Ryan Toghill, a deputy store manager at Lidl, says taking one of Britain’s biggest grocery chains to an employment tribunal “almost took over his life”. The case, which he won, was triggered by a disciplinary meeting after he broke company rules by using equipment he hadn’t been trained to use. Toghill had told his bosses he had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but after the meeting he was dismissed for gross misconduct.
He appealed successfully and was offered a lower-paid role. He rejected it and fought his case at tribunal, eventually being awarded more than £45,000. The judge found Lidl had not fully taken his ADHD diagnosis into account during the disciplinary process. Reasonable adjustments – such as additional breaks – had not been offered, the ruling said. A manager had described Toghill as showing “a lack of remorse”, which the tribunal found was clearly linked with communication differences associated with ADHD.
“Lidl manager Ryan Toghill awarded £45k after tribunal ruled employer failed to accommodate his ADHD diagnosis.”
“I don’t show a lot of emotions,” Toghill explained. “I could be incredibly happy, angry, upset, or remorseful, and my facial expressions and tone of voice would essentially remain the same.” The tribunal upheld parts of his claims for unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and a failure to make reasonable adjustments. Lidl said it is “committed to ensuring that everyone receives the reasonable adjustments, clear communication and support they need to thrive”.
Campaigners, lawyers and HR teams say cases like this highlight a shift businesses should be paying attention to. Since the pandemic, diagnosis rates for ADHD and autism have been rising, and they are featuring more regularly in employment tribunal disputes. Thousands of people have been diagnosed as neurodivergent – an umbrella term covering autism, ADHD, dyslexia and Tourette’s syndrome. Under the Equality Act 2010, even without a formal diagnosis, people are entitled to reasonable adjustments if they show their condition has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on day-to-day activities.
A 2025 tribunal underscored the trend. A software engineer with ADHD was found to have faced discrimination because a manager sighed and made other expressions of impatience. As these cases multiply, the message for bosses is clear: ignoring neurodivergence at work no longer goes unnoticed by the courts.