Neurodivergent employees in the workplace

About the research 

This short report summarises some of the key findings of the recent (2025) neurodivergent employee survey. The full survey asked 1004 neurodivergent employees a series of questions about their perceptions of various aspects of employment. Across this full sample, we found that 33% of employees felt committed, and 26% enthusiastic about their job. However, findings also indicated that: 

• 33% regularly felt overwhelmed at work, 
• 37% reported regular challenges with social anxiety, and 
• 53% of neurodivergent employees were somewhat or very likely to leave their current employment in the next 6-months. 

This suggests a range of challenges for neurodivergent employees in the UK, with serious implications for retention. You can explore the full results for this sample via an interactive app. You can request access to the app, to explore the data interactively (for both the full sample, and the narrower autistic/ADHD sample discussed below): 

Click here to request access to the app 

The report 

The report itself centres on the most common challenges reported by autistic participants and participants with ADHD (n = 646), and some of the implications of these challenges. Findings are compared between those with a dual diagnosis and the user group overall, and by company size, when notable differences occurred based on these groupings. 

Key findings 

• Challenges and feelings at work: 
• The top three challenges reported were social anxiety, looking after oneself mentally, and concentration. 
• Half (50%) of autistic employees with ADHD reported social anxiety as one of their top three workplace challenges, compared to 41% of the overall group. 
• Many participants described feeling committed (34%) and enthusiastic (26%) about their roles, yet high levels of exhaustion (31%) and overwhelm (35%) were also common — especially among those with both diagnoses. 

Disclosure and career experiences: 

• Nearly half of participants’ work friends (47%) knew about their neurodivergence, but only 22% said HR or management were aware. 
• 14% had disclosed to no one at work. 
• Autistic employees with ADHD were more likely to report being passed over for development opportunities (35% vs. 23% overall) and to feel their peers were progressing faster (33% vs. 25%), though many also reported positive views of their careers. 

Wellbeing and retention: 

• Overall wellbeing was lower for autistic employees with ADHD (24% reporting poor or very poor wellbeing) than for the broader neurodivergent group (14%). 
• Turnover intention was high across the sample — half of all respondents were somewhat or very likely to leave within six months. 
• This figure rose to 73% among employees in micro-companies (fewer than 10 employees), compared to a UK average of 24%. 

Why this matters 

These findings highlight persistent challenges for neurodivergent employees — particularly those with dual diagnoses — and the risks posed by insufficient support and limited disclosure to management. For Brain in Hand, the data reinforces the importance of accessible, individualised workplace support and the role of digital tools in improving wellbeing and retention outcomes. 

By identifying the everyday challenges faced by neurodivergent employees, this fact sheet provides insight into where employers can focus efforts to create genuinely neuroinclusive, sustainable workplaces.