Your employees with ADHD are struggling. Here's how to help

ADHD is an incredibly prevalent condition, impacting an estimated 11 million adults in the United States. Because symptoms in adults are often invisible, ADHD can easily go overlooked in the workplace and create far-reaching implications for employees, managers, and company culture. 

The condition isn't new by any means, but changes in awareness and treatment over the last few years have put extra pressure on people who have ADHD. Awareness and diagnoses have risen steadily over the past few decades — reports of adult ADHD rose 123% between 2007 and 2016, and some studies suggest that rate has further increased since the pandemic began. 

At the same time that more people are accepting their symptoms and seeking diagnoses for ADHD, many are finding that treatment options are inadequate. Stimulant medications like Adderall or Ritalin are the current default treatment, but they've been in a shortage for well over a year now, with no end in sight. Just to access their medication, some people with ADHD have had to call countless pharmacies or drive for hours to find a 30-day supply — or they end up having to go without altogether. 

Read more:  Fitness, diet, and mental health tips to boost wellness in 2024

I'm a leading researcher on ADHD and know that the gap between the care that folks with ADHD need and what's available to them has left people struggling. The impact of this has bled into the workplace, leading my team at Akili to commission a study to identify the primary challenges and needs of employees with ADHD. We found that people with ADHD are seriously struggling, and their workplaces aren't equipped to support them. Most employees with ADHD (87%) reported experiencing negative impacts on their career because of their condition. A striking 97% feel they would be capable of accomplishing more if they could better manage their symptoms. 

Our research shows that employees with ADHD feel left behind and unsupported by leadership teams. For employees with ADHD to thrive, the workplace needs to rethink treatment, resources, and understanding across the board.

Creating workplace accommodations for ADHD
To nurture employees with ADHD, workplaces should offer meaningful accommodations, backed up by concrete policies. No single solution works for every employee with ADHD, but I recommend starting with some combination of the following:

• Offer distraction-free zones. It helps to have a strict "no talking" zone within the office. This space can both help folks avoid distractions and create a space that the brain associates with deep work.
• Create no-interruption periods. People with ADHD can find it hard to focus when their work day involves constantly switching between meetings, tasks, and emails. For an hour or two a day, allow employees to go on do-not-disturb mode and work without responding to messages or joining calls.
• Break large tasks into incremental deliverables. Rather than assigning one big project with a far-off due date, managers can work with their employees with ADHD to make plans for each step of the process with corresponding deadlines. Because people with ADHD can struggle with procrastination, this helps make a long assignment more manageable.
• Connect employees with resources and benefits. In and out of work, there are tools that can help people with ADHD build focus. One example is EndeavorOTC, a video game app clinically designed to treat and improve ADHD symptoms for adults. Giving employees access to tools like these, along with mental health care resources through insurance packages, can make a major difference.

Read more:  How health care benefits impact employee productivity and business success

Remember that not all employees with ADHD want these or any accommodations. Rather than make assumptions, talk to each individual in order to understand their personal needs.

How managers can help
Beyond policies, employees are looking to their coworkers and managers for understanding. In our survey, more than nine out of 10 employees (93%) said that having a supervisor who knows how to support and work with them is more valuable than any other office benefit or perk.

At the same time, we found that many managers are unsure what to do if an employee tells them they have ADHD. More than half (59%) expressed that they wouldn't feel completely prepared to appropriately respond if one of their employees disclosed their ADHD diagnosis. Most managers (93%) also admitted they would have specific concerns about an employee who shares about their ADHD. This puts employees in a challenging spot: they need to talk about their diagnosis to get appropriate resources, but in doing so, they risk misconceptions and biases from their manager. 

If you're a manager, it's okay to not know what to say right off the bat, but know that employees with ADHD are just as capable as anyone else. As a leader, I try to lead with support and resources, and embrace my employees' unique strengths to help them thrive. 

If a manager or senior leader has ADHD or is otherwise neurodivergent, it can be incredibly powerful to share that with colleagues to foster a culture of inclusivity, reduce stigma, and inspire open conversations about neurodiversity in the workplace.

Read more:  It's time to benchmark mental health at work

Avoid short-term solutions
Employee support goes beyond the current medication crisis — historically, treatment options for ADHD are difficult to access and can be expensive even in the best of times, and medication often comes with significant side effects. Not all people with ADHD will use any treatment, while others will turn to alternatives like cognitive treatments delivered via video games, behavioral therapy or meditation. But data shows that regardless of treatment choice, people with ADHD need more support.

Folks who are struggling with ADHD at work are willing and eager to work with their leaders on how best to manage symptoms in order to feel more successful. Most employees (85%) have disclosed their ADHD diagnosis to a supervisor, and the majority of them (79%) are happy with their choice. Plus, ADHD adds a new perspective and skillset to employees, with respondents citing strengths like increased creativity (51%), ability to think outside the box (49%), and higher levels of empathy (46%).

With increased awareness comes the ability to help — through education, training, and resources — unlock the potential of a neurodiverse workforce.