Reasonable adjustments at work: what to ask for, and how

A reasonable adjustment is a change your employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage you face at work because of a disability. Being autistic or dyslexic, or having ADHD, can count. Acas, the workplace advice service, says a worker does not need a diagnosis to be considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010.

Here is what you can ask for, how to ask, and what to do if the answer is no. There is a section for employers at the end.

What you can ask for

Acas gives examples of adjustments for neurodivergent employees. Among them:

• a quiet place to work, away from distractions
• headphones, ear defenders or earplugs
• instructions broken down into clear steps
• extra time to read information and finish tasks
• a private, quiet space to go to
• visual planners, and regular check-ins with your manager
• specialist equipment or software

Other changes can help too: a different working pattern, flexible hours, breaks spread more evenly through the day, or one-to-one support to help you plan your work.

What makes an adjustment reasonable

It depends on whether the change will remove or reduce the disadvantage, whether it is practical, whether your employer can afford it, and whether it could harm anyone's health and safety. A small employer may not be able to afford as much as a large one. Your employer does not have to change the basic nature of the job, and they pay for adjustments, not you.

How to ask

• Ask in the way that suits you: in a conversation with your manager, in an email or a letter, or through a formal process if your employer has one.
• Say what gets in the way and what would help. You do not have to name a diagnosis. Wording you can use has words to copy.
• You do not have to tell your employer you are disabled. But their duty only applies once they know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that you are disabled and that something at work puts you at a disadvantage.
• Expect a conversation. Your employer should talk it through with you, not make assumptions, and confirm what you agree in writing. If they do not, write it down yourself and send it to them.
• Agree a date to check whether it is working, and change it if it is not.

Occupational health

Your employer may ask an occupational health service to advise on adjustments. Occupational health is a medical service, run in-house or by an outside company. You can tell them what you think would help.

Access to Work

Access to Work, a government grant, can pay for support beyond what your employer has to provide, such as a job coach or specialist equipment. It does not pay for the reasonable adjustments your employer has to make. Access to Work on gov.uk (opens in a new tab) explains it.

If the answer is no

• Ask why, and whether something else would work instead.
• Raise it informally first. Acas says this is usually best.
• Raise a grievance if that does not work: a formal complaint to your employer.
• Watch the time limit from the start. Raising it with your employer, informally or as a grievance, does not pause it. For something that happened on or after 1 October 2026, it is usually 6 months less one day. For something before that date, it is 3 months less one day. If your employer has simply not acted, the clock can start when they could reasonably have been expected to act, even if nobody has said no. Acas has the detail.
• Contact Acas before the time limit runs out. You must notify Acas before you can go to an employment tribunal. Early conciliation can last up to 12 weeks. The time limit pauses while it runs, and you then have at least a month to make a claim.

In Northern Ireland the law is different: nidirect explains it.

If you are an employer reading this

• Talk it through and put it in writing. Do not assume what someone needs, and confirm what you agree.
• Answer quickly. There is no fixed deadline in law. In October 2026 the Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity recommended a legal deadline of two weeks. The government has not adopted it, but two weeks is a sensible target.
• Review adjustments when the job, the team or the person's needs change, and pass them on to a new manager with your employee's OK.
• Budget for them. You pay for reasonable adjustments. Access to Work adds to them and does not replace them. Check whether Access to Work can help before you turn a request down on cost.

Wording you can use has words for welcoming a new starter.