In short
No.
Telling people at work that you are neurodivergent is always your choice. There is no single right answer. Disclosure can make support easier to get. It can also carry risk, depending on the workplace. You can ask for reasonable adjustments from day one. The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 covers that. You do not have to name your assessment.
What’s in this sheet
- Weighing up whether to tell people at work
- Words you can borrow to ask for what you need
- Masking, burnout, double empathy and adjustments
- Your rights from day one, and after 12 months
Find the words that fit
Find the words that fit
You should not have to explain your whole nervous system to get support. These are starting points you can borrow, adapt, or make your own.
“I am neurodivergent, and a couple of small tweaks help me do my best work.”
“I take detail in better in writing. Could you drop the key actions in an email after we meet?”
“Let me come back to you on that shortly. I think it through better with a moment.”
“This part of the role is genuinely hard for me. Could we look together at what would ease it?”
“A lot of what I do to keep up is not visible. It is real, and I would rather ask than mask it.”
Know your words and rights
Know your words and rights
Some words make it easier to say what you need. These four come up most often at work. Knowing them helps you name a barrier out loud, rather than carrying it quietly. Asking is easier where there is a formal process to use. In casual, shift or gig work the words still help. The process may not be there.
Words that can help
- Masking
- Covering or holding back how you naturally are so you seem to fit in. It can get you through the day, and it quietly runs your battery down.
- Burnout
- The deep flattening that builds when masking and demands pile up for too long. A sign to lower the load, not a failing.
- Double empathy
- Autistic people and non-Autistic people often misread each other. The gap runs both ways, and it is not one side's fault.
- Reasonable adjustments
- Practical changes to how or where you work that remove a barrier. If an employer refuses, they carry the onus of proving it would cause unjustifiable hardship.
Adjustments worth asking about
- Flexible start and finish times
- A low-sensory place to work
- Written instructions to re-read
- A written recap after meetings
- Time to reply, not on the spot
- Regular, predictable check-ins
Two rights, on two timelines
Two rights, on two timelines
Two different rights cover you at work. One starts on your first day. The other starts after a year. You can use both, and you do not have to name your assessment to ask.
From day one, adjustments
Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, refusing a reasonable adjustment can be unlawful discrimination. Your employer would have to prove it would cause unjustifiable hardship. They may also have to show you could not do the essential duties anyway. If they refuse, you can take it to the Australian Human Rights Commission.
After 12 months, flexibility
Autism and ADHD normally count as a disability under the Fair Work Act. Other neurodivergent assessments may count too, so it is worth asking. After 12 months of continuous service, you can ask for flexible working in writing. If you are casual, that means regular ongoing work. Your employer has to genuinely consider it and reply within 21 days. They can only say no on reasonable business grounds. If they refuse or do not reply, the Fair Work Commission can review it.
Common questions
Questions people ask us
Do I have to tell my employer I am neurodivergent?
No. Telling people at work is always your choice. There is no single right answer, and no single right moment. Disclosure can make support easier to get. It can also carry risk, depending on the workplace. How safe it feels is not only about neurotype. You can start small, and say more later.
What are reasonable adjustments at work?
Reasonable adjustments are practical changes to how or where you work that remove a barrier. Flexible start and finish times are one example. So is a low sensory place to work. So are written instructions you can re-read. So is time to reply, rather than answering on the spot.
Can my employer refuse an adjustment?
Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, refusing a reasonable adjustment can be unlawful discrimination. Your employer carries the onus of proving it would cause unjustifiable hardship. They may also need to show you could not do the essential duties anyway.
When can I ask for flexible working?
After 12 months of continuous service. Autism and ADHD normally count as a disability under the Fair Work Act. If you are casual, that means regular ongoing work. You ask in writing. Your employer has to genuinely consider it and reply within 21 days.
What can I say to ask for support at work?
You do not have to explain your whole nervous system. You could say you are neurodivergent. A few small changes help you work well. You could ask for the key actions in an email after a meeting. Short and specific works.
What is double empathy?
Double empathy means Autistic people and non-Autistic people can misread each other. It runs in both directions, and it is not one side's fault. Both people are reading across a difference. That makes a communication problem a shared one. It is not yours alone to fix.