When the pandemic pushed UK offices into remote and flexible working almost overnight, a lot of employers discovered that the work still got done. For many neurodivergent employees, that change also removed barriers that had been in place for years: the draining commute, the noise of an open-plan floor, and a rigid 9 to 5 that takes no account of when someone does their best thinking.
Flexible working is now a mainstream expectation rather than a perk. Every employee in Great Britain has the legal right to request flexible working from their first day in a job, and employers must handle those requests in a reasonable manner. For neurodivergent staff, flexibility is often the single most useful adjustment you can offer, and it usually costs very little.
What flexible working can look like
Flexibility covers more than working from home. The law lets employees ask to change their hours, their start and finish times, the days they work and where they work. In practice, the arrangements that make the biggest difference for neurodivergent people tend to fall into a few areas.
Remote and hybrid working
Working from home lets people control light, noise, temperature and interruptions, which matters a great deal to anyone with sensory differences. It also gives people more say over how they manage their energy across the week. We have written in more detail about why neurodivergent employees often prefer hybrid work and what strict return-to-office mandates can cost you.
A common worry from managers is whether people will be productive at home. In our experience the answer depends far more on clear expectations than on location. Agree what good looks like, be explicit about deadlines and say which ones are fixed and which have some give. A message such as “ideally by the 20th, no later than the 27th” removes guesswork and helps everyone plan.
Flexible hours and pacing
Some people focus best early in the morning, others late in the day. Flexible start and finish times, compressed hours or a slower ramp-up after leave can all help someone work at the pace that suits them. For a person with dyspraxia, for example, time to process information and organise tasks without being rushed can make the difference between a stressful day and a productive one.
Somewhere quiet to reset
Flexibility applies inside the office too. Make sure everyone knows where they can go if they need a break from their desk: a quiet room, a low-light corner or a library space away from the main floor. Many autistic employees value a calm, low-stimulus space, but it helps far more people than that. Our article on why every office needs a quiet area covers what a good one looks like.
Assistive technology
Simple tools give people flexibility in how they do the work itself. Screen tinting helps people who are sensitive to light. Screen rulers and text-to-speech can make reading easier for many dyslexic people. Voice dictation reduces the load of typing. AI tools are now adding to this list, as we explain in our piece on AI as assistive technology for neurodivergent employees.
Sharing tasks according to strengths
Avoid deciding in advance what a neurodivergent person will be good or bad at. The assumption that every autistic person wants to code and avoid customers is a stereotype, and plenty of autistic people are excellent with clients. Each person has their own profile of strengths and challenges. Let people lead on the work that suits them and share out tasks that are a poor fit. A shared working styles guide is a simple way to start that conversation.
Why flexibility pays off for employers
Flexible roles widen your talent pool, because you are no longer limited to people who live near an office or can manage a fixed daily schedule. Acas notes that flexible working can help organisations attract staff and improve work-life balance.
For neurodivergent employees specifically, flexibility often reduces the need for one-off negotiations about adjustments, lowers the risk of burnout and means people spend their energy on the job rather than on coping with the environment. It is also one of the most practical ways to meet your duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act.
Handling requests well
Treat a flexible working request as the start of a conversation, not a form to approve or reject. Ask what the person is trying to solve, try the arrangement for a set period and review it together. If an employee raises a request linked to a disability or neurodivergent condition, consider it as a possible reasonable adjustment as well as a statutory flexible working request.
If you manage people who are thinking about asking, our guide to making a flexible working request sets out the process from the employee side. For a broader picture of what good practice looks like, see our overview of neurodiversity in the workplace.
How Enna can help
Most organisations already have a flexible working policy. The gap is usually in how managers apply it. Our Reasonable Adjustments: Putting It Into Practice workshop gives managers the confidence to respond to requests well and agree arrangements that last.
When an individual needs a tailored plan, our workplace needs assessments recommend specific adjustments, including flexible working patterns and assistive technology. If you want to see how your policies compare with good practice, try our free neuroinclusion maturity assessment or book a call with our team.
