Barrier
What is hard in practice: focus, fatigue, communication, sensory load, organisation or physical access?
Workplace needs assessment
Start with the barrier, then look at the task and the work environment.
A useful workplace needs assessment does not start with a generic list of diagnoses. It looks at what is difficult in practice, what the job requires, and what could change.
What to assess
Look at strengths and barriers in the actual job.
Acas guidance on neurodiversity and workplace adjustments emphasises listening to the person, avoiding assumptions and tailoring support to the individual.
Work demand
Which task, schedule, environment or interaction creates the difficulty?
Change
What adjustment, equipment, work pattern or support could be tested?
When specialist input helps
A manager can solve some barriers locally. Others need specialist assessment.
Acas has discussed workplace needs assessments as a useful route where individual requirements and business needs need more specialist consideration.
Manager can often start with
Practical work changes
- clearer priorities or written instructions
- changes to breaks or work pattern
- quieter space or environmental changes
- reviewing how tasks are divided
Specialist input may help when
The barrier is complex or unclear
- assistive technology needs assessment
- multiple interacting barriers
- specialist equipment or coaching
- the manager is unsure what is reasonable or effective
Free needs mapper
Turn a broad problem into specific assessment questions.
Choose the main barrier, task and work environment. The mapper gives you areas to explore, changes worth testing and questions for the review.