# Ask for workplace adjustments

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://adhd100.jock.pl/request-workplace-adjustments/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-29
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-29, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 43 of 100 in the list: https://adhd100.jock.pl/#request-workplace-adjustments

A focused support request can help your workplace reduce barriers linked to ADHD.

**The number:** Request workplace changes to help manage ADHD ([NHS, 2025](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-adults/))

## The evidence

- How sure: Certainty of evidence: Not rated. Measured in people with ADHD.
- Evidence grade: C. Grade C: small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- Basis: ADHD-specific NHS advice on reasonable adjustments and NICE NG87 1.4.3; no rated trial effect for particular changes
- Benefit: 61/100. The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.

## Why it matters

Workplace adjustments change the demands or surroundings that make ADHD harder to manage. NHS guidance gives examples like a quieter workspace, written instructions and help structuring tasks, and NICE says the conversation after diagnosis should cover your right to reasonable adjustments at work. These are practical recommendations, not evidence that any particular adjustment improves symptoms by a known amount.

## How to do it

1. Identify one work barrier and the change you think could address it.
2. Find the right manager, occupational health contact or workplace support service.
3. Talk about what information they need and what you are comfortable sharing.
4. Agree the adjustment and a date to check whether it helps.

## Talk to a clinician first

Disclosure and workplace rights depend on local rules and your circumstances. Ask about confidentiality and share only what the request needs.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Write down the one work barrier you'd most like support with.
- 5 minutes: Write one sentence on the barrier and one on an adjustment that might help.
- 15 minutes: Draft a short support request and work out who at work should receive it.

### What it looks like

- If holding on to spoken instructions is the problem, ask for a written follow-up.
- Talk about a quieter workspace with whoever handles workplace adjustments.

### Common mistakes

- 'Make work easier' is hard for anyone to act on. Name the barrier and the change you want.
- No adjustment suits every role. Agree when you'll check how it's working.

### A structured start

**Make a focused adjustment request**

1. Identify a specific work barrier.
2. Discuss a suitable adjustment and relevant confidentiality.
3. Review whether the agreed change helps.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [ADHD in adults](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-adults/), NHS

## Sources

- [ADHD in adults](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-adults/), NHS, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [ADHD in Adults: 4 Things to Know](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/adhd-what-you-need-to-know), NIMH, 2024 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management (NG87), recommendations](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87/chapter/Recommendations), NICE, 2019 (Tier 1 guideline)

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General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.

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