Flexible Working Isn’t a Perk. It’s a Necessity

Rethinking Work Through a Neurodivergent Lens

Rigid systems, unquestioned norms

Back in 2005, when I qualified as a nurse, requests for flexibility, like not working three weekends in a row or having four consecutive weekends off; were seen as selfish or lacking team spirit. If you were popular, you might get the shift swap you needed. If not? Tough luck.

At the time, I didn’t question it. I took on extra shifts, swapped where I could, and got on with it. But looking back, I can see how deeply unconscious bias shaped those attitudes. Even those of us who needed flexibility had been conditioned to believe that the needs of the service always came first. If someone asked for adjustments, we assumed they were gaming the system.

(Or maybe that was just my pre-kids worldview.)

Rethinking work through a neurodivergent lens

Fast-forward to now, and my ADHD brain still runs so fast that sometimes I convince myself I’ve already shared an idea. In my head, I’ve had the entire conversation. So, let me try to get this out properly where I can process my ideas best whilst writing.

What does flexible working actually mean?

It’s not just about accommodating family life. It’s about dismantling outdated norms, rethinking how we structure our lives, and recognising that people’s energy levels and mental capacity fluctuate.

Neurodivergent people often have what’s called a spiky profile, our strengths and challenges can vary dramatically from day to day. One day, we might be completely drained, unable to start a task we’ve loved working on for weeks. The next, we might hyperfocus for eight hours straight and produce work that would normally take days.

(Just because I’m in hyperfocus mode doesn’t mean I’m focusing on the right thing. Case in point: this post is 100% a procrastination exercise when I should be prepping for my very first live talk with TIDE In The Bay, a parent and carer group.)

At Spectrum Dynamics, we want everyone on #TeamSpectrum to feel comfortable saying:

“Sorry, I haven’t got that project to you. I knew what to do, but I couldn’t start it—so instead, I’ve done everything else I shouldn’t have.”

Brilliant. Now we have honesty. Now we can work with it. No judgment!! Just a conversation about how we support that person in doing what they already know and want to do.

I can offer this approach because I’ve lived it. I know what it’s like to hit an executive function wall, and I know how damaging it is when people around you don’t understand what’s happening, let alone yourself. It wasn’t until perimenopause that my ADHD symptoms intensified and my self-esteem took a battering. The world isn’t built to accommodate fluctuating executive function and i’m done explaining to the oldies it starts with the littlies.

We say we want honesty from our teams. But our deep-rooted biases, and the environments we create, make it unsafe for people to be honest. No workplace is truly inclusive unless it’s easy for staff to be vulnerable without fear of consequences.

The System Wasn’t Built for Us—So Let’s Rebuild It

Traditional attendance and performance models don’t account for this. Instead, they punish people for not fitting into rigid expectations. I know this frustration firsthand—

❌ 60-hour weeks, missing school plays, sports days, even my child’s first crawl. Only to hit a wall and have sickness which I never told the truth that i felt fatigued as thats not an acceptable norm.
❌ Separate sick days within three months? Special Measures with threat of disciplinary.
❌ Struggling with executive dysfunction and not being self aware enough to know thats why.

A staggering 75% of parents and carers of children with SEND are forced to reduce their hours or leave work altogether (Sky News, Sept 2024). These are exactly the people we want on our team—because we understand the challenges, the constant battles, and the adjustments needed to navigate a system that wasn’t built for us.

We know the exhaustion, the frustration, and the sheer unfairness of a SEND system that demands endless meetings, form-filling, and advocacy—while workplaces remain rigid and unsympathetic.

At Spectrum Dynamics, we value your lived experience, and we know that value will be reciprocated. Imagine being able to have both purpose and flexibility—to work in an environment that doesn’t just tolerate your reality, but actively supports it.

This is why Spectrum Dynamics has to be different. 🚀

How Do We Get This Right?

I knew that at Spectrum Dynamics, I wanted to build a workplace based on trust, autonomy, and leadership—one that taps into people’s potential rather than forcing them into a rigid box.

Because the more I’m micromanaged, the less motivated I feel. And I couldn’t justify the tagline “Different brains need different approaches” if we weren’t living and breathing it ourselves.

Many people with ADHD or autism will understand demand avoidance—the more someone tries to force you into compliance, the more your body goes into fight-or-flight mode. It’s not defiance. It’s a nervous system response to a world that refuses to make space for difference.

There has to be a better way.

At Spectrum Dynamics, being a purpose-led organisation means our policies must reflect the needs of the people we serve and the people who work with us.

Flexible working isn’t a privilege. It’s a fundamental shift in how we value people.

It’s about recognising that:

✅ Trust is the foundation of great work.

✅ Well-being is non-negotiable.

✅ A workplace that actively supports your reality

✅ Productivity ebbs and flows

This is the culture I want to build. A workplace that doesn’t just tolerate difference—but thrives because of it.

Tell us about your experience in the comments! What adjustments (if any) have made the biggest difference for you? Or, if you’ve struggled with workplace inflexibility, what would have helped you stay in employment?