10 Signs Your Employee Needs a Workplace Needs Assessment

7 March 2026

Introduction

You’ve got an employee who’s clearly intelligent and capable. On their good days their work is exceptional. But they’re consistently missing deadlines, struggling in meetings or finding certain tasks overwhelming despite your best efforts to support them.

You’ve tried coaching, you’ve provided clearer instructions, you’ve implemented project management tools and regular check-ins and yet the challenges persist.

Sound familiar?

As someone who delivers Workplace Needs Assessments (WNAs) to organisations across the UK, I see this pattern repeatedly. What often appears to be a performance issue is actually an unmet need, particularly when the employee is neurodivergent.

The difference matters because performance issues typically improve with coaching or training, while unmet needs improve with adjustments. Understanding which you’re dealing with is crucial for both the employee’s success and your organisation’s legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

In this guide I’ll walk you through the 10 key signs that suggest your employee would benefit from a Workplace Needs Assessment and explain why these patterns occur and show you how to take action.

What is a Workplace Needs Assessment?

Before diving into the signs, let’s clarify what a Workplace Needs Assessment actually is.

A WNA is a formal assessment conducted by a qualified professional to identify workplace adjustments for employees who may be neurodivergent (ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia) or facing other barriers at work.

Unlike occupational health assessments that focus primarily on medical fitness for work, a WNA provides detailed, practical recommendations for workplace adjustments that enable neurodivergent employees to perform at their best.

Legal context: Under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. Many with neurodivergent conditions qualify as having a disability under the Act, making a WNA not just helpful but often legally required after disclosure.

The 10 Signs Your Employee Needs a Workplace Needs Assessment

1. Inconsistent Performance Despite High Capability

Your employee performs brilliantly some days and struggles significantly on others. This isn’t about motivation or effort, they are trying hard. One week they might deliver exceptional work ahead of schedule but then the next they miss a deadline entirely.

Inconsistent performance is one of the most common indicators of neurodivergence, particularly ADHD and autism. Executive function challenges mean that factors like sleep, stress, environmental conditions or task complexity can dramatically affect performance from day to day.

This pattern rules out laziness or poor attitude. If performance were simply a capability or motivation issue then you would see steady mediocrity rather than significant peaks and valleys.

A Workplace Needs Assessment can identify what factors influence the “good days” versus “difficult days” and recommend adjustments that create more consistent conditions for success - such as structured routines, predictable schedules or strategies for managing executive function challenges.

2. Employee Has Disclosed a Neurodivergent Condition

Your employee has told you they have ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia or another neurodivergent condition. You want to be supportive but you’re unsure what adjustments they need or where to start.

This is perhaps the clearest indicator that a WNA is appropriate. Under the Equality Act 2010, once an employee discloses a condition that may constitute a disability then you have a legal duty to consider reasonable adjustments.

Many managers freeze after a disclosure, worried about saying the wrong thing or making assumptions. This hesitation, while understandable, can leave the employee without necessary support.

A WNA removes the guesswork by providing expert assessment of what specific adjustments this individual needs. This protects both the employee (who gets appropriate support) and the employer (who demonstrates due diligence in meeting legal obligations).

Important note: You don’t need to wait for a formal diagnosis. The Equality Act protects people with conditions that have “substantial and long-term effects” on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities, regardless of whether they have an official diagnosis.

3. Difficulty with Time Management Despite Reminders and Systems

Your employee repeatedly misses deadlines despite having calendars, reminders, project management tools and regular check-ins. You’ve provided time management training. They’ve attended courses on organisation and prioritisation. Nothing seems to stick.

Time management difficulties that persist despite multiple interventions often indicate executive function challenges rather than poor organisational skills. Executive function is the brain’s “management system”, handling planning, prioritisation, working memory and time perception.

Many neurodivergent conditions involve executive function differences. No amount of time management training can fix a neurological difference in how the brain processes time and sequences tasks.

A WNA can identify specific executive function challenges and recommend adjustments that work with the person’s brain rather than against it.

4. Communication Challenges in Meetings or Written Correspondence

Your employee is excellent in one-on-one conversations but struggles in group meetings, perhaps going silent, interrupting others or missing social cues. Alternatively they might have frequent misunderstandings in email despite clear intentions or they may need everything in writing to process it properly.

Communication difficulties can stem from various neurodivergent profiles. Autistic employees may struggle with reading social cues, maintaining eye contact or processing information in noisy environments. Employees with ADHD might interrupt (not from rudeness but from working memory limitations, they’ll forget their point if they don’t say it immediately). Employees with auditory processing difficulties might struggle in open-plan offices or group discussions.

These aren’t character flaws or lack of professionalism, they’re neurological differences in how information is processed.

5. Sensory Sensitivities Affecting Work Performance

Your employee is bothered by things that don’t seem to affect others: office lighting (too bright or fluorescent), background noise (even relatively quiet offices), temperature fluctuations or strong smells. They might wear sunglasses indoors, noise-cancelling headphones or frequently work in quieter spaces like meeting rooms or stairwells.

Sensory processing differences are particularly common in autism but also occur in ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions. What seems like a minor background noise to a neurotypical person can be overwhelming and completely derail concentration for someone with sensory sensitivities.

These employees aren’t “being difficult” or “oversensitive”, their nervous systems genuinely process sensory input differently and certain environments create cognitive overload that makes work impossible.

6. Employee Requests Adjustments But Can’t Specify What Would Help

Your employee knows something isn’t working, they’re struggling and want support, but when you ask what would help then they can’t articulate specific adjustments. This leaves both of you frustrated, they need help but you don’t know what to provide.

This situation is incredibly common and stems from a fundamental challenge - neurodivergent employees often don’t know what adjustments exist or what might help them because they’ve never experienced appropriate support. They only know the current situation isn’t working.

Additionally many neurodivergent individuals have spent years masking (hiding their challenges to fit in) which can make it difficult to identify their actual needs versus what they’ve been taught they “should” be able to do.

This is precisely what a Workplace Needs Assessment is designed to address. A qualified assessor who understands neurodivergence can identify patterns, ask the right questions and recommend specific, evidence-based adjustments that the employee might never have considered.

You’re not expected to be a neurodiversity specialist. That’s what a WNA is for.

7. Performance Improvement Plan Isn’t Producing Results

You’ve implemented a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) - the employee is engaged, attending meetings and clearly trying hard - yet performance isn’t improving despite their evident effort and your support.

When a PIP fails despite employee engagement then it’s a strong signal that you’re addressing the wrong issue. PIPs assume a capability gap that can be closed through clearer expectations, feedback and coaching. But if the underlying issue is an adjustment gap rather than a capability gap then no amount of performance management will help.

This is also a critical legal moment. Under the Equality Act, employers must consider reasonable adjustments before moving forward with capability procedures. Failing to do so could leave your organisation vulnerable to disability discrimination claims.

Before escalating to further disciplinary action or dismissal, pause and consider whether adjustments might address the underlying challenges. If adjustments are identified and implemented then you’ll likely see improvement. If not then you’ve demonstrated due diligence in considering adjustments before proceeding with capability procedures.

8. High Capability in Some Areas, Significant Struggles in Others

Your employee is brilliant at technical work but can’t manage their email inbox. They produce exceptional written reports but struggle with presentations. They’re excellent with data analysis but overwhelmed by administrative tasks. This “spiky profile”, significant strengths paired with significant struggles, creates confusion - clearly they’re capable, so why are they struggling with “simple” tasks?

Spiky profiles are a hallmark of neurodivergence. Neurotypical development tends toward relatively even skills across domains. Neurodivergent development often shows significant variation, with areas of exceptional ability alongside areas of genuine difficulty.

This isn’t about effort or motivation, it reflects genuine neurological differences in how various cognitive functions develop and operate. An employee can be genuinely brilliant at complex problem-solving while genuinely struggling with task initiation or organisation.

Your employee is showing increased sick leave, visible anxiety about certain tasks or situations, exhaustion despite adequate sleep or emotional distress related to work demands. For autistic employees you might notice increased masking (hiding their natural communication style or needs) followed by periods of exhaustion or shutdown.

Neurodivergent employees often expend enormous energy managing neurotypical workplace expectations without appropriate adjustments. This can lead to burnout, not from the work itself but from the unsupported effort required to navigate an environment not designed for how their brain works.

Early intervention through a WNA can prevent burnout, reduce sick leave and improve retention. Waiting until an employee is burnt out makes recovery much longer and more difficult.

If you’re seeing signs of stress related to work demands in an employee you know is capable then consider a WNA to identify what’s creating the stress and what adjustments might reduce it.

10. You as a Manager Are Genuinely Unsure What to Do Next

You’ve tried everything you can think of. You’ve provided coaching, adjusted your management style, implemented different systems and offered various forms of support. The employee is willing and trying but challenges persist. You’re invested in making this work but genuinely don’t know what else to try.

Recognising the limits of your expertise is good management, not failure. HR professionals and managers aren’t expected to be neurodiversity specialists. When your usual management toolkit isn’t producing results then it’s time to bring in specialist support.

This is particularly important for legal protection. Demonstrating that you sought expert guidance and implemented recommended adjustments shows due diligence if the situation escalates to capability procedures or legal challenges.

What to Do If You’re Seeing These Signs

If your employee shows three or more of these signs, a Workplace Needs Assessment is likely appropriate. Here’s how to move forward:

1. Have a Conversation with Your Employee

Approach the conversation from a supportive angle:

“I’ve noticed you’re experiencing some challenges with [specific examples]. I want to make sure we’re providing you with the right support. Have you heard of a Workplace Needs Assessment? It’s a formal assessment that can help us identify specific adjustments that might help you thrive in your role. Would you be open to this?”

Important: Frame this as support, not performance management. The goal is enabling success, not documenting problems.

2. Address Common Concerns

Your employee might have concerns:

“Does this mean you think I’m not capable?”
No. It means we recognise you’re capable and want to provide the right conditions for you to demonstrate that capability.

“Will this go on my record negatively?”
No. this is about identifying support, not performance issues.

“Do I have to disclose a condition?”
You don’t need a formal diagnosis for a WNA though it helps the assessor provide more targeted recommendations if you’re open about challenges and disclose to them. In the report they will outline challenges you’re experiencing to provide context to adjustment recommendations, however they do not need to include details of any diagnosis you disclose to them.

“What if the recommendations are too expensive?”
Most adjustments are low-cost or free. We’re committed to implementing reasonable adjustments. We can also consider Access to Work options if needed to get funding for additional support.

3. Commission the Assessment

Look for a qualified assessor who:

Understands neurodivergence in workplace contexts
Has knowledge of the Equality Act and reasonable adjustments
Provides detailed, practical recommendations
Offers follow-up support for implementation

Find our more about how we can help with Workplace Needs Assessments Here.