A Summary - Neurodivergent Employees, Line Managers and the Missing Middle

About the research

This summary presents key findings from a major new report into neuroinclusion at work, drawing on a large-scale employer survey of 995 HR professionals, 20 employer interviews, and a six-month diary study with 18 neurodivergent employees.

The report explores why the gap between organisational intent and the day-to-day experience of neurodivergent employees persists and identifies what we call the missing middle: the practical implementation layer that most organisations have not yet built.

Key findings

• A third of neurodivergent employees rank a supportive line manager as the single most important component of a neuroinclusive workplace yet only 15% of employers identified manager training as their main priority going forward.

• 75% of employers are concerned their line managers feel overwhelmed by the complexity of neurodivergent support.

• 84% of senior HR professionals agree that neurodivergent employees don't disclose because they fear judgement or don't feel supported.

• 41% of HR professionals rated their organisation's support as fully sufficient, yet only 31% of neurodivergent employees in the diary study agreed.

• The organisations making genuine progress address neuroinclusion at three levels simultaneously: for the individual employee, for line managers, and at an organisational level.

• The report concludes with ten practical recommendations grounded in the research.