Picture this, it's Tuesday, the 24th of June. Hazel, our very committed well-being officer, is flat out under the desk, snoring like she's been up all night auditing biscuits. I'm staring at a job description that says, excellent written communication, flawless spelling, thrives in open plan chaos, and thinking, do I rewrite this for a brilliant neurodivergent candidate? Or do I leave it and hope the right person squeezes through anyway? Here's the real question I'm wrestling with. What if one person's needs change how everyone works? And we're better for it. Kettle on. Slice of cake handy. Let's talk neurodiversity without the tick box nonsense. Welcome. Hello, I'm Kate, and this is Buzzing About HR. Today's episode Neurodiversity, Inclusion or Tick Box. UK only, plain English and Zero Fluff. We're heading into the run-up to Dyslexia Awareness Week later in the year, so consider this your summer tune-up on hiring and supporting neurodivergent talent. Why this matters right now. You're hiring. You're short on time. The best CV on your desk belongs to someone who says I'm autistic or I'm dyslexic or I have ADHD. You want their strengths and you don't want to get it wrong. The good news is the law already points you toward the right behaviour. Under the Equality Act 2010, you must make reasonable adjustments so disabled candidates and employees aren't put at a disadvantage. That includes many neurodivergent people. It's not exotic. It's just removing pointless hurdles so you can actually see what someone can do. And here's the quiet tragedy. The employment rate for autistic people is still far too low in the UK. We're missing out on huge talent. If you fix even a couple of the common barriers, the silly tests, the noisy interviews, the surprise group tasks, you'll be ahead of the pack by miles. State of play. What's decided, what's not, and when. The law is settled on two big things. First, you have a duty to make reasonable adjustments in recruitment and at work. That might mean changing how you assess, offering extra time, providing assistive tech, or tweaking the environment or hours. Second, you can't go phishing for medical details during hiring. You can ask what adjustments someone needs for the process. You don't need a diagnosis to be kind or to be lawful. A CAS guidance backs this up. Support should focus on impact and solutions, not whether a letter from a specialist has arrived yet. If cases help you picture it, keep these in your back pocket. A few years ago, a government service lost a case because it insisted on a rigid multiple choice test that disadvantaged a candidate with Asperges. The fix was a short narrative answer format. Earlier, a dyslexic police officer won the right to reasonable adjustments for promotion exams, like extra time and the right layout. And, yes, even redeployment can be a reasonable adjustment in the right circumstances. One case made that clear. It doesn't extend by association to everyone around them. Helpful when managing the what about me chorus. What this looks like in real life. Let me make it practical. You're hiring a service coordinator. The real job is problem solving on the phone and updating tickets. Your process begins with a time-pressured spelling test. The strongest candidate discloses dyslexia and asks for extra time and a different format. Rather than guarding the spelling test like a family heirloom, switch it for something relevant. Play a two-minute call snippet. And ask for three clear bullet updates. Offer extra time and a quiet room. Suddenly you're assessing the job, not the diagnosis. Nine times out of ten, you keep your standards and widen your talent pool. Or think about your office setup. Your analyst is brilliant, but after lunch their work falls off a cliff. Why? Because interruptions, pings, and desk drive bys blast their focus to bits. You try desk screens, noise-cancelling headphones, and a deep work hour where messages pause unless the building's on fire. Output goes up. Stress goes down. And half the team quietly thanks you for making it easier to think. Now, the job description. We love a shopping list. Excellent written communication. Natural presenter, team player, works well under pressure, ninja. Meanwhile, the job is 80% data wrangling and 20% templated emails. Change the words to match the reality. Say clear written updates using templates and bullet points and specify the tools you actually use. Flag that screen readers, dictation or grammar aids are welcome. People who would never have applied now do. And they're a fit. The grey areas you're worried about. Do you have to rewrite every job? No. You identify what's truly essential, the outcomes, and loosen your grip on the rest. Ask yourself, if they can deliver the result, do I care how they get there? Often the answer is not really, which is your clue. Is it special treatment to let one person use grammarly, wear headphones, or skip the group assessment? It's a reasonable adjustment. If it removes a barrier and doesn't break the job, it's fair and usually better for everyone. Seeing a team after a month of daily deep work hours. Karma. Fewer errors. Fewer sorry, what was I doing? moments. What if the team kicks off about fairness? Explain the principle once early. Equal does not always mean identical. We remove barriers so everyone can do their best work. Then be consistent. People grumble less when they can see improved work and less chaos. Do you need a formal diagnosis to act? No. Waiting lists are long. Focus on the impact at work and what helps. If you're considering expensive kit, get occupational health advice rather than playing doctor on the internet. But for most day-to-day fixes, clarity and a bit of structure gets you 80% of the way there. What's reasonable actually mean? Think cost, size of your business, effectiveness and practicality. Ten extra minutes in an interview. Reasonable, alternate test format. Usually reasonable, a quiet space and clear instructions. Very reasonable. Rebuilding your entire building tomorrow? Probably not. What to do this week without drowning in paper? Let's keep it friendly and doable. Pick one live vacancy and tidy it. Strip the fluff from the advert. Tell candidates what you'll actually assess. A tiny work sample and a conversation so they can prepare. Add one plain line to your confirmations. If you need adjustments at any stage, tell us and we'll make it work. You'll be amazed how quickly people tell you what helps. Then look at your first interview step. If you default to generic time tests, swap the first hurdle for a tiny realistic task. Offer alternatives on request, extra time. Written instead of spoken or a quiet space. Your aim is a fair signal of skill, not a memory game. Next, give your managers a one-page kit. Nothing scary. A simple spot the barrier. Pick an adjustment, check if it worked, sheet, with examples. If someone struggles with noise, try headphones or a bookable focus room. If working memory is the issue, try checklists and short written briefs. If written accuracy is key, use templates and proofreading aids. If time slips away, use a visible board of weekly priorities and short daily check-ins. None of this is fancy. All of it works. Around the workplace, fix the obvious friction. A small, quiet corner. Meeting hygiene, a simple agenda, someone to keep time, and a short note with actions, clear written instructions with examples. Honestly, this is just good management with a better bedside manner. And start an adjustments log that isn't a medical file. Keep it factual. What's the barrier? What are we trying? When do we review? Share it with the employee so it's a living thing, not a secret list. How to talk to your team and keep trust. Say it out loud. We hire for outcomes. If a test or format gets in the way of a great person, we'll change the test, not lower the bar. Normalise adjustments. Headphones, quiet time, checklists. These help more than the person who asked. Invite early conversations. If you need something to do your best work, tell us. We'll try it, measure it, and keep what works. Quick QA without the jargon. Can you ask about neurodivergence before interview? You can ask what adjustments someone needs for the process. You don't need to know diagnoses or medical history. The aim is access, not paperwork. Are timed multiple choice tests a problem? They can be, especially if they aren't the only way to show the skill. Offer an alternative format or extra time if someone asks, and think about whether the test matches the real job. Does dyslexia count as a disability? Often yes, depending on impact. The law has treated it that way in past cases, which is why exam and test arrangements have been adjusted. Don't guess. Focus on removing barriers. Is redeployment ever a reasonable adjustment? In the right situation, yes. One well-known case made that clear. It isn't automatic, but it's not off the table. Do you have to buy loads of kit? Usually not. Start with clarity, time and environment. If specialist tech is needed, try it first and review. How do you avoid special rules resentment? Explain the principle once, then apply it consistently and show the results. When people see calmer days and better work, the noise dies down. The do next list without bullet point brutality. Rewrite one live job ad. Split it into must-haves what the job truly needs. And nice to haves, skills that can be learned. Ditch filler like excellent communication if it isn't the core of the job. Say exactly what success looks like. Swap generic pre-screens for a tiny work sample. Test the real job, not speed or memory. Example, share a short scenario and ask for three clear bullet updates instead of a timed multiple choice test. Add an adjustments welcome line everywhere. Put one plain sentence on the ad and interview emails. If you need any adjustments at any stage, tell us and we'll make it work. This invites people to ask early so you can set them up to do their best. Run a 90-day team pilot. One daily deep work hour with no pings or drop-ins. Sensible meetings, agenda, timekeeper, finish on time. Start a simple adjustments log. Write down the barrier, what you tried and when you'll review it. Keep it factual, not medical. Check it every quarter to keep what works and drop what doesn't. Give managers a one pager, a short checklist, spot the barrier, pick an adjustment, check the result. Include easy examples, headphones for noise, checklists for memory, templates for written tasks, short weekly priorities for time management. Tell candidates what to expect. In invites, say how you'll assess. For example, 10-minute work, sample plus 30-minute chat. Clear info lowers nerves and shows you're serious about fair hiring. That's it. Small practical steps, not theory, just better habits. Back to that job description on my screen. I'm keeping the outcome, losing the fluff, and telling candidates exactly how to show me what they can really do. Hazel is still snoring. Heroic morale work, if you ask her. And I'm eyeing up the last slice of cake like it's a productivity tool. If you want the shortcuts, grab my inclusive whoring tips guide, practical lines for your job ads, interview emails, work sample briefs, and an adjustments menu your managers can use tomorrow. Links in the show notes. I'm Kate. This is Buzzing About HR. Kettle on.