The vast majority of reasonable adjustments should be agreed. They cost little, improve performance and morale, and reduce legal risk. ACAS is blunt about this: many adjustments cost nothing and simply require a change to how work is organised.

Still, there are moments when an employer may lawfully refuse an adjustment. These situations are narrow and tightly defined in UK law. They rely on evidence, not opinion or team preference. A refusal that isn’t backed by demonstrable reasoning will expose the organisation to discrimination risk under the Equality Act 2010.

This guide explains when a refusal can be lawful, what evidence employers need, and how managers and employees should handle these conversations. It includes practical examples, because theory alone is not enough.

There’s a persistent myth that reasonable adjustments only really work in offices.

You’ll hear it phrased politely.
“It’s easier in desk jobs.”
“This wouldn’t work on the shop floor.”
“Driving roles are just different.”

Some of that is half true. Most of it is misused.

The legal duty to make reasonable adjustments is the same across roles. What changes is not the obligation, but the shape of what is reasonable.

And that distinction matters more than most organisations realise.

The more I learn, the more I see the layers beneath the surface: the habits, structures, assumptions and history that quietly run a workplace long before intention ever gets a say. This realisation often scares people. Let’s be honest: often, some leaders worry that learning more and changing things means uncovering or creating more problems, more risk, more Responsibility. (For the leaders who feel called out right now, it may be unconscious) It feels safer to keep the door half-shut and trust that things are “fine enough”. “We've always done things this way”

Organisations invest heavily in neurodiversity training, yet see little lasting change. Meanwhile, qualified neurodivergent candidates remain under-hired, burn out quickly, or mask their differences to survive. The gap between awareness and inclusion reveals a fundamental misunderstanding: neurodiversity is not about individual deficits requiring charity, but about system design requiring intelligence.

A Workplace Passport is a simple, supportive document that helps you and your workplace work better together.

At Mosaic, we’ve reimagined the traditional Workplace Passport to make it fast, friendly, and actually useful—for employees, managers, and HR alike.

For many neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with autism, ADHD, or sensory processing differences, open-plan offices can present significant challenges. The constant visual movement, background conversations, fluorescent lighting, and unpredictable noises can quickly lead to sensory overload.

Creating a functional morning routine with ADHD can feel like wrangling a swarm of bees before coffee. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Traditional advice often misses how ADHD brains actually work

If you have ADHD and have tried traditional productivity systems, you might have experienced the frustrating cycle of initial enthusiasm followed by abandonment. This isn't because you lack discipline, it's because most productivity systems aren't designed for your brain.

At Mosaic, we believe thriving should be the norm, not the exception. That’s why our platform empowers teams with practical tools like the Workplace Passport, adjustment insights, and AI-powered personalisation to make inclusion both easier and more effective.