ADHD Employees are Awesome.

But they can’t thrive if we don’t remove the barriers to inclusion.

Mid sentence. Mid thought. My brain can just head off on a completely different tangent. 

Some people when in conversation with me will say  “where did you go?”

And I have to explain that even though we were talking about something very serious and important, my brain decided that now was the time to think about the impact the new restrictions on cat movements in the Geelong region might have on my sisters cat.

You see the thing with ADHD is that rather than our brain being focused on the most important task, conversation, thought. It just follows what seems most interesting to it at the time.

Us ADHDers are on a perpetual dopamine search so even though I am fully committed to the conversation from my heart, my brain just has other ideas.

There’s a myth that ADHDers will do terribly in school and then at work. This couldn’t be further from the truth. ADHDers can be super successful, effective and valued employees – but the current education settings and workplace environments present many unnecessary barriers for ADHDers.

This blog highlights some of those barriers and potential solutions for employers – but remember, always ask your ADHD employee what they need! Everybody is unique and has individual needs.

Supporting ADHD employees

The issue: ADHDers distracted at interview.

Yep, you asked me a question and by the time you finished it I can’t remember how it started, so I ask “Can you repeat the question?” Long questions with multiple parts are very hard for ADHD folks to hold in our brain and also listen to fully. Additionally, if there is background noise, or we are trying really hard to not look fidgety, or just feeling super anxious about the interview – our attention is likely to fail us. Therefore you might have the best candidate sitting in front of you but you just don’t know it.

The solution: Awareness and adjustments

Ensure hiring managers are aware of how ADHD, Autism and anxiety may present in an interview setting. Providing explicit permission to ask for a question to be repeated, ask direct and one part questions and ensure that the environment is free from distracting noises are just some of the ways we can accommodate ADHD in an interview.  Super intelligent and productive folks have ADHD, don’t miss out on the best employee you could have because they didn’t present as neurotypical in the interview.

The issue:  ADHDers not following instructions.

Instructions are hard, sequences particularly hard. To follow a recipe I have to look at each step 5 times before I can execute, because by the time I get to the pan from the recipe book I’ve jumbled the numbers, thought it said whisk not stir, or completely forgotten what it said all together. In the workplace that can make us look like we don’t have attention to detail or don’t listen.

The solution: Clear, concise directions.

Don’t expect an ADHDer to remember 5 steps you have told them. If it’s something more complicated record yourself doing it and send that to your employee, often watching someone doing it or doing it myself under supervision a couple of times will solidify it in my brain. But most importantly – ask the person, there is no one size fits all. Just be a little lenient in the beginning by making it safe for us to ask more questions or get something wrong.

The issue: Long meetings or workshops.

These may prove really challenging to ADHD folks, so much so that employees are constantly leaving for the “bathroom”, are distracting others or don’t show up at all. I find it excruciating to sit through 2 hour meetings, I’ll be looking at the agenda 15 times in the hope we are nearly done, I’ll be fidgeting, looking out the window and absolutely taking the “I need to go to the bathroom/take a call” option. It’s not that I’m not engaged, chances are I’ve already gone through all the agenda items, come up with the solutions with my very innovative brain and could provide everyone a summary. But instead I’m probably behaving like the naughty kid in class.

The solution: Everyone benefits from agile, interactive meetings.

Regular breaks, lots of interaction, different methods of sharing information, sticking to time on agenda items and ensuring people have the information before the meeting to read on their own. This reduces the time that people are needed to sit still and concentrate, more time for doing the work and improves everybody’s job satisfaction.

How ADHD can be a SUPERPOWER for employees.

These are just some of the ways you can create an environment for people with ADHD to thrive. But if these solutions challenge the way you manage or work then you might be thinking why on earth would I want an ADHDer in my workplace?

People with ADHD tend to be innovative and creative, can hyperfocus on a task to exceed expectations, can be quick to act and learn, resilient and adaptable. They can also be a lot of fun to have around, building team morale.

And with any inclusion measure, often making the adjustments required can help all your employees.  Giving you access to a broader range of talent, less mistakes in the business, and higher engagement amongst your employees.

Want to know more? Book a call and we can discuss my inclusive leadership workshops where I give leaders the strategies and tools to create safe, supportive and inclusive workplaces.

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