ADHD at Work
Does it ever feel like your ADHD makes accomplishing tasks at work difficult?
Are you easily distracted by office noise and co-workers, missing deadlines, or often forget the directions you were given by a supervisor?
You shouldn’t feel bad if these things describe you. These are common problems associated with having ADHD in the workplace. But, it doesn’t mean you have to live with them either!
Recently on Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast, Pete and I sat down with ADHD advocate, Rach Idowu. A large part of our conversation centered around ADHD at work, and most importantly, accommodations.
Over my time as an ADHD coach, and even working in HR before that, I’ve learned that no one is going to openly give you accommodations if you don’t ask for them. That might sound like it goes without saying, but often I see clients who are struggling at work, but when they are asked what they’ve tried, they usually haven’t tried speaking with their supervisor or HR about receiving help through accommodations.
What are accommodations?
Workplace accommodations are work-arounds, strategies, or modifications you can use to help you be successful.
Every work environment is different. What someone needs in one work environment may not make sense in another environment.
But, to get you started thinking in the right direction, here are few ideas that may help:
Request a quiet workspace.
This may mean having a desk that is far away from the main flow of traffic in the office. You may also be able to use noise-cancelling headphones if a seat change isn’t possible.
Ask for flexible deadlines.
This was a great suggestion Rach brought up during our conversation:
“I asked teams to give me like a hard deadline and a soft deadline. So if you're telling me you need something by tomorrow, let me know that's an absolute hard deadline so I know okay, this needs to be met. But if you build flexibility within the timeframe that leaves room for slippages, which might happen.”
Get permission to record meetings.
If you have difficulty paying attention during meetings or find that you have a hard time following along, you might ask to use an audio recorder. It can be really helpful in allowing you to go back and review what you were told during the meeting.
Not all accommodations are reasonable in every work environment. For example, if you work on the sales floor of a retail store, it wouldn’t be reasonable for you to request noise-cancelling headphones as it would keep you from being able to talk to customers.
There’s no reason to dread going to work every day because of your ADHD. Whether you create accommodations for yourself like setting reminders, or you ask your employer for help, there are ways to help you be successful at work.
Want more from Rach Idowu? She has created ADHD traits flashcards that we are in love with! Check them out here.
Thank you for your time and attention,
-Nikki
