How Peppy helped BNP Paribas build award-winning neurodiversity support
For most organisations, neurodiversity support exists on paper but falls apart in practice. Policies are written. Awareness weeks happen. Good intentions are everywhere.
But employees still don't know where to go. Managers still don't feel equippedand the people who need support most are often the least likely to ask for it.
BNP Paribas faced the same challenge. By putting certain measures in place (including using Peppy’s neurodiversity support), it built a programme that actually worked and won the Best Neurodivergent Support Programme award for it.
During Peppy's recent webinar with Lauren Lunniss, health and wellbeing lead at BNP Paribas, we explored how they built their award-winning programme and the role Peppy played in turning good intentions into measurable impact.
It started with data
BNP Paribas added targeted questions to its annual benefits survey, by asking a few questions, such as:
- Do you identify as neurodivergent?
- Do you care for a neurodivergent family member?
The results were stark. 15% of employees identified as neurodivergent. Another 30% were caring for a neurodivergent child. At the same time, NHS diagnostic waiting lists were stretching to 12-24 months, pushing families into stress, expensive private routes or out of the workforce altogether.
That data built an undeniable business case.
"The longer the wait [for diagnosis], the higher the risk of potentially losing talent and increasing things like absenteeism due to carers' leave - even if you're not the individual that has a neurodivergent condition," said Lunniss.
Once BNP Paribas understood the scale of the need, it needed somewhere credible to send employees immediately.
Peppy's role was to provide confidential, expert-led neurodiversity support that employees could access from day one.
Diagnosis was just the start
One of the most common mistakes organisations make is treating diagnosis as the destination. BNP Paribas knew it was just the beginning.
and so it built a joined-up pathway:
- Diagnostic access to cut through NHS waiting lists
- Post-diagnosis care including therapy, occupational health, and medication guidance
- Peppy's Neurodiversity Support Programme - giving employees expert-curated content, ADHD and autism screening questionnaires, and 1:1 support calls with qualified Healthy Minds practitioners.
The principle was simple: employees needed to know what happened next at every stage of their journey.
"There's no point giving someone a diagnosis and then leaving them with nowhere to go," explained Lunniss.
Many organisations fund diagnostic pathways through PMI or EAPs, then signpost employees back to the NHS. The employee gets their diagnosis and is told to "speak to your GP" who often has a 12-week wait, may not specialise in adult neurodivergence, and can't help with workplace adjustments.
Peppy's post-diagnosis support closes the loop - from awareness and screening through to coping strategies and ongoing guidance.
Managers needed confidence, not a clinical handbook
The gap between a neurodiversity policy and a neurodivergent employee feeling supported almost always comes down to one person: their manager.
BNP Paribas ran focused manager training sessions covering:
- The basics (what ADHD, autism, dyslexia mean in practice)
- How to have a supportive conversation (without getting clinical)
- Where to signpost next (occupational health, the intranet hub, Peppy).
The result was an astonishing 97% increase in manager confidence to support their teams.
"Managers are essentially the bridge between corporate commitment and the everyday experience. You need to give them the confidence to support neurodivergent colleagues," said Lunniss.
Confidentiality unlocked uptake
If employees believe accessing support means their colleagues will find out, many won't do it.
BNP Paribas built in confidential routes from day one:
- An anonymous intranet hub
- Private occupational health referrals
- Peppy's confidential app - no manager or employer disclosure required.
Employees could access Peppy's expert content, screening tools, and 1:1 Healthy Minds support without disclosing to their manager or navigating internal HR processes. That confidentiality was critical to driving engagement.
Stories shifted culture faster
When senior leaders at BNP Paribas started sharing their own experiences, such as being neurodivergent themselves or raising neurodivergent children, something shifted.
During Neurodiversity Celebration Week, the bank’s intranet hub got 900+ visits. A parents and carers community formed organically. Employees who'd stayed silent for years started speaking up.
"Senior managers sharing their own personal stories shows this is okay, we've got the support here, come forward," said Lunniss.
Peppy's interactive webinars featuring specialist practitioners gave BNP Paribas credible, expert-led content it could point employees to during awareness campaigns and celebration weeks.
What the numbers showed
By the end of year one, the impact was measurable:
- 500+ employees had used the diagnostic pathway
- 80% of assessments resulted in a positive diagnosis
- Neurodivergent employees rated their likelihood of staying 8.2 out of 10
- Manager confidence increased by 97%.
"A problem that began as a public health bottleneck has become a culture cornerstone," concluded Lunniss.
These are the metrics that matter to boards: retention, manager confidence, diagnostic yield absence rates.
What HR and benefits leaders can learn from this
BNP Paribas' approach is replicable. The building blocks are straightforward:
- Data (run a survey to understand the need)
- A clear pathway (diagnostic access that leads somewhere, not nowhere)
- Manager confidence (focused training with clear next steps)
- Confidential access (like Peppy)
- Visible culture (senior leader stories and awareness moments).
The difference between a policy that sits on SharePoint and a programme that wins awards comes down to execution and having the right support in place to help you deliver it.
Peppy has turned BNP Paribas' full approach into a free guide, Build Award-Winning Neurodiversity Support, for HR and benefits leaders.
Ready to bring expert-led neurodiversity support to your organisation? Book a call with the Peppy team or learn more here.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Peppy
Peppy is a global app-based employee benefit giving employees access to expert clinical care in menopause, fertility, pregnancy, and more - trusted by 250+ companies and reaching over 3 million people.
