What do we do when an employee discloses ADHD?

Treat it as a disability disclosure: keep it confidential, then meet the employee to agree reasonable adjustments together. ADHD usually counts as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 — no formal diagnosis needed. The thing managers most often get wrong is waiting for a diagnosis before doing anything; the duty can engage the moment you are told.

First, keep it confidential

What an employee tells you about their neurodiversity is information about their health, which the UK GDPR treats as special-category data and singles out for extra protection. So your first action is simply to thank them, keep the conversation private, and not pass it on. Do not tell colleagues, or even other managers, beyond what is genuinely needed to put support in place, and only with the employee's agreement. Acas, the UK workplace-advice body, advises confirming what is shared, with whom, and why in writing. None of this depends on a formal diagnosis: a self-identified or awaiting-assessment disclosure is just as sensitive and just as protected.

Then meet, and agree adjustments together

Arrange a short, private conversation. The point is not to assess the person but to ask what gets in the way of their work and what would help. Acas is clear that a worker does not need a diagnosis to be considered disabled, and that you should take the lead from the person asking and try adjustments out together. A reasonable adjustment is a change you make to remove or reduce a disadvantage linked to someone's disability, and the employer pays for it. Common ADHD adjustments include:

• flexible start times or core-hours flexibility;
• a quieter desk, noise-cancelling headphones or a focus space;
• written follow-ups to verbal instructions, and tasks broken into steps;
• longer or written notice of changes, deadlines and meeting agendas.

Agree what you will try, write it down, and set a date to review it. ADHD will often meet the legal test for disability — a mental impairment with a substantial, long-term effect on day-to-day activities — which is why the duty to make reasonable adjustments can apply with no medical diagnosis (Equality Act 2010, sections 6 and 20). Failing to make them can be disability discrimination and can lead to an employment tribunal claim, so "wait until they are diagnosed" is the wrong response.

Then bring in support and review it

If the adjustments need expert input, two routes sit beyond your own:

1. Occupational health. An OH referral, with the employee's consent, gives you a professional view on what helps at work. It does not replace agreeing adjustments directly.
2. Access to Work. This is a Department for Work and Pensions grant the employee applies for themselves, paying for practical support beyond your reasonable adjustments. The grant is capped at £69,260 a year in 2025-26. Treat it as a supplement, not a substitute: employed applicants faced roughly a 37.5-week wait in early 2025, so your own adjustments should start now.

Then review. Adjustments that worked at first can stop fitting as a role changes, so put a regular check-in in the diary rather than treating it as a one-off. The Equality Act 2010 applies in England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has separate disability discrimination law.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.