When we talk about inclusion at work, we often talk about policies, representation and access. These things matter. But there is another question I believe we need to ask:
Does this workplace assume that everyone has the same amount of energy available each day?
I have been thinking about this question through my work with Wellness Without Barriers, and through my own experience as a disabled founder. It is also the focus of my talk, The Energy Budget: Why ‘Hustle is a Luxury’ and What True Accommodation Looks Like, which took place as part of the University of Reading’s Accommodating Diversity in the Workplace webinar series.
The recording is available on the series page for anyone who would like to explore the conversation.
My hope is that this article offers a practical way for HR teams, people leaders and managers to think about accommodation. Not as a complicated extra. Not as special treatment. But as part of designing work so more people can contribute without having to spend energy they do not have.
Traditional workplace wellness can assume too much
Many workplace wellness programmes are created with good intentions.
They may include step challenges, lunchtime fitness classes, wellbeing competitions, resilience training or talks about building a stronger mindset. These activities can be useful for some people. But they can also unintentionally exclude the very people they are meant to support.
The problem is often not the activity itself. It is the assumption underneath it.
These programmes can assume that people:
- Have a consistent baseline of energy
- Can exercise during a lunch break
- Can commute, work and then attend a social or wellbeing event
- Can recover overnight after a demanding day
- Can push through tiredness without consequences
- Have the same physical and sensory capacity as their colleagues
For many people, that is not how life works.
Some people live with fluctuating health, chronic illness, disability, pain, sensory sensitivity, caring responsibilities or periods of burnout. Some people may look well while using a significant amount of energy simply to get through an ordinary working day.
When a wellness programme suggests that the solution is to “try harder”, “build resilience” or “make better choices”, it can place the responsibility in the wrong place.
The issue may not be an individual’s motivation. It may be that the working environment has been designed around a level of energy that not everyone can access.
The energy budget is a finite and changing resource
I use the idea of an energy budget as a simple way to describe this.
Every day, we have a certain amount of energy available. That amount may change from one day to the next. It may change without warning. It may also be affected by things that are not immediately visible to other people.
That budget has to cover much more than the task listed on a job description.
It may include:
- Getting ready for work
- Commuting or managing transport
- Processing noise, light and other sensory input
- Attending meetings
- Switching between tasks
- Making decisions
- Managing pain or symptoms
- Communicating and masking
- Caring responsibilities
- Household tasks and admin
- Recovering after a demanding day
On a day when my energy budget is larger, I may be able to do more. On a day when it is smaller, the same number of meetings may take a much greater toll.
This does not mean that my skills or commitment have changed. It means the amount of energy available to access those skills has changed.
That distinction is important.
“Hustle is a luxury”
For me, “hustle is a luxury” means recognising that the ability to push through is not equally available to everyone.
Working long hours, responding instantly, attending every event, bouncing back quickly and recovering overnight can look like dedication. In some workplace cultures, these behaviours are even rewarded.
But the capacity to do them is not simply a matter of character.
It can depend on health, disability, support systems, financial security, caring responsibilities, environment and access to recovery time. The ability to keep going without a significant cost is a form of privilege.
Not having that capacity is not a moral failing.
It is not laziness. It is not a lack of ambition. It is not proof that someone is less capable.
For some people, it is an access issue.
When workplaces treat constant availability and high output as the default, they risk measuring access to energy rather than capability. That can mean losing talented people who could contribute fully when work is structured in a more accessible way.
Accommodation means designing work around real capacity
Reasonable adjustments are sometimes described as an individual arrangement made for one person. In practice, the underlying principles can help us design better workplaces for everyone.
Accommodation is not about lowering standards or removing meaningful work. It is about reducing unnecessary barriers so someone can bring their actual capability to the role.
Here are some practical, budget-friendly ways to begin.
Offer flexible and asynchronous ways to work
Flexible start and finish times can help people work when their energy is more available. Remote or hybrid working may reduce the energy cost of commuting.
Asynchronous communication can also reduce the pressure to be constantly available. Not every update needs to happen in a live meeting. Not every decision needs an immediate response.
Build breaks and buffers into the working day
Back-to-back meetings can create a hidden energy cost. A short gap between calls can provide time to process information, move, eat, regulate or simply pause.
Meetings can also include breaks, particularly when they are long or emotionally demanding. Cameras can be optional where appropriate. This can reduce visual and social pressure and allow people to participate in a way that works for them.
Make scheduling predictable
Advance notice of meetings, deadlines and changes can make a significant difference.
Predictability gives people time to plan their energy. It also reduces the extra work involved in constantly adapting to last-minute changes.
This does not mean that nothing can ever change. It means recognising that unexpected changes may have a greater impact on some people than others.
Reduce sensory load
Quiet spaces, noise-reduction options, adjustable lighting and the ability to work away from busy areas can all help.
These changes may be useful for disabled and neurodivergent colleagues. They may also support anyone who is dealing with stress, migraines, illness, poor sleep or a difficult period outside work.
Focus on outcomes rather than visible hours
Being physically present or online for a set number of hours does not always show what someone has contributed.
Where the role allows, consider whether success can be measured through outcomes, quality and agreed responsibilities rather than constant visibility.
This can create space for people to work differently without requiring them to perform productivity in a particular way.
Allow task swapping where possible
Sometimes the most supportive solution is to swap a task rather than expect someone to push through it.
One person may be able to take a meeting while another completes focused work. Someone may manage a deadline more comfortably if a high-sensory or highly social task is exchanged for a quieter responsibility.
This is not about avoiding contribution. It is about using people’s capacity thoughtfully.
Plan recovery after big demands
A presentation, conference, investigation, event or intense period of collaboration may require recovery time afterwards.
If we plan only for the event itself, we may miss the energy cost that follows. Recovery time can be part of realistic workload planning rather than something people have to request after they are already struggling.
Adjustments are not special treatment
I understand why some organisations worry about fairness. If one person has different working arrangements, does that give them an advantage?
I see it differently.
Fairness does not always mean giving everyone the same thing. It means recognising barriers and providing the support needed to participate on a more equal footing.
An adjustment is not a perk. It is not a reward. It is a way of levelling the playing field.
It may also benefit many more people than the person who originally requested it.
Flexible working can support parents and carers. Predictable scheduling can help people managing appointments or family responsibilities. Quiet spaces can support neurodivergent staff and anyone experiencing an overwhelming period. Recovery time can help people returning from illness or navigating a demanding month.
Inclusive design often reaches further than we first expect.
What managers can do without making it dramatic
Managers do not need to have every answer. A supportive starting point is to ask rather than assume.
You might ask:
- “What would make this work more accessible for you?”
- “Which parts of the current arrangement use the most energy?”
- “Would flexibility around timing, location or meetings help?”
- “How should we review this if your needs change?”
- “Is there anything we can adjust without requiring you to explain more than you want to?”
A person should not have to provide a diagnosis in order to have a practical conversation about flexibility. Managers can focus on the impact of a workplace barrier and the support that may help.
It is also important to review adjustments. Energy levels and circumstances can change. An arrangement that works well in one season may need to be adapted later.
The process does not need to be performative or full of unnecessary paperwork. When possible, adjustments should become normal business practice: discussed respectfully, documented clearly and reviewed calmly.
For UK employers, organisations such as ACAS and the Business Disability Forum offer further guidance on reasonable adjustments and energy-limiting conditions. This article is not legal advice, but it can be a starting point for a more thoughtful conversation.
Start with one or two changes
You do not need to redesign your entire workplace wellness strategy overnight.
Start by asking whether your current offering assumes a consistent baseline of energy.
Does it rely mainly on step counts, physical activity, live attendance or motivational language? Are there quieter, asynchronous or low-energy alternatives? Can people opt out without being seen as less committed?
Then choose one or two changes that feel achievable.
You might introduce meeting buffers. Make cameras optional. Offer a quiet space. Give more notice of scheduling changes. Review whether outcomes, rather than visible hours, are the clearest measure of contribution.
Small changes can make work more accessible. They can also signal something important: people are not expected to work against their bodies in order to prove their value.
At Wellness Without Barriers, I provide accessible workshops and talks that explore energy management, realistic wellbeing and compassionate support. My approach is gentle, adaptable and grounded in real life, because inclusive wellbeing needs to work for every body and mind.
The goal is not to help people hustle harder.
The goal is to create workplaces where people can contribute sustainably, with their full capability recognised and their energy treated as a real part of the working environment.
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