You did the degree. Now comes the part nobody prepared you for: working life, with a new manager and no study-support team in the background.
The numbers first
- 65%: neurodivergent employees who feared disclosing their condition because of possible discrimination from management (Birkbeck, 2023).
- 32%: GB employees who think their organisation effectively trains managers to make reasonable adjustments (Acas, 2026).
- Half: neurodivergent employees who had taken time off work because of their neurodivergence (City & Guilds, reported by HR Magazine, 2024).
These figures are not there to frighten you. They are there so you know the picture, and know you are not on your own.
What changes when you graduate?
At university, support often comes through a formal route. Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA, funding for study support such as mentoring and study skills) is for your studies, so it stops when your course does. At work, the responsibility moves to your employer.
That is a big shift. You may have had a named mentor or study skills tutor who knew your needs. Now you have a line manager (the person who directs your day-to-day work), who may know very little.
What does “neurodivergent” mean here?
Neurodivergent (having a brain that works differently from what society treats as typical) covers autism, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Tourette’s and more. Many people have more than one.
Under the Equality Act 2010, many neurodivergent people count as disabled. That gives you protection from discrimination and the right to reasonable adjustments (changes your employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage linked to disability) (Acas, 2026). You do not have to think of yourself as disabled for the law to apply.
What the evidence says about working life
A note first. None of the studies below looks only at new graduates. They describe neurodivergent employees in general. Much of it will still apply to you.
Adjustments make a difference
Birkbeck’s Research Centre for Neurodiversity at Work surveyed 127 employers and 990 neurodivergent employees. Employees were far less likely to leave where adjustments were tailored to them. The researchers called tailored adjustments an urgent business need, not a nice-to-have (Birkbeck, 2023). Only about 30 per cent of employees had reasonable adjustments in place (British Psychological Society, n.d.).
The study measured how much people thought about leaving, not whether they actually left. It still points the same way as everything else here.
Many managers are not trained
In the 2026 Acas/YouGov survey of 1,000 GB employees, just 32% thought their organisation effectively trains managers to identify and make reasonable adjustments (Acas, 2026). A report on the survey adds that 35% waited more than three months for adjustments, and 51% of neurodivergent employees did not get consistent positive support when they asked (People Management, 2026).
In the Birkbeck study, 65% of employers said managers do not know enough (Birkbeck, 2023). So if your first manager seems unsure what to do, that is common. It is usually a training gap, not a sign you asked for too much.
The disclosure loop
Birkbeck found 65% of employees feared disclosing because of possible discrimination from management, while 69% of employers said a lack of disclosure makes adjusting hard (Birkbeck, 2023). Both sides can be stuck waiting for the other.
Masking and burnout
Masking means hiding your neurodivergent traits to appear neurotypical. At work it can be exhausting. A University of Sheffield PhD thesis interviewed 28 autistic workers with recent burnout (exhaustion from prolonged stress). It opens by noting that autistic people often struggle to maintain employment and employers rarely provide adequate adjustments (Derham-Boyce, 2025). A University of Hertfordshire thesis with 35 autistic women found exhaustion from the masking needed to fit in, and patchy adjustments (University of Hertfordshire, n.d.).
City & Guilds’ Neurodiversity Index found half of neurodivergent employees had taken time off work because of their neurodivergence (HR Magazine, 2024). Just imagine how much energy goes on masking in a new job, on top of learning the job.
Your first weeks: what you can do
These steps are practical suggestions drawn from the sources. They are not legal advice, and what suits you depends on your job and your workplace.
- Decide on disclosure in your own time. Telling your employer is your choice. The evidence says why it matters: employers say lack of disclosure makes adjusting hard (Birkbeck, 2023). It also says why it feels risky: 65% of employees feared discrimination (Birkbeck, 2023). You might tell your manager, HR or occupational health, depending on where you feel safest.
- Know your rights. The Equality Act 2010 gives disabled employees protection from discrimination and the right to reasonable adjustments (Acas, 2026). Many neurodivergent people qualify without thinking of themselves as disabled.
- Start with what helps, not the label. Think about the tasks that cost you most energy and what would make them easier. Petty et al. (2022) found people described reasonable adjustments as low cost, easily implemented and positive for wellbeing and work outputs. Examples might include written instructions, a quieter desk, or agreed breaks. Ask for what would help you do your job well.
- Ask in writing, and ask about timing. In the Acas survey, 35% reported waiting more than three months for adjustments (People Management, 2026). One commentator urged clear processes for requesting and implementing adjustments, with timelines and contact details (HR Magazine, 2024). A short email creates a record and a date to follow up.
- Look into Access to Work. This is a government-funded scheme that offers extra support for adjustments at work (Acas, n.d.). Check gov.uk for current eligibility and how to apply, because rules and funding can change.
- Find allies. A staff network (a group run by employees for people with shared experiences) or a trusted colleague can show you how things really work. An NHS England session on neurodiversity suggests staff networks as a source of support (NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2022).
- Review as you go. Needs change when your role does. In one NHS example, an employer reviewed working arrangements and adapted adjustments on an ongoing basis, and the member of staff kept working (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025).
If you work in the NHS or public sector
The NHS publishes more data than most employers. It covers disabled staff in general, not neurodivergent staff specifically, so treat it as the closest evidence available.
- Nearly one in four NHS staff say they have an illness or long-term condition lasting 12 months or more (NHS Employers, 2025).
- The Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES, a set of ten measures NHS organisations must report) found 74.5 per cent of disabled staff said they received workplace adjustments in 2024. That still leaves over a quarter without the adjustments they need (NHS Employers, 2025).
- The Electronic Staff Record shows just 4.9 per cent of staff as disabled, while the anonymous staff survey shows nearly one in four. Many people do not tell their employer (NHS Employers, n.d.).
- A BMA survey of disabled doctors and medical students found 73 per cent had not received all the adjustments they needed, and 43 per cent had paid for adjustments themselves (British Medical Association, 2025).
Some trusts offer dedicated help. Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS runs an Employee Disability and Neurodivergent Advice (EDNA) service, with one-to-one advice for staff, support for managers and help with Access to Work applications (Acas, n.d.). Ask your HR team or staff disability network whether your employer has something similar. Every trust has a WDES report, so you can look up how yours is doing.
If things are not working
Sometimes a good request still meets a slow or unhelpful response. That is not your fault. A few next steps:
- Follow up in writing and keep a record of what you asked for and when.
- Speak to HR, occupational health or your staff network, if your employer has them.
- Acas publishes guidance for employees and employers on neurodiversity and reasonable adjustments (Acas, 2026). If you are in a trade union, they can also advise.
- If you feel treated unfairly because of your condition, get independent advice early. The Equality Act 2010 applies.
What we still do not know
- Cause and effect. The main retention evidence (Birkbeck, 2023) measures intention to leave, not actual departures.
- Graduates specifically. The studies cited cover neurodivergent employees generally, not new graduates.
- Neurodivergent staff in the NHS. National NHS data cover disabled staff overall.
- Source quality. Several figures come from press summaries of surveys. The two doctoral theses offer depth, not statistics.
In summary
Starting work is a big step. Many neurodivergent graduates find that managers are untrained, adjustments are slow, and disclosure feels risky. The evidence also shows that tailored adjustments help people stay, and that many are cheap and simple.
You have a right to ask. You do not have to do it alone. And the skills that got you through your degree will carry you here too.
References
Acas (2026) Employers are failing to support neurodiversity at work. Available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/employers-are-failing-to-support-neurodiversity-at-work
Acas (n.d.) Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS: reasonable adjustments for mental health (case study). Available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/case-studies-about-reasonable-adjustments-for-mental-health/hampshire-and-isle-of-wight-nhs-integrated-care-system
Birkbeck, University of London (2023) 65% of neurodivergent employees fear discrimination despite UK businesses promoting neurodiverse workplaces. Available at: https://www.bbk.ac.uk/news/neurodivergent-employees-fear-discrimination-despite-uk-businesses-promoting-neurodiverse-workplaces
British Medical Association (2025) Disabled doctors marginalised, finds report. Available at: https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/disabled-doctors-marginalised-finds-report
British Psychological Society (n.d.) ‘Neurodivergent employees have a lot to offer, but want to be heard and valued’. Available at: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/neurodivergent-employees-have-lot-offer-want-be-heard-and-valued
Derham-Boyce, L. (2025) Job demands, resources, coping strategies and impression management for autistic workers: a qualitative study of occupational burnout. PhD thesis, University of Sheffield. Available at: https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/37739/
HR Magazine (2024) Half of neurodivergent employees miss work due to lack of support, report finds. Available at: https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/half-of-neurodivergent-employees-miss-work-due-to-lack-of-support-report-finds/
NHS Employers (2025) Disability History Month 2025. Available at: https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/disability-history-month-2025
NHS Employers (n.d.) Building disability inclusive workplaces. Available at: https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/building-disability-inclusive-workplaces
NHS England and NHS Improvement (2022) Embracing difference: neurodiversity in the workplace (session slides). Available at: https://www.nhsemployers.org/system/files/2022-10/embracing_difference_neurodiversity_in_the_workplace_session.pdf
People Management (2026) Businesses failing to provide adequate neurodiversity support, survey finds. Available at: https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1951578/businesses-failing-provide-adequate-neurodiversity-support-survey-finds
Petty, S., Tunstall, L., Richardson, H. and Eccles, N. (2022) ‘Workplace adjustments for autistic employees: what is “reasonable”?’, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(1), pp. 236-244. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05413-x
Royal College of Psychiatrists (2025) New guidance launched to combat disability discrimination and improve support for NHS mental health staff. Available at: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-features/latest-news/detail/2025/08/18/new-guidance-launched-to-combat-disability–discrimination-and-improve-support-for-nhs-mental-health-staff
University of Hertfordshire (n.d.) An exploration of the worklife experiences of autistic women in the UK. Doctoral thesis. Available at: https://uhra.herts.ac.uk/id/eprint/15914/ [author to be confirmed]