Understanding ADHD at work
By Jessica Pritchard on Monday, 13 March 2023
- My name is Jess and I’m Creative Services Director at Teamspirit
- I have ADHD
- I’m writing in bullets as it’s faster and helps me keep focused
- There are 3 main characteristics of ADHD – hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive
- You can have one or more of these characteristics
- The characteristics have negative connotations
- Yet, harnessed correctly, can be an asset to a business
- Hyperactive - we have bags of energy so thrive in fast paced environments, and being across lots of jobs with varying deadlines
- Impulsive – we jump right in and can make decisions quickly
- Inattentive – we’ll find the quickest / easiest route to solving problems
- Results driven - if a task doesn’t give me a hit of dopamine then that’s it, you’ve lost me
- I need efficiency – so no small talk or meetings over 30mins without an agenda / goal
- Heightened justice sensitivity – we are drawn to companies / people with good values
- Finding that professional sweet spot often takes years of test and learn
- As a result, our career paths don’t tend to follow a traditional trajectory
- If you didn’t know someone has ADHD, then that’s most likely due to their skill in ‘masking’
- Masking is censoring my response to a situation
- Masking everything requires a large amount of energy and concentration
- I’d liken the feeling to trying to stop yourself from sneezing
- Long periods of time masking results in physical burn out
- Warning signs for burn out – disassociation, low energy, inability to ‘mask’
- Just getting to our desks in the morning is a challenge
- Environments with lots of noise & visuals stimulates our flight or fight response
- To manage, I take prescribed amphetamines to feel calm, and use noise cancellation earphones
- Working flexibly, like for many people, has changed my life
- Pre-pandemic, and 5 days in the office, would mean I couldn’t physically move at weekends
- I have a tendency to be to the point, interrupt or say something controversial
- Whilst my communication style over the years has provided some great anecdotes, if a thought pops into my head and I don’t say it then and there, it will be lost to a million other thoughts
- Non-neurotypicals need to be able to engage authentically in the workplace
- More companies are seeing the advantages of hiring diverse talent
- More diversity = more innovation and less groupthink
- Which results in better work, happier staff, and who can forget - clients
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