I recently came across an article arguing that ADHD isn’t a disorder. As someone who values both lived experience and clinical understanding, I believe it’s crucial to challenge narratives that minimize the very real struggles individuals with ADHD encounter daily. Reducing ADHD to a mere ‘difference’ not only overlooks the impairments it can cause but also risks invalidating the voices of those who live with it every day. I was diagnosed with Adult ADHD having masked my symptoms throughout my life not knowing that it was ADHD I had been struggling with. Whilst I perceive for some a label can feel stigmatising, for many it is life changing.  In this article, I’ll be diving into how ADHD can show up at work and ways it can affect people in their professional lives.

There is more awareness about the disorder in the workplace however awareness does not necessarily lead to feeling supported and adjustments being made according to the person’s needs. It appears that most HR services and managers are struggling to understand ADHD and the impact it can have in the workplace. This appears to be clear when most of the adjustments suggested are quite generic, such as having regular breaks, working on time management.  However then not having sufficient adjustments made to suit the individual’s workload/pattern. What people would really value would be to have open conversations about their roles at work, discussing which roles/tasks align with their strengths and to consider lessening the tasks that the person struggles with. For example, if someone finds a with a particular aspect of their role difficult, it maybe valuable to consider coaching to help with this, or perhaps it would be worthwhile having a conversation about other tasks the person performs better in and capitalizing on these tasks.

An interesting analogy that comes to my mind is the following: would you continuously be asking someone who has physical mobility issue that impacts there walking to continuously climb up 5 floors of stairs?  Exaggerated as this may sound this is how most people with ADHD feel. We are continuously expected to engage in activities/tasks that that may not align with the cognitive and emotional challenges inherent in the disorder.  When reviewing the research on the impact ADHD has in the workplace, I came across a study in Sweden which found that adults with ADHD were at a higher risk of long-term sickness, 22% compared to those without ADHD (Ontiveros et al., 2023).   Research has found that adults with ADHD can underperform at work, experience more stress and have more days of sickness compared to their counterparts (Oscarsson et al., 2022).  The main challenges tend to be centred around admin tasks, teamwork, interaction with managers particularly with those who have a more dictatorship authority.  

Now why is that?

I wanted to understand further why we find it difficult interacting with managers who adopt a more authoritarian leadership style. I came across this theory called “psychological reactance”, which was presented by Jack Williams Brehm in 1966. He described this theory as a motivational state, an aversive reaction which arises when a person perceives a threat to their personal freedom, which then leads them to resist or even “act out” to resist social influence. They restore their freedom by acting against the perceived restrictions. This could be for example doing the opposite of what is being asked, losing interest, motivation and disengaging from a situation/task.  A study published in International Journal of Health Sciences and Research found that when employees have autonomy and flexibility at work this correlated with increased satisfaction and motivation. When we feel this autonomy is comprised or challenged this could lead to the person feeling discomfort as they perceive a risk to their personal freedom. If this state is triggered it could lead to emotion overwhelm which is a core feature in ADHD.  Barkley, (2015) described a key feature of ADHD being emotional impulsiveness, this is where emotions are expressed quickly, and the person may feel unable to control their reactions. The person may react with expressing anger, annoyance and potentially withdrawing from the situation. Now the journey moves to RSD.

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD)

RSD is described an intense reaction to actual or perceived rejection which could lead to a dysphoric mood. It is recently being recognised as a significant component of emotional dysregulation in ADHD (APA, 2022). Nearly 90% of people with ADHD report struggling with RSD (Kooij et al., 2019). When RSD is trigged, this could lead to the person shutting down, disengaging, low motivation, feelings of depression, anxiety and overwhelm. We need to mindful that adults with ADHD from a younger age would have most likely been more exposed to negative messages than their counterparts. Which in turn has made us unfortunately more hypersensitive to any perceived criticism or lack of control.  Common experiences shared by people with ADHD tend to be following feeling inferior to others, not good enough and being different.

How could this play out in the workplace?

Take this example, you are called into a meeting to discuss you work performance with your line manager, your manager tells you that you have been underperforming at work compared to your counterparts and that things need to change. The person is then expected to carry on with their work duties with no formal support being offered or discussed with them. From an employee perspective take a moment reflect on how the person would be feeling? From a manager’s perspective how do you think this person will feel? Will this approach bring out the best in the person or the worst?

Interestingly, there seems to be limited mention of RSD when speaking with various workplace HR organisations and what we can do to work around this area with sensitivity to bring out the best in our workforce. We want to encourage “togetherness” at work, because for so many people with ADHD they have felt alone/different/stupid.  Experiences such as the one outlined above intensify those thoughts and emotions. A lack of understanding, compassion and team building can lead to the person struggling with motivation, performance issues and psychological well-being in the workplace being comprised.  

What can we do create “Neurodiverse friendly workplaces?”

Having more open conversations about challenges and strengths in the workplace. Working together to bring out the best in people is key, we need to be authentic about this approach. Being creative and learning from experiences together will shape the working environment and relationship particularly with managers. It is essential that we are working together, this is not something that person is doing on their own.

As I bring this article to a close, it leaves me with this question – “is the environment we are accustomed to working in actually bringing out the best in our neurodiverse employees generally?” If we were to change the working environment, listen to people’s concerns and pay particular attention to the person’s strengths, could this then make for a better working environment for us all? I would very much to love to hear your thoughts on this subject matter. For workplace support on “Making your company more neurodiverse friendly” please contact us to arrange a call to discuss ways we can support you to bring out the best in your workforce.