Ask the employee what helps first: adjustments are individualised, not a fixed list. Common examples include written instructions, flexible hours, a quieter workspace, advance notice of changes and structured check-ins. A reasonable adjustment is a change you make so a disabled worker is not put at a real disadvantage by the way you run things, and the law expects you to tailor it to the specific person rather than copy a standard package off the shelf.
Start with a conversation, not a checklist
The single most useful thing you can do is ask the employee what gets in their way and what would help. Acas, the UK workplace advice service, is explicit that adjustments must be personalised: the same change that suits one autistic person can be no use to another. So treat the list below as prompts for that conversation, not a menu to install without asking. The adjustments that come up most often for autistic staff group into four areas.
- Communication. Put instructions in writing and break them into steps; allow extra processing time; agree how feedback is given so it is clear and direct rather than hinted at.
- Environment and sensory load. A quieter desk, noise-cancelling headphones, a private space to decompress, and control over harsh lighting can remove a disadvantage that an open-plan office creates.
- Structure and predictability. Advance notice of changes, a written plan for the week, visual planners and reminders, and a consistent routine help where uncertainty is the problem.
- Working pattern. Flexible or fixed hours, regular short breaks, and structured one-to-one check-ins so the employee always knows what is expected and when.
What "reasonable" means, and when the duty kicks in
Under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, once a way of working puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage compared with non-disabled colleagues, you have to take the steps it is reasonable to take to remove it, and you, not the employee, meet the cost. Two points the headline guidance tends to bury. First, the duty is triggered once you know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that someone is disabled and struggling. If you notice the signs, you cannot simply wait to be told. Second, autism is not automatically a disability in law: it counts where it has a substantial, long-term effect on day-to-day activities, judged for that individual. But do not gatekeep behind a diagnosis. Acas confirms a worker does not have to prove a diagnosis to ask for adjustments.
Record what you agree, then look at Access to Work
Once you have agreed the changes, write them down so they survive a change of manager. Many employers use an adjustments passport, a simple living record of what is agreed and why. Beyond your own legal duty, the government's Access to Work scheme can fund equipment, support workers and coaching for the employee, so use it as a top-up rather than a reason to delay the changes you already owe.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.