At the Screen Actors Guild Awards in February 2025, Jane Fonda used her Life Achievement Award speech to reclaim a word. “Woke just means you give a damn about other people,” she said, as reported by TODAY. Plenty of people would agree. Plenty of others use “woke” as an insult. For neurodivergent employees, the argument matters less than what actually happens at work as a result.
This post looks at the debate from the employee side: what the “woke” push on inclusion has done for neurodivergent people, where it has let them down, and why equal opportunity done properly is the more useful frame. If you are an employer, our companion piece on wokeism vs equal opportunity in neurodiversity hiring covers the hiring and legal side.
Two ideas, often confused
In its original sense, being woke means being aware of social inequality and wanting to change it. At its best that gives marginalised people a voice. Its critics say it can tip into performative gestures and overcorrection, and the word is now so politically charged that it is often used as a put-down.
Equal opportunity is about fairness: removing barriers so everyone has the same chance to succeed whatever their background. The risk is that without real awareness of how systems exclude people, “treat everyone the same” quietly leaves neurodivergent people at a disadvantage. Identical treatment in an environment built for one type of brain is not equal.
What the inclusion push got right
Whatever you call it, the wave of attention on inclusion has helped neurodivergent people in real ways:
- Many more employers now see neurodivergent people as part of their talent pool rather than a risk to be managed.
- Organisations have written policies on adjustments and inclusive hiring that simply did not exist a decade ago.
- Neurodivergent people’s own stories are being heard, which chips away at stereotypes and stigma.
At Enna we have seen this awareness give many companies the push to take their first step. But awareness on its own changes very little for the person sitting at the desk.
Where it lets neurodivergent employees down
Performative inclusion
Some organisations adopt the language of inclusion to look progressive without changing anything underneath. Hiring neurodivergent people to hit a target, then offering no adjustments and no manager training, leads to disengagement and people leaving. The employee carries the cost of a gesture that was really for the company’s reputation.
Invisible differences get overlooked
Disability inclusion programmes often concentrate on visible or well-understood conditions. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other differences are mostly invisible, so neurodivergent employees can end up outside the scope of support that exists on paper.
Neurodiversity gets lost in the bigger picture
Bundling neurodiversity into broad disability or mental health initiatives can make sense, but it also risks flattening very specific needs. Sensory overload, processing time and communication preferences need different responses from, say, mobility access. It helps to understand how neurodiversity shows up at work in practice.
Equal opportunity, done properly
Equal opportunity is more useful to neurodivergent employees than slogans because it is concrete. It asks what is stopping this person from doing their best work and what can be changed. In practice that means:
Accessible workplaces and processes
Structured interviews, accessible application systems and clear onboarding remove barriers before they start. Flexible hours, quieter spaces and tailored onboarding are typical adjustments. Acas guidance on adjustments for neurodiversity says employers should offer support whether or not someone has a formal diagnosis.
Confidence to ask for what you need
Many neurodivergent people find it hard to start the conversation about support, often because of bad past experiences. Practical tools help. Our disclosure templates give you wording for telling your employer about your neurodivergence and asking for adjustments on your terms.
Decisions based on ability
Equal opportunity means talent and results drive decisions about hiring and promotion, rather than stereotypes or assumptions. Plenty of neurodivergent people bring sharp problem solving, original ideas or deep focus. Those strengths only show when the barriers come down.
The UK picture
In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of disability, and many neurodivergent people meet its definition. That gives a legal floor: employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments, and failing to do so can lead to tribunal claims. Informal, goodwill-only arrangements are one of the places where employers come unstuck, as we explain in the hidden risks of informal neurodiversity support.
The law is only the starting point. Stigma, unconscious bias in recruitment and tokenism still affect neurodivergent employees in organisations that are fully compliant on paper. Real progress comes from pairing awareness of those barriers with practical, measurable changes.
How Enna can help
If you are an employer who wants inclusion that employees can feel, our neurodiversity champions training builds a network of informed colleagues who can support others day to day, and our workplace coaching gives neurodivergent employees one-to-one support with strategies and self-advocacy. Book a call to plan what would work in your organisation.
If you are neurodivergent and your current employer still treats inclusion as a slogan, the Enna jobs board lists roles with employers who have committed to doing better.
