As someone with ADHD, I am not fully in my element working in an office. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t thrive in the environment. Here are a things to keep in mind when working with me:
I can’t work without music (background noise)
A common trait you will find in people with ADHD is that, we find it difficult to work in silence. For me, a quiet library has always been the most difficult place to study and work. I like to describe it as a constant white noise playing in my head at all times, which I need to drown out with external background noise. This all means that if I am at my desk working, I am most likely going to have earphones on. I’m not trying to be rude, I just can’t work properly without background noise.
I will fidget in my seat a lot
I fidget.. a lot. I am constantly shaking my legs or swinging back and forth on my chair. The reason for this has been shown that fidgeting allows people with ADHD to focus; it’s a form of self-stimulation (often called stimming). While meds do cut down the auto fidget, you will certain find me shaking at my desk at some point.
I work significantly better with positive reinforcement than negative ones
While this is true for everyone, its especially so for people with ADHD. People with ADHD are no strangers to failing and after many years of it, we start to develop a low self-esteem. We are also hypersensitive to rejection and criticism so negative words can actually affect us much more than others. However, if you give us positive encouragement, you will see us thriving.
I need some freedom on how to approach the work
People with ADHD tend to be creative and think outside the box ... its why so many entrepreneurs tend to have ADHD. We also struggle with repetitive work. However, if you give us a goal and sufficient freedom to achieve the goal in our own way, you’ll find that we have probably found a faster or a more efficient way to get the work done.
I’m not the best at social clues, so please be direct
This one is in no way specific to ADHD but please use direct language with us. ADHD tends to affect our ability to read social clues and even expressing non verbal communication (difficulty controlling our tone, volume, etc). Due to all this, its best if you are direct with us and we will be able to avoid miscommunications.
Work environments tend to be catered towards neurotypical people and neurodivergent people might struggle with the work environment. However, if a few things are adjusted around our specific difficulties, we can definitely thrive.
What happens with the right support
I have experienced this myself when I worked for a very understanding company. I started working for the company with very little working experience but within a couple of months, I began to really thrive. Not only was I given difficult work (which I asked for as I love a headscratcher), I was given ample room to approach the work in the method that best suited me. Within a year, I had managed to learn a new programming language from scratch (so I could automate the boring stuff), managed to win second place in an office wide innovation competition and saved the company weeks of hard work.
Work environments tend to be catered towards neurotypical people and neurodivergent people might struggle with the work environment. However, if a few things are adjusted around our specific difficulties, we can definitely thrive.
