This is not an individual failing. It is a system issue.

Body doubling as a legitimate support tool

One practical and often misunderstood strategy for energy regulation is body doubling.

Body doubling means working alongside someone else, either in person or virtually, without necessarily collaborating on the same task. The presence of another person can help regulate attention, energy, and momentum.

Examples include quiet co-working sessions, camera-on focus time, sitting together to start a task and then working independently, or shared working hours rather than check-in meetings.

For many people, especially those with ADHD traits, body doubling reduces the energy cost of task initiation and helps sustain focus. It is not micromanagement. It is a way of sharing regulation, not enforcing control.

Early signs something is not working

Managers often spot problems too late because they are looking for performance drops rather than energy strain.

Early signs to notice include:

  • Someone always “on” with no visible recovery time
  • Reluctance to take breaks or time off
  • Irritability, withdrawal, or increased perfectionism
  • Difficulty switching off at the end of the day
  • A growing mismatch between effort and impact

Naming these observations gently can open up preventative conversations long before burnout occurs.

The cultural elephant in the room

It is impossible to talk about supporting energy regulation at work without addressing culture.

Many workplaces unintentionally drain energy through pointless or excessive meetings, treating everything as urgent, expecting constant responsiveness, and valuing visibility over value.

Challenging this does not mean lowering standards. It means using people’s time and energy well.

The UK Health and Safety Executive highlights workload, control, and support as key factors in work-related stress. Poor energy design is not just inefficient: it is a wellbeing risk.

A practical toolkit for supporting energy regulation at work

This is not about giving managers a script or checklist. It is about creating the right kinds of conversations.

Useful questions include:

  • “Where does your energy tend to go during the day?”
  • “What feels harder than it should at the moment?”
  • “What would be worth experimenting with for a few weeks?”
  • “What drains energy here that we could change together?”

The goal is not answers. The goal is shared understanding.

When more structured support helps

Sometimes, conversations and small experiments are not enough. Patterns keep repeating, or the energy cost of work remains too high.

This is where a Workplace Needs Assessment can be a powerful next step. It provides a structured, evidence-based way to understand what is really going on and what adjustments could make work more sustainable.

Managers do not need to have all the answers. They just need to know when to bring in the right support.

Ready to take the next step?

If you are working to build a more sustainable, inclusive environment for neurodivergent employees, our talks and workshops are designed to help managers and teams have exactly these kinds of conversations with confidence.

For individual employees who would benefit from one-to-one support, our coaching offer works well alongside the practical workplace changes explored in this post.

You are also welcome to get in touch to talk through a specific situation.

And if you would like practical insights on supporting neurodivergent employees delivered monthly, sign up to our newsletter.

Supporting energy regulation at work is not about perfection. When managers stop misreading energy dips as motivation problems, create permission to experiment, and challenge systems that drain people unnecessarily, something changes. People do not just cope: they thrive.

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Coaching for Neurodivergent Employees: What HR Leaders Should Consider

When it comes to coaching neurodivergent people, the single most important thing you can bring is not a qualification in neurodiversity. It is great coaching. That conviction was at the heart of a session I recently ran for a group of internal coaches at the Methodist Church, and it is something I come back to again and again in my work.

This post captures the key ideas from that conversation. Whether you are a professional coach, a manager who coaches informally, or a pastoral worker supporting others, these principles apply.

TL;DR: You do not need to be a neurodiversity expert to coach neurodivergent people well. You need to create safety, contract clearly, stay curious, and be willing to adapt. Five things to take away: trust the process, trust yourself, trust the other person, notice what is going on, and always ask.

Great coaching is the foundation

Be a great coach first: Brené Brown says clear is kind and unclear is unkind. This applies directly to coaching neurodivergent people. If we are not clear about what we are doing, what stays the same and what adapts, we risk being unkind without meaning to. The same applies when we carry too many models into a coaching relationship. Clarity gets crowded out.

What you can control: As a coach, you can only control two things: the time you give and how you turn up. The most valuable preparation for any coaching session is working on yourself. Make sure you are in the best possible space to be fully present.

Attentive but not bothered: Be fully attentive to what is happening in the session. But do not be attached to the outcome. Your role is to hold the space, not to fix the person. The moment we become invested in a particular result, we stop being truly present.

Contracting is not optional when coaching neurodivergent people

ABC: Always Be Contracting. Contracting is not something that happens once at the start of a coaching relationship. It is an ongoing conversation throughout every session.

Confidentiality: Everything remains confidential unless something arises that puts the individual, another person, or a third party at risk. This covers both safeguarding and mental health. If something comes up, you need to know in advance what you will do about it. Having that conversation early is an act of care.

Permission to adapt: Part of contracting with a neurodivergent client is creating explicit permission to flex how you work together. Ask what helps. Ask what gets in the way. Do not assume. That permission, once granted, can yield significant insight.

Understanding neurodivergent conditions

Neurodiversity is for everyone: The term recognises that all human brains are different. Within that, there is a subset of people we might describe as neurodivergent: individuals whose brains work differently from the statistical norm and who may carry a related diagnosis.

No diagnosis required: Under the Equality Act, an individual does not need a formal diagnosis to be entitled to reasonable adjustments. Showing that they experience a substantial difficulty likely to last at least 12 months is sufficient. As coaches, being aware of this matters.

Notice, do not diagnose: Your role is not to identify what condition someone might have. It is worth noticing what is showing up in the room and staying curious about it. This is one of the most liberating principles a coach can hold when working in this space.

Disability can appear in three forms: permanent, temporary, and situational. A neurodivergent person might be entirely fine in one setting and genuinely struggling in another. Holding space gently enough for someone to work that out can create significant insight.

Language and psychological safety

Ask, do not assume: There is enormous variation in how people use language in this space. The same word can mean different things to different people. The most important thing is to ask what someone means and how that relates to how you will work together.

A question that can unlock a great deal is simply this: what does this mean for how we might work together? Whether the word is a diagnosis, a descriptor, or just how someone refers to themselves, asking that question keeps you in genuine partnership.

Psychological safety: Timothy Clark’s work identifies four stages of psychological safety. We often assume that the people we work with have challenger safety: the ability to self-advocate and speak up. This is not always true. In a coaching context, someone may not feel safe enough to ask for what they need. Without that foundation, high support is not possible.

Lens, not label: All of this is only ever part of who someone is. The most useful thing we can do as coaches is to see neurodivergent conditions as a lens through which to view, rather than a label to be worn.

Five things to take away

Trust the process: Good coaching works. Trust it.

Trust yourself: Your skills and instincts matter more than specialist knowledge.

Trust the other person: They know themselves better than you do. Your role is to help them access that knowledge.

Notice what is going on: Masking, executive function difficulties, rejection sensitivity, and fear can all surface in a coaching session. Stay curious.

Always ask: Ask in a way where you genuinely do not know what the answer will be. That is the only way to stay in true partnership with the person you are working with.

And remember: conversations matter. Where you have them matters. Changing the context can unlock entirely different thinking.

Want to go deeper?

If you work with neurodivergent people and want to explore this further, I offer coaching, talks and workshops, and consultancy for organisations that want to be genuinely inclusive, not just compliant. Get in touch here.

Defending boundaries: when RSD turns up

A close look at one of the most misunderstood drivers of avoidance and withdrawal that coaches encounter in neurodivergent clients.

Capacity and neurodiversity

What capacity really means for neurodivergent people, and why it matters in any coaching or support relationship.

No masks needed in the forest

Why masking is one of the most important things to understand when coaching neurodivergent people, and what it costs.

Stay connected

If this post was useful, there is plenty more where it came from. Every month we share practical insights on neurodiversity, management, and making workplaces work better for everyone. Sign up to the newsletter here.

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Neuro-inclusive meetings: Thoughtful practice for managers

Neuro-inclusive meetings are not about getting everything right or introducing complex systems. They are about paying attention to how meetings feel, how they are experienced, and what they ask of the people in the room.

Many managers already do a lot of this instinctively. They test things out, notice what works, ask for feedback, and adapt. Often, they just have not named it as neuro-inclusive practice.

This blog is designed to help you make those choices more intentionally, particularly when supporting autistic people and others with overlapping neurodivergent traits. It is practical, reflective, and grounded in the reality of day-to-day management.

Why neuro-inclusive meetings matter

Neuro-inclusive meetings support autistic traits such as a preference for predictability, clarity, and time to process. They also support people with ADHD, anxiety, sensory sensitivities, trauma histories, and fluctuating energy levels.

Co-occurrence is common. Most people are not navigating just one thing.

When meetings feel unclear, rushed, or unstructured, people can disengage or become overwhelmed. That is rarely about motivation or commitment. More often, it is about the meeting environment, asking more than someone can comfortably give at that moment.

Inclusive meetings are not about lowering expectations. They are about creating conditions where people can genuinely contribute.

How neuro-inclusive meetings handle advance notice

Knowing when something will happen matters.

For autistic people, advance notice can be essential for mental and emotional preparation. For others, it may help with managing energy, sensory load, caring responsibilities, or simply switching tasks.

When meetings are scheduled with little notice, people often arrive already stressed.

Helpful approaches include:

  • Giving as much notice as possible
  • Being clear about start and end times
  • Using last-minute meetings only when truly necessary

Reflective question: How easy is it for someone to prepare themselves for this meeting?

When expectations are unclear

Many people find meetings easier when they know why they are there and what is being asked of them.

This is especially true for autistic people, who often value explicit role clarity. It can also help anyone who worries about speaking up, interrupting, or misunderstanding unspoken rules.

Helpful approaches include:

  • Stating the purpose of the meeting in simple language
  • Clarifying whether people are there to listen, contribute, decide, or learn
  • Being explicit about whether any preparation is needed

Small moments of clarity can make a big difference.

Unstructured social time and ice breakers

Informal chat and icebreakers can help some people settle. For others, they can feel exposed, confused, or unexpectedly demanding.

This is particularly true when activities involve personal disclosure, being put on the spot, or not knowing what is coming.

Example from an education setting: A training session begins with a personal-sharing exercise that is not signposted. Some people engage easily. Others feel caught off guard and unsure how much to say.

Supportive approaches include:

  • Explaining activities in advance
  • Making participation optional
  • Offering structured alternatives, such as writing things down or working in pairs
  • Saying out loud that opting out is completely acceptable

Feeling safe often comes from having choice.

Breaks and permission to step away

Meetings can be demanding on attention, sensory processing, and emotional regulation.

Autistic people may need time away from noise or visual input. Others may need movement, quiet, medication breaks, or simply space to reset.

Supportive approaches include:

  • Building in regular breaks
  • Naming them clearly
  • Letting people know they can step out if needed

Reflective question: Would someone feel comfortable leaving this meeting if they needed to?

Ending neuro-inclusive meetings with clarity

Unclear endings can leave people feeling unsettled. When actions are vague or decisions are implied rather than stated, it can create unnecessary anxiety.

Helpful approaches include:

  • Summarising what has been agreed
  • Clearly naming actions, owners, and timelines
  • Treating the meeting as a complete piece of work

Clear endings allow people to move on without carrying the meeting with them.

Different meetings, different needs

Neuro-inclusive meetings look different depending on context.

In technology settings, fast-paced idea-sharing can overwhelm processing capacity. Agendas, turn-taking, and written summaries can help.

In sports or network-style meetings, informal connections are often central. Adding light structure, clear objectives, or a buddy system can make these spaces more accessible.

In one-to-one meetings, talking is not always the easiest way to think. Some people engage better with shared notes, walking meetings, or time to reflect before responding.

There is no single right way. Flexibility matters.

If you are also supporting a team member through a formal workplace needs assessment, our Workplace Needs Assessment packages provide structured support alongside everyday inclusive practice.

Environment and timing

Meetings are shaped by more than agendas.

Noise, lighting, visual clutter, and movement can all affect how easy it is to engage. Time of day matters too. Many people have periods when their focus is stronger, and scheduling meetings during those windows can make them far more productive.

Reflective question: Have you ever asked your team what times and environments work best for meetings?

Contracting the meeting

Clear social contracts can reduce uncertainty.

It can be helpful to say explicitly:

  • What can be shared
  • That respectful challenge is welcome
  • What sits within the scope of the meeting

This removes the need for people to guess what is acceptable.

This is about learning, not perfection

Neuro-inclusive meetings are not about getting everything right the first time.

They are about noticing, asking, adjusting, and being open to feedback. Often, the most inclusive managers are the ones who stay curious and responsive.

If you would like broader guidance on inclusive workplace practice, Acas offers useful context for UK managers.

Want to continue the conversation?

Setting a healthy meeting culture can feel complex. Having an open, reflective conversation often makes the biggest difference.

If you would like to talk about training, facilitation, or what might support your organisation, take a look at our talks and workshops or our coaching offer. You are also welcome to get in touch directly.

You can also sign up to our newsletter for monthly insights on neuro-inclusive practice.

Good meetings are not about control. They are about care, clarity, and creating space for people to do their best work.

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Is your access to work coaching too cheap to be effective?

Is your access to work coaching too cheap to be effective?

This article is specifically written for HR leaders and managers who are looking to use the Access to Work coaching provision, particularly in the area of neurodiversity in the workplace. Our focus is on supporting leaders within organisations to create a more inclusive and productive environment that benefits both employees and the organisation’s bottom line.

Understanding the real cost of quality coaching

When it comes to government-funded Access to Work coaching, unusually low prices should raise red flags. While cost-effectiveness matters, coaching represents an investment in solving business challenges, one that can dramatically improve your organisation’s productivity and success when done right.

Professional coaching requires significant investment in several areas. At the heart of quality coaching lies professional supervision, not just occasional check-ins, but rigorous oversight by experienced supervisors who actively review coaching sessions, challenge practices and ensure continuous improvement.

Quality supervision involves:

  • Regular review sessions with highly experienced coaching supervisors
  • In-depth analysis of coaching techniques and approaches
  • Active challenging of methods and assumptions
  • Continuous assessment of client safety and wellbeing
  • Real-time feedback on coaching effectiveness
  • Strategic guidance for complex cases
  • Ethical oversight and accountability

Beyond this quality coaching demands:

  • Comprehensive coach training and certification
  • Professional liability insurance
  • Membership in recognised coaching bodies
  • Ongoing professional development
  • Structured feedback and evaluation processes

These components create a framework for safe, effective coaching that deliver real results. A coach working without proper supervision is like a therapist practising without oversight. It creates significant risks for both client and practitioner. When coaching prices fall significantly below market rates, it’s worth questioning whether this crucial infrastructure of support and accountability is truly in place.

The hidden cost of intermediaries with access to work coaching

In the Access to Work system, intermediary organisations often stand between clients and coaches. These intermediaries may take 50% or more of the total fee, leaving coaches with minimal compensation for their expertise. Consider this: if an already low fee is halved, what quality of service can you realistically expect?

Think of it this way, would you trust your high-performance vehicle to a hobby mechanic working from their driveway? Similarly, coaching requires professional expertise backed by proper investment and credentials.

Moving beyond the lowest bid

While Access to Work funding is often awarded to the lowest-cost provider, organisations aren’t obligated to choose the cheapest option. The crucial question isn’t, “How much does it cost?” But rather, “What value will this deliver?”

Effective coaching goes beyond individual support; it’s about integrating team members to maximise their potential. A coach who understands both individual needs and organisational context delivers substantially more value than one selected solely on price.

Ensuring solutions don’t become problems with access to work coaching

Access to Work provides valuable support, but its cost constraints can compromise quality. When selecting a provider, careful evaluation is essential to ensure the coaching solution actually resolves challenges rather than creating new ones.

Making an informed investment decision

When investing in coaching, consider these questions:

  • What percentage of your investment goes to the actual coach versus intermediaries?
  • How does pricing compare to standard rates for qualified, experienced coaches?
  • Can the coach demonstrate a track record of delivering measurable results?
  • Does the coach understand your industry, organisational culture and specific objectives?

The true ROI of quality coaching

Qualifying the impact of quality coaching goes beyond simply addressing the immediate challenge. We’ve seen massive improvements by taking a holistic approach, considering not just the individual’s needs but also their role within the broader business strategy. Simplistic coaching often overlooks this connection. For example, in one organisation, an employee struggling with time management was initially coached on basic organisational skills. However, through a more in-depth approach, we discovered that inefficient internal processes were the root cause. By addressing these systemic issues, we not only improved the individual’s performance but also streamlined workflows for the entire team.

We understand that budget is a key consideration. While Access to Work provides valuable initial funding, it’s important to recognise that this can be a starting point, not the only option. Organisations have the flexibility to supplement Access to Work funding to ensure they receive the most appropriate support. Think of it as an offer that can be customised. Just as you might upgrade a standard package to get better features, you can ‘upgrade’ your coaching investment to meet your specific needs. This proactive approach ensures you’re maximising the return on your investment in your employees.

Working with the right Access to Work coaching provider

We are not the cheapest coaching provider and we do not aim to be. Our focus is on delivering coaching that drives tangible, lasting results for both the individual and the organisation.

If you are an HR leader or manager looking to make the most of Access to Work funding for neurodiversity coaching, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss. Take a look at our coaching offer to understand what quality provision looks like in practice, or get in touch to discuss your specific situation.

You might also find it useful to explore how a Workplace Needs Assessment can work alongside coaching to give a fuller picture of the support an individual needs.

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Manager role in workplace needs assessment: what HR leaders need to know

The manager role in workplace needs assessment: what good involvement looks like

The manager role in workplace needs assessment, when a member of your team is referred for a workplace needs assessment, it is easy to assume the process is mostly about them. The assessor meets with the individual. The report goes to the individual. The recommendations are about the individual.

And yet the manager’s role in workplace needs assessment is often the factor that determines whether the whole thing works or quietly falls apart.

This post is for HR leaders, people managers, and anyone who has found themselves wondering: what am I actually supposed to do here, and how do I do it well?

Why the manager’s perspective matters

A workplace needs assessment is a structured process that identifies the barriers someone is experiencing at work and recommends practical adjustments to help them perform more effectively. It is not a disciplinary process. It is not a judgment on the manager. And it is not just a box to tick for compliance purposes.

But it does require context that only a manager can provide.

The assessor will spend time with the individual, exploring their day-to-day experience, challenges, strengths, and working environment. That conversation gives a rich picture of things from one side. What it cannot fully capture is the role’s actual demands, what the working relationship looks like from the other side, or what the organisation needs from that person in that position.

That is where you come in.

The manager role in workplace needs assessment

What you are asked to do

Your involvement in a well-structured workplace needs assessment is not onerous. It typically includes:

A short questionnaire before the assessment. This gives you a chance to describe the role, share your observations about the individual’s strengths, and note any concerns you have about their performance or day-to-day experience. It takes around 20 to 30 minutes and sets the context for the assessor before they meet the individual.

A one-to-one awareness conversation. This is a brief meeting, usually around 30 minutes, designed to give you a foundation understanding of the individual’s neurodivergent traits and what they mean in practice. It is not a training session. It is a focused, practical conversation to help you understand what the report’s recommendations are likely to entail and why.

Involvement in implementing the recommendations. Once the report is produced, the adjustments are not implemented. Many of them require you to take an active role: adjusting how you communicate, changing how work is structured, or making space for the individual to use new tools or strategies. This is where manager buy-in makes the biggest difference.

What you are not asked to do

It is worth being clear about this because uncertainty about the process is one of the most common reasons managers’ involvement is reluctant or surface-level.

You are not being asked to diagnose anyone. You are not expected to become an expert in ADHD, dyslexia, or any other neurodivergent condition. You are not required to have all the answers, or to have handled everything perfectly up to this point.

You are being asked to be curious, honest, and willing to adapt. That is it.

If the working relationship has been difficult, that context is still valuable. An assessor who understands that there is tension can work with that reality rather than around it. Pretending everything is fine rarely serves anyone.

What happens when the manager role in workplace needs assessment is missing or weak

The assessment can still produce a report without strong manager involvement. But the recommendations are only as useful as the context they are built on.

When managers are absent from the process, a few things tend to happen. Recommendations arrive in a report that feels abstract or disconnected from the actual role. The individual receives suggestions that their manager does not understand and has not been prepared for. Adjustments are agreed to in principle and quietly ignored in practice. The individual feels unsupported. The manager feels left out of a process that somehow still falls on them to implement.

None of that serves the organisation. And none of it serves the person the assessment was supposed to help.

Research from the Business Disability Forum consistently shows that implementing workplace adjustments is significantly more effective when line managers are included from the beginning, rather than receiving a report after the fact.

What good involvement looks like

The managers who contribute most effectively to a workplace needs assessment tend to approach it with a particular mindset. They are thinking about what they want for this person, not just what they need from them. They are genuinely curious about why certain things have been difficult, rather than frustrated that they have been.

They come to the awareness conversation with questions. They read the report with an open mind. They treat the recommendations not as a list of demands but as a starting point for a collaborative conversation.

That collaborative approach is also more realistic. Not every recommendation will be immediately practical. Some will need to be adapted to fit the specific context of your team, your working patterns, or your organisation’s systems. A test-and-learn approach, where you try things, notice what works, and refine as you go, is often more sustainable than trying to implement everything at once.

The goal is not perfection. It is progress, built on a shared understanding of what this person needs to do their best work.

If you are supporting an employee through this process

If someone in your team has been referred for a workplace needs assessment, or if you are an HR leader commissioning one, the most useful thing you can do right now is signal your commitment to being involved.

That signal matters more than you might think. When employees know their manager is engaged with the process rather than at arm’s length, they are more likely to be honest with the assessor, more confident in requesting adjustments, and more willing to try new strategies that might feel unfamiliar at first.

A workplace needs assessment is an investment.

Your involvement is what makes it pay off.

To find out more about how our workplace needs assessment packages support managers and HR leaders throughout the process, visit our Workplace Needs Assessment page.

Working with neurodivergent employees takes more than a single assessment

If you found this useful, our talks and workshops are designed to help managers and HR teams build the practical understanding and confidence they need before, during, and after a workplace needs assessment. And if the individual you are supporting would benefit from ongoing one-to-one support alongside the assessment process, our coaching offer may be the right next step.

You can also sign up to our newsletter for practical insights on supporting neurodivergent employees, delivered monthly.

Or if you would like to talk through a specific situation, get in touch.