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This article is part of a blog series inspired by the questions that regularly come up in our Neurodiversity Workplace Training sessions.  This guest blog, written by Wellbeing Coach and Director Charley Masarati, is a personal response to one of the most common questions we hear, and a reflection on why a neurodiversity diagnosis matters at work.

Why does everyone need a label?  

I am fairly certain that most neurodivergent people have encountered this question at some point, whether in the media, in the workplace, or asked directly by someone they know. 

For many neurodivergent people, this question can feel pointed, dismissive, even attacking. And yet, when we strip away emotion and assumption, it is actually a very good question. 

I’ve been asked it directly, by someone I love and respect. My response was indignant, emotional, and, if I’m honest, rambling. 

As any good coach would, I took that away for reflection. 

Making Space for Not Knowing 

In that reflection, I chose to give people grace. If you do not live with neurodivergence, why would you automatically understand what it feels like? I know why the label matters because I live it, feel it, and navigate the world through it, but articulating that experience to someone who doesn’t share it is not straightforward. 

It is also important to say this clearly: not every neurodivergent person wants or values a label. That is valid. This is not a universal truth, it is a personal one. 

What follows is my experience.

When a Label Arrives Late

Receiving a neurodiversity diagnosis, specifically of hyperactive ADHD, alongside a pre-assessment recommendation to seek an autism assessment, was profoundly impactful for me. 

At first, it was emotional. I began unpacking memories, mostly painful ones, from childhood. I felt anger that I had not been offered compassion or support. I reflected on years of impulsivity, on being described as “too much,” on choices that sent my life sharply off course. 

Perhaps I would have finished sixth form. 
Perhaps I would not have ended up living in a youth hostel. 
Perhaps things might have been easier. 

Like many people diagnosed later in life, I replayed every “bad decision” through this new lens. 

What I felt initially was grief. Grief for the version of me that might have existed if I had been understood earlier. The label wasn’t just a word, it was a diagnosis, and that diagnosis represented missed opportunities for support. 

I sat in that grief for a while. 

From Grief to Self-Compassion 

And then something shifted. 

I realised that what the label truly gave me was context. 

It didn’t excuse behaviour that had harmed others, and it didn’t remove responsibility, but it did offer explanation. It allowed me to look back at my life with compassion rather than contempt. 

I began to understand that something else had been driving me. 

For the first time, I could see that my struggles were not evidence of laziness or a lack of ability. I could do many things others found easy, but at a much higher energetic cost. Naming that cost mattered. It gave me permission to seek support, to find workarounds, and to stop judging myself for needing them. 

And something else emerged too. 

I started to see where I excel. 

The speed at which I think. 
The way I approach problems from unexpected angles. 
The ability to see solutions others miss. 

In many contexts, those traits are not just differences, they are strengths. 

Having the label allowed me to start understanding myself as a whole person, not a collection of perceived failures. 

Before the Right Label, There Is Always Another One 

I remember being in a presentation with parents whose children were either diagnosed ADHD or suspected to be. One parent shared a hesitation about giving their child a label. 

And I understand that instinct. Labels can feel limiting. Final. Heavy. 

But my response was this: the label already exists. 

If it’s not ADHD, it becomes something else. Naughty. Unfocused. Lazy. Distracted. 

Children do not grow up without labels. They grow up with the labels that are given to them, whether those labels are accurate or not. 

And those early labels shape identity, confidence, and how others respond to them. 

So the real question is not whether someone gets a label. It’s whether they get the right one. 

So Why Not Drop the Label? 

At this point, you might reasonably ask: If the label has done its job, why keep it?  

Because the world is not built for me. 

This is particularly relevant when we consider neurodiversity in the workplace.  Workplaces, systems, education, and processes are designed for the majority, for more typical ways of thinking. While progress has been made, we are still far from a world that is fully accessible. 

Right now, my label does something very practical: 

It gives me access to adjustments. 

It allows conversations to happen. 
It legitimises my needs in systems that still require justification. 
It helps me survive, and sometimes thrive, in environments that were not designed with me in mind. 

A Future Without Labels? 

I believe in a future where labels are no longer necessary. 

A world where flexibility, accessibility, and psychological safety are built in as standard. Where difference does not need translation. Where people are trusted to know what they need. 

Until then, labels matter. 

Not because we want them, but because we need them. 

And believe me: when the fight is won, when adjustments are available to everyone as standard, when systems truly allow all minds to thrive, 

we will be the first to put the labels down.

What This Means for Managers 

If someone on your team has just shared thier diagnosis or is still seeking answers, your response matters. They are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for the right conditions to do their best work. 

That starts with you. 

You do not need to be an expert. You need to be curious, open, and willing to have the conversation. 

The cost of getting this wrong is high. Masking is exhausting. Losing talented people is expensive. And the legal landscape is shifting fast. Employment tribunal cases linked to neurodiversity have risen by almost 95% in five years in the UK.

The good news? Small adjustments and genuine curiosity go a long way.

At Adjust, we help managers and HR teams move from awareness to action, including understanding what neurodiversity means at work. Our Neurodiversity Understood for Managers training gives your leaders the confidence and practical tools to support every employee.