ADHD Awareness Month: 6 ways employers can support those with ADHD

October is ADHD Awareness Month, and the theme for 2024 is ‘Awareness is Key’. An awareness of ADHD is particularly important within the workplaces to ensure that ADHD is understood, and adjustments and changes can be made to create an inclusive environment which supports employees and allows them to thrive. To honour ADHD awareness month, this article explores ways that a workplace can better meet the needs and unlock the potential of individuals with ADHD.  

In the UK, an estimated 2.6 million people have ADHD- yet, only approximately 600,000 have a formal diagnosis. Whilst awareness of the condition has grown, and misconceptions continue to be challenged, those with ADHD may find working in a neurotypical environment challenging, and find that their performance, daily tasks and interactions are impacted.  

Below are just some of the challenges people with ADHD may face in the workplace:  

Attention to Detail Those with ADHD may struggle to pay close attention to detail, which can lead to missed errors or oversights which negatively impact quality of work. Hyper focus can also pose a challenge; those with ADHD may hyper focus on one area or task and neglect others, which may compound issues with time management and result in inconsistency in work performance or quality or missed deadlines.  

Time Management and Organisational Issues It is common for those with ADHD to suffer from ‘time blindness’, where they struggle to understand how much time has passed or estimate the time required to complete a task, which may impact their ability to manage workloads, meet deadlines, complete tasks or attend meetings. As a result, juggling multiple projects simultaneously, or a vast workload, can quickly become unmanageable, causing an individual to fall behind, miss targets, or fail to maintain consistent performance.  

Attention difficulties People with ADHD can be easily distracted and struggle to maintain focus, which can lead to delays in work, missed deadlines and difficulty sustaining attention during long-term projects. Mundane, routine tasks, such as paperwork or admin, can also prove challenging, resulting in ‘boredom blackouts’ where focus is completely lost.  

Perfectionism & Procrastination Those with ADHD may experience a debilitating perfectionism when completing a task or project, leading to anxiety, or individuals procrastinating to avoid tasks that appear overwhelming or insurmountable. This, too, can make time management and organisation challenging.   

However, neurodiversity can bring a variety of benefits to an organisation, introducing new perspectives, strengths and innovation. Those with ADHD possess unique strengths and bring an abundance of value to the workplace.  

For instance, typically creative thinkers, people with ADHD can often solve problems or tackle projects in innovative ways and generate original ideas and responses. Hyper focus, whilst posing challenges, can also enable individuals with ADHD to be deeply engaged in their work and efficiently deliver high-quality results, whilst impulsivity can allow individuals to take initiative in fast-paced environments to drive action-oriented results. The tendency of those with ADHD to enjoy variability and change to avoid boredom, can also be an asset, allowing individuals to be agile and responsive to the needs of a workplace and juggle multiple tasks.  

So, how can employers best support those with ADHD to help them overcome challenges and unlock their potential and unique value?  

 1. Ensure communication and information is clear and concise

Avoid overloading employees with information, break it down into manageable, digestible pieces and communicate the key, salient points so that it is less overwhelming and easy to remember. Writing key information down or presenting it in a visual way using bullet points, diagrams, or charts can aid retention, memory and understanding. After each meeting, send a concise written summary of the main points discussed, action items, and next steps. This can then be reread when needed. 

2. Utilise Deadlines and Reminders

Those with ADHD may benefit from verbal reminders and follow up emails about key dates, meetings or deadlines so that they can evaluate progress, ensure they stay on track and reach out if help is required. 

3. Cultivate a ‘Focus-Friendly’ Environment

During meetings or calls, minimise distractions, such as background noise or lengthy digressions, keeping interactions structured and interruption-free to  

4. Be Patient and Flexible

Those with ADHD may encounter challenges when navigating environments or situations that their neurotypical counterparts may not. Empathy should be practised, and it should be recognised that this is out of their control. Employers should aim to be flexible in accommodating the needs of those with ADHD; for instance, allowing employees to work remotely if they find this environment less distracting, or to use headphones in the office to block out background noise if it improves concentration. Whilst those with ADHD may occasionally lose focus, shift topics or embark on tangents during meetings and conversations, be patient and gently guide the discussions back on track.  

5. Provide Support with Time Management

Employers should work with those with ADHD to set timelines and deadlines that are achievable and aid them in developing coping mechanisms for reaching these and managing time effectively. Digital tools such as scheduling apps or task managers can aid organisation.  

6. Maintain an open dialogue

Consistent follow-ups and reminders can help those with ADHD feel supported and listened to and allow employers to respond to specific needs and make adjustments. This can also allow progress to be monitored and any issues with time management or workloads addressed, avoiding long term emergence of delays or stress. 

These strategies for supporting those with ADHD can be just as valuable to employees who may not have ADHD, but find focus, time management or organisation challenging. Essentially, employers should strive to embrace neurodiversity in the workplace and work with it, not against it, to aid employees in contributing their unique value. Not only does this ensure the wellbeing of employees, but it can enrich an organisation by increasing perspectives, creativity and productivity.  

Learn more 

The Development Zone e-learning course, ‘ADHD in the Workplace: An Employers Guide’ is a useful resource to aid employers in creating an inclusive workplace, whilst contributing to required CPD hours! The course covers: 

• What ADHD is and challenges those who have it may face in the workplace. 

• How to support employees with ADHD. 

• The benefits of employing someone with ADHD 

Get in touch with the Development Zone team on 01495 708 037 or at devzone@ukgigroup.com for more information on available courses and how the platform can aid your firm in fulfilling regulatory CPD requirements and enrich the learning and development of your team.