ADHD has rewired the workplace – these are the consequences

While there isn’t a check list for employers, lawyers stress that they have to be able to justify why they’re saying no to something, and show they’ve looked at alternative options.

Jo Moseley from law firm Irwin Mitchell explains that when it comes to judging what is “reasonable”, a tribunal would take into account factors like the person’s role, and the size of the business.

“Big employers will certainly be expected to do more than small employers,” she says, stressing that many adjustments can cost nothing or very little, such as looking at how meetings are structured, offering regular breaks, or somewhere quiet to work.

In one tribunal last year, the pub chain Greene King was found to have failed to make reasonable adjustments for a chef who was dyslexic and struggled with reading orders.

He’d asked for a Bluetooth headset. The tribunal found that the company’s failure to provide this adjustment had led to his employment ending. He was awarded £24,000. A spokesperson for Greene King said it respected the tribunal’s decision and that it was committed to upholding the highest standards of employee welfare.

“Ultimately, the purpose of an adjustment is to facilitate good performance, not to lower the standard of performance,” says Prof Nancy Doyle, an occupational psychologist.

“Employers are anxious of challenge, anxious about saying or doing the wrong thing,” she adds.

She explains that employers are not expected to keep someone in a job where they’re risking safety or delivering less than their peers, but that in some workplaces, managers end up “covering for neurodivergent staff,” leaving them in a situation where they are “dependent on kindness, which may ebb away over time.”

Daniel Rickman, who runs glazing business Structura, decided not to wait for individuals to ask for adjustments – but instead offer them to all staff.

The company introduced flexible working, fidget toys in meeting rooms, and red or green “busy lights” on desks, that allow staff to indicate whether they’re happy to be disturbed.

He says it means the business is “getting the best out of everybody” and he is retaining skilled staff. However, showing the polarisation around the topic, he says he has also been criticised for being “woke.”

As awareness of neurodiversity has grown, some businesses such as Microsoft and BAE Systems have created targeted hiring programmes to attract neurodivergent candidates, aware of the skills they can bring to their organisations.