How easy is it for all employees to engage with the benefits you offer?
For some, the answer may be: not very easy at all.
With an estimated 15–20% of the population classed as neurodivergent, the way employee benefits are designed, communicated and accessed can present real challenges.
In fact, almost half (48%) of neurodivergent employees say they struggle to access the benefits their employer provides, while two thirds believe more support from employers is needed, according to recent research.
At the same time, HR leaders recognise that inclusion must remain high on the agenda. In the Ciphr HR 2026 Survey, more than a third of HR professionals (35%) say ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace should be a key priority for employers in the year ahead.
This conversation often comes into sharper focus during Neurodiversity Celebration Week — a global initiative held annually in the third week of March. But the issues it highlights extend far beyond a single awareness week.
Because while many organisations invest heavily in employee benefits, engagement is often lower than expected. And sometimes the reason is surprisingly simple:
The benefits themselves may be valuable, but the way they’re designed or communicated can make them difficult to navigate.
Understanding neurodiversity and the different ways people process information and make decisions can offer employers valuable insight into how to rethink their approach.
Understanding neurodiversity in the workplace
Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how people’s brains process information, learn and interact with the world.
Depending on how our brains are wired, we may think, communicate and approach tasks in different ways. The term is often used as an umbrella for neurological differences such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia, although every individual will have a unique combination of strengths and challenges.
Importantly, many of the challenges neurodivergent employees experience are not caused by their neurodivergence itself, but by systems and environments that were designed with only one way of thinking in mind.
Employee benefits are no exception.
When benefits design creates barriers
Modern benefits platforms often assume employees will happily read lengthy guides, compare complex options and make multiple decisions during enrolment periods.
But for some neurodivergent employees, this can create barriers such as: information overload from lengthy documents, jargon-heavy explanations, particularly around pensions or insurance, complex digital platforms that are difficult to navigate and decision fatigue when too many options are presented at once.
When the experience feels overwhelming, the natural response is to disengage. And when employees disengage, the value of the benefits employers invest in can be significantly undermined.
The good news for HR leaders reviewing their benefits strategy is that neurodiversity offers a clear set of lessons about how benefits can be designed and communicated more effectively, for everyone.
Lesson 1: Simplicity improves engagement
Benefits communications often contain detailed policy language and industry terminology. While technically accurate, this can make it difficult for employees to quickly understand what a benefit actually does for them.
Clearer, simpler communication improves accessibility and helps ensure employees actually use the support available.
In practice this means using plain English instead of technical or financial jargon, focusing on outcomes (“how this benefit helps you”) rather than policy detail, providing short summaries alongside more detailed information and using headings, bullet points and visual explanations to break up dense text
Key takeaway:
If employees cannot quickly understand a benefit, they are far less likely to engage with it.
Lesson 2: Reduce cognitive overload
Benefits platforms are often designed with good intentions, offering employees plenty of choice and flexibility. But too many options presented at once can feel overwhelming, particularly during annual enrolment periods when multiple decisions may need to be made at once.
Reducing cognitive load can help employees engage more confidently. Breaking benefits information into smaller, easy-to-digest sections, offering “quick start” guides explaining key benefits first, providing comparison tools to help employees evaluate options and highlighting popular benefits or providing example scenarios can all make a significance difference.
Key takeaway:
Providing guidance helps employees make informed choices — it doesn’t limit their options.
Lesson 3: Flexibility supports different needs
Neurodiversity reminds us that a one-size-fits-all benefits package rarely works well for a diverse workforce.
Different employees may need different types of support to perform at their best and flexible benefits allow individuals to choose what genuinely supports their wellbeing, productivity and life circumstances.
Practical steps employers can take include offering a range of wellbeing and mental health support options, providing access to coaching or counselling services, considering benefits that support different working environments such as home-working allowances or equipment support and including financial wellbeing tools to help reduce stress and cognitive load.
Key takeaway:
Flexible benefits move organisations from equality (giving everyone the same support) to equity (ensuring people can access what they need to thrive).
Lesson 4: Accessibility benefits the whole workforce
Designing benefits with neurodiversity in mind doesn’t just support neurodivergent employees. It improves the experience for everyone.
Clearer communication, simpler navigation and better guidance can help employees who are unfamiliar with financial terminology, who have limited time to review their benefits options, who feel overwhelmed by complex choices or who simply prefer visual or interactive explanations.
In other words, when benefits are easier to understand and navigate, engagement tends to increase across the entire workforce. And when engagement increases, organisations are far more likely to see a strong return on their investment.
Designing benefits that work for every mind
Employers don’t necessarily need to introduce dozens of new benefits to create a more inclusive strategy. In many cases, the biggest improvements come from simplifying communication, improving accessibility and offering meaningful flexibility.
When benefits are designed with different ways of thinking in mind, they become easier for everyone to engage with.
And ultimately, that helps ensure employees can access the support that allows them — and the organisations they work for — to thrive.
Want to design employee benefits that work for everyone?
The FlexGenius platform helps employers build more inclusive, flexible benefits strategies that are easier for employees to understand, access and engage with.
If you'd like to explore how FlexGenius could support your organisation, get in touch with the Avantus team today or book a demo to see the platform in action.
