Adult ADHD and the Workplace

For many late-identified adults with ADHD, the ones who muddled through the school years by doing enough to get by with the knowledge they had the potential to do better, it is often problems in the working world that compel them to finally seek help. For those adults with ADHD who had already been diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, ongoing difficulties at work quashed hopes that things would be better once they got through school.

At this point, ADHD-related difficulties with forgetfulness, distractibility, lateness, and poor time management and follow-through in the workplace become inescapably apparent.

Common Difficulties for Adults With ADHD at Work

The workplace, including at-home parents, self-employment, and volunteer jobs, comes with performance expectations. A lifetime history of ADHD is associated with various difficulties organizing and following through on various job-related tasks and managing frustrations that result in an increased likelihood of poor work evaluations and performance improvement plans, conflicts with supervisors and co-workers, and more frequent job changes and job dismissals.¹

In a study of criticisms faced by adults with ADHD,² inattentive behaviors (e.g., distractibility, poor follow-through on commitments, lateness, and forgetfulness) were far and away the most criticized. The chief source of criticism in social situations was impulsivity. Specific complaints included missing social cues and norms, talking over other people, dominating conversations, and being quick to anger and visibly frustrated. Both sorts of criticisms about one’s work can be generalized into attributions and labels, such as “unreliable,” “difficult to work with,” and “not a team player,” which can become workplace reputations that are hard to shake.

Helpful Options for Adults With ADHD to Improve Workplace Functioning

There are approved medications for ADHD that target inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity symptoms of ADHD that are directly relevant to one’s job. There are effective non-medical options that support adults with ADHD in managing various roles and life situations, such as cognitive-behavior therapy adapted to the needs of adults with ADHD and adult ADHD coaching, both of which are evidence-supported approaches that can target many aspects of workplace functioning.

These options follow the idea that “ADHD is not your fault, but it is your responsibility” in terms of taking charge of one’s coping. That said, there are many relatively small ways to adapt workplace setups and procedures that can support adults with ADHD to unleash opportunities to make use of their strengths.

Moreover, co-workers and supervisors can be mindful of their automatic interpretations and attributions about some of the features of ADHD that might show up at work.

A few easy-to-use tips at work can help support adults with ADHD and everyone else too.

Source: Yan Krukau/Pexels

ADHD-Friendly Adjustments to the Workplace

To reduce forgetfulness and support organization, it is helpful to externalize responsibilities (such as an email summary or other digital or physical reference) and repeat important information, such as timelines, upcoming deadlines, and project instructions.

To improve time management and follow-through, supervisors or co-workers can provide regular check-in meetings for status and progress updates as well as for clarity of expectations. Body-doubling and working together on projects is another helpful and productive strategy.

To address distractibility, allow for reasonable coping strategies and informal accommodations that are helpful for adults with ADHD, such as using earbuds while doing desk work, working in reduced distraction locations, and making standing desks available.

Recognize differences in the frequency and type of breaks needed to deal with attentional endurance and restlessness, such as leaving the office to walk around the block or needing more frequent breaks. Dealing with physical restlessness during work is also helped with options such as standing desks or being allowed to turn off cameras during virtual meetings to allow someone to stand up and walk around while still participating.

For co-workers and supervisors, be mindful of attributions or judgments about communication styles. Impulsive interruptions by adults with ADHD often reflect enthusiasm and quickly sharing ideas before they slip out of one’s mind. What might sound like an aggressive tone of voice might reflect a focused attempt at clarity, either in expressing ideas or asking questions for understanding.

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ADHD as Dimensional

There can be negotiations to reach shared understandings for context-specific, “bright line” rules³ for job requirements and communication styles, such as different expectations for a less formal brainstorming session with a work team versus when the head of the company is making a presentation. There are jobs for which on-time arrival is crucial to the work; other jobs might allow for more flexible arrival times for which lateness can be made up at the back end of the day.

In all cases, a good starting point is the “principle of charity,” in which the initial assumption is that all parties are making a good-faith effort at teamwork. There will be misunderstandings that can benefit from good, open communication about intent, expectations, and flexibility in arriving at constructive understandings and processes that will benefit everyone, ADHD or not.

Summary

There is a myth that ADHD is an excuse to avoid responsibility or to take “the easy way out.” In fact, many adults with ADHD take criticisms as feedback and make efforts to cope better. Hence, they often compensate by working extra hard to do a good job. That said, understanding, support, and acceptance in deed and word by others is the best-case scenario for fostering a sense of belonging for adults with ADHD² (and everyone), including and especially at work.