What Should a Workplace Needs Assessment Report Include? (Neurodiversity Guide)

A Workplace Needs Assessment (WNA) report should be simple: a document that both employee and employer can read and know exactly what to do next. No jargon. No vague recommendations. Just clear, practical steps.

But not all WNA reports are created equal. Here’s what you should expect from a quality assessment and what makes the difference between a report that sits in a drawer and one that genuinely transforms how someone works.

In this guide, we explain what to expect from your Workplace Needs Assessment report and how to ensure you get one that actually delivers value.

What Is the Purpose of the Report?

The WNA report is the tangible outcome of the assessment conversation. It captures:

• The challenges or barriers the employee is facing
• What’s working well already, including the individuals strengths
• What needs to change to support them in the workplace
• A tailored set of reasonable adjustment recommendations

The report provides the employer with a clear, implementable plan that enables them to meet their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and create a more inclusive, productive environment.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

A workplace needs assessment does not provide a diagnosis or any comment on medical diagnosis, it’s purpose is to focus on what challenges and barriers are faced in the workplace and adjustments that can be made to remove those barriers.

A report should use inclusive, respectful language that follows how the individual self-identifies their challenges and with a focus on needs rather than labels.

The report should keep sensitive personal and medical information to an absolute minimum, sharing only what the employer needs to know to provide the right support and what the individual is comfortable sharing.

The report should be written in a style that’s neurodivergent friendly, plain English, dyslexic friendly fonts and using bullet points to create lists rather than walls of text. This makes the report easy to read, scan and refer back to whenever needed.

What Does Each Section Cover?

A comprehensive workplace needs assessment report typically includes several key sections, each serving a specific purpose. Here’s what to expect:

1. Background & Current Challenges

This section captures the specific difficulties the employee is experiencing in their role. A good report doesn’t just say “has trouble concentrating”, it provides context.

Example: “Sarah struggles to prioritise tasks when multiple requests come via email, Teams and in-person simultaneously. By mid-morning, she often feels overwhelmed and uncertain which task to tackle first, leading to decision paralysis.”

2. Strengths & What’s Working Well

Often overlooked, this section is crucial. It identifies what the employee excels at and what support is already in place that’s working. This prevents well-meaning changes from accidentally removing something helpful.

Example: “Sarah excels with written briefs and thrives when working on one focused project at a time. Her project management skills are strong when not interrupted and she values her quiet workspace by the window. The weekly one-to-one with her manager provides helpful structure.”

3. Recommended Reasonable Adjustments

This is the core of the report with specific, practical recommendations. A quality report goes beyond generic advice.

Poor recommendation: “Provide regular breaks”

Quality recommendation: “Allow Sarah to take a 10 minute break every 90 minutes. She finds a short walk outside or making a cup of tea helps reset her focus. Consider flexible start/finish times (e.g., 9:30-5:30 instead of 9-5) to avoid rush hour commute stress.”

Each recommendation should explain:

• What the adjustment is
• Why it helps
• How to implement it
• Who is responsible
• When to review it

Recommendations should align with reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, ensuring legal compliance while genuinely supporting the individual.

4. Implementation Priorities & Timeline

Not all adjustments need to happen on day one. A good report suggests which changes to prioritise and a realistic timeline.

Example:

• Immediate (Week 1): Adjust meeting schedules, provide noise-cancelling headphones
• Short-term (Month 1): Introduce written task briefs, weekly check-ins
• Medium-term (Month 2-3): Trial new project management software, adjust working hours

5. Cost & Resource Implications

Practical reports acknowledge that employers need to understand costs. Most adjustments are low or no-cost and the report should make this clear.

Example: “Noise-cancelling headphones: £200-300 one-off cost. Flexible hours: no cost. Task management software: £10/month or use free version.”

Why Silk Helix Reports Are Different

The WNA report should not be the end. It’s the beginning of a conversation and plan to implement the recommendations.

Most assessors write the report and disappear. That’s where we’re different.

Every Silk Helix Workplace Needs Assessment includes:

• The detailed, practical report - specific recommendations you can actually implement
• Ready-to-use implementation templates - forms and plans to record feedback and track progress
• 3-month review meeting with us - we adjust recommendations if something’s not working
• Ongoing email support - your questions don’t have to wait for review dates

We don’t just write recommendations and hope they work. We support you through implementation and adjust them if they don’t.

How Implementation Should Work

Following receipt of the report, the employee and line manager should discuss its contents and agree on a plan. It may be useful to implement recommendations in stages to avoid overwhelm and ensure there is time to learn new tools and embed changes.

A review should be built into the plan. Recommendations are made based on information known at the time, some tools suggested may appear perfect on paper but in reality not work for the individual. Changes to management style may take some time to embed. It’s important that the adjustments are reviewed after a few months and further changes made as needed.

When you get a report from Silk Helix, you get more than just a document. You get a partnership to ensure the recommendations actually work in practice. Often, WNAs are most effective when combined with manager training to ensure the whole team understands how to support neurodivergent colleagues effectively.

📥 Ready to Book?

Whether you’re supporting an employee or requesting support for yourself, you’ll get a report that is person-centred, legally compliant and providing practical adjustments you can really implement. Book a Free Consultation with Jenefer for more information or email jenefer@silkhelix.co.uk to book your assessment.

Article last updated: 30 December 2025