As employers look to improve retention, productivity and workforce health, creating neuro-inclusive workplaces is becoming a business imperative. Marc Holl explores how organisations can move beyond awareness and create working environments where neurodivergent employees can thrive.
As conversations around workforce health evolve, neurodiversity has become an increasingly important focus for employers. Awareness of ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia has grown, helping more people understand how they think, communicate and work. But awareness is only the starting point: the opportunity is to create workplaces that remove barriers, support individual strengths and enable people to perform at their best.
Neurodiversity is not a workplace niche. Acas estimates that between 15% and 20% of adults are neurodivergent. Research published by Acas in 2026 also found that only 32% of employees believe their organisation effectively trains managers to make reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent colleagues, while 35% feel their employer is ineffective in providing such support. A further 32% said they did not know how effective their employer was, highlighting a significant gap between awareness and meaningful workplace action.
Moving beyond the diagnosis-first mindset
Workplace adjustments should start with an individual’s needs, not their diagnosis. Historically, many employees felt they needed formal confirmation before support could be considered, delaying practical changes by months or even years.
Today, leading employers are taking a more practical approach. Rather than starting with labels or medical evidence, they are asking what gets in the way of someone doing their job and what would help. Sharing agendas in advance, providing written summaries after meetings, clarifying priorities, adapting communication styles or offering greater flexibility can often be implemented quickly and at little cost. These are not special concessions or lower standards; they are practical ways to remove hidden barriers so people can perform at their best.
This thinking aligns closely with the recommendations set out in the Keep Britain Working review, which advocates creating workplace systems that are inclusive by design and capable of responding before challenges become barriers to employment. Improving retention among people with physical and mental health conditions, as well as those who are neurodivergent, is a central ambition of the proposed Healthy Working Standard.
Neuro-inclusive workplaces benefit everyone
Neuro-inclusive workplaces are designed to help people work at their best. By recognising different ways of thinking, communicating and processing information, employers can remove unnecessary barriers while enabling neurodivergent employees to contribute strengths such as creativity, innovation, analytical thinking, problem-solving and attention to detail.
Many of the practices that support neurodivergent employees also make work clearer and more effective for everyone. Structured meetings, flexible working, accessible technology and clear communication can reduce confusion, improve collaboration and support productivity across the workforce. Tools such as speech-to-text, meeting transcription and AI-powered note-taking may remove specific barriers for some employees while helping whole teams work more efficiently. Neuro-inclusion should therefore be viewed as part of good workplace design and a broader workforce health strategy, rather than a standalone initiative.
Managers hold the key
Policies create the framework, but neuro-inclusive workplaces are built through everyday management. Managers do not need to become experts; they need the confidence to ask what is getting in the way, agree practical support and review whether it is helping.
A manager might ask, “What part of this task is most difficult?” or “Is there anything that would help you work at your best?” The conversation should stay focused on the work: clarify expectations, separate performance concerns from support needs, trial adjustments and review them. Psychological safety matters because employees are more likely to discuss challenges when they trust that they will be heard without judgement.
For SMEs, the priority is to make this approach consistent. Giving managers a simple framework for discussing needs, recording agreed adjustments and reviewing what is working can prevent support from depending on individual confidence or goodwill. It also helps organisations learn from recurring barriers and improve everyday working practices over time.
Measuring what matters
The Keep Britain Working review calls for stronger workplace data and better measurement of outcomes. Employers should consider sickness absence, retention, turnover, exit information and intention-to-leave data when assessing whether interventions improve employee experience and help people stay healthy and productive at work.
From conversation to culture
The conversation has advanced, but understanding alone will not improve outcomes. The challenge is to turn good intentions into consistent workplace practice.
At HCML, we see neuro-inclusion as a practical partnership between employees, managers and workplace health specialists. It starts by understanding needs, strengths and barriers, then introducing realistic changes early and reviewing them as roles or circumstances evolve. Through neuro-inclusive occupational health assessments, workplace recommendations, manager guidance and tailored interventions, the aim is to help people stay healthy, productive and engaged at work.
The question for employers is no longer whether neurodiversity matters. It is whether everyday working practices allow people to contribute at their best. Progress does not always require a large budget, a complex policy or all the answers. It begins with better conversations, confident managers and a willingness to remove avoidable barriers, then to listen, learn and keep improving.
Neuro-inclusion becomes meaningful when it is reflected in how work happens every day. The next step is simple: start the conversation, remove one barrier and build from there.
About the author
Marc is an experienced clinician and leader with postgraduate qualifications in musculoskeletal, mental health and occupational health and safety. With over 20 years’ experience across the NHS and independent sector, he’s held senior roles spanning clinical practice, service leadership and quality oversight.
Before joining HCML, Marc spent 10 years at IPRS Health, later holding senior leadership roles at Nuffield Health. His experience includes governance, quality assurance, workforce development and the leadership of multidisciplinary clinical services.
At HCML, Marc leads quality across clinical services, helping ensure safe, effective and consistently high standards of care for clients and the people they support.
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