the explosion of ADHD in the workplace

[Blown2CV]

Of course the politically correct answer is that neurodivergence in the workplace is a good thing and no one should be made to feel st about who they are..... BUT.... i've worked a couple of projects in a row now where the person i work with most closely has had an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. It really seems that they have both taken this information and really leaned into it. They are both nice people and i feel for them but they are sadly really really difficult to work with. I know the responsibility is kind of on me to work around and with it... but the behaviours are really exhausting to deal with and unfortunately very counter-productive. Some examples:

• Drifting off mid sentence when anything happens e.g. a text or chat message arrives
• Distracting self constantly whilst explaining something resulting in just a chain of digressions and everyone left having to suppress WTF facial expressions
• rambling about one small detail for entire meetings and missing lots of more important points
• not listening at all to what others say and trying to interrupt them constantly
• failing to help anyone new get up to speed because they can't really consider what they might need in order to do so
• constantly forgetting to forward calendar invites, emails, documents
• ringing you without warning the second they think of something, regardless of what time it is or whether you're in a meeting etc.
• everything is last minute, urgent, unfortunately not high quality as a result

i mean i could go on...

I know these are humans and i know there will be people on here with ND attributes but I just feel that there is a downside to embracing this stuff... it's a bit of a pandora's box it seems for many people. They can be their true self, which is great for them, but does impact others a tad!!

Is it becoming more common, just better diagnosed now, is anyone else seeing this sort of thing?!

[Allegro_Snapon]

A couple of decades ago we were struggling to recruit laboratory chemists for a fairly specialist area of chemistry. I suggested the traits we required were similar to Autistic people (attention to detail etc) and got absolutely stock stonewalled by management and HR whom obviously had misheard me as "lets recruit the entire KluKluxKlan" or some other heinous crime.

Fast forward to 2023 - that company posts on LinkedIn that nearly 10% their workforce have Neuro issues and they are very proud they are so diverse.
a) they have advertised in the right places and people with skills similar to that area of chemistry and have Autism have applied.
b) Virtue signalling.

Furthermore, there have always been "difficult" people in the workplace. Just in the past you'd ostracise them and call them an Ocean until they moved on, now they hang around claiming "tribunal, loveitt".

[Franco5]

Blown2CV said:

Of course the politically correct answer is that neurodivergence in the workplace is a good thing and no one should be made to feel st about who they are..... BUT.... i've worked a couple of projects in a row now where the person i work with most closely has had an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. It really seems that they have both taken this information and really leaned into it. They are both nice people and i feel for them but they are sadly really really difficult to work with. I know the responsibility is kind of on me to work around and with it... but the behaviours are really exhausting to deal with and unfortunately very counter-productive. Some examples:

• Drifting off mid sentence when anything happens e.g. a text or chat message arrives
• Distracting self constantly whilst explaining something resulting in just a chain of digressions and everyone left having to suppress WTF facial expressions
• rambling about one small detail for entire meetings and missing lots of more important points
• not listening at all to what others say and trying to interrupt them constantly
• failing to help anyone new get up to speed because they can't really consider what they might need in order to do so
• constantly forgetting to forward calendar invites, emails, documents
• ringing you without warning the second they think of something, regardless of what time it is or whether you're in a meeting etc.
• everything is last minute, urgent, unfortunately not high quality as a result

i mean i could go on...

I know these are humans and i know there will be people on here with ND attributes but I just feel that there is a downside to embracing this stuff... it's a bit of a pandora's box it seems for many people. They can be their true self, which is great for them, but does impact others a tad!!

Is it becoming more common, just better diagnosed now, is anyone else seeing this sort of thing?!

The obsession with this kind of thing is damaging the mental health of large numbers of the UK population. If this continues then at some point the human race disappears up its own anus.

[marksx]

"The acceptance of people in the workplace and reduction of outdated bigotry"

[CoffeeGuy]

To echo what others have said... I work as part of a hyper specialist team that do research that directly impacts just about every Western country you could name. We do many times better than any comparable organisation despite being a tiny team because we are almost all neurodiverse but the whole thing works because we bring our own strengths to bear and we have a somewhat shared experience.

Management are used to everyones traits and its understood that its not seen as a bad thing but as helping us differently abled people help the company to do amazing things that would be extremely difficult with those that are just in it because it pays well.

And yes, a lot of it is to do with better understanding these days. I wasn't diagnosed with ASD until I was in my 40's. I used to think it was just me but I have learned to be kinder to myself since my diagnosis.

[Heartworm]

CoffeeGuy said:

To echo what others have said... I work as part of a hyper specialist team that do research that directly impacts just about every Western country you could name. We do many times better than any comparable organisation despite being a tiny team because we are almost all neurodiverse but the whole thing works because we bring our own strengths to bear and we have a somewhat shared experience.

Management are used to everyones traits and its understood that its not seen as a bad thing but as helping us differently abled people help the company to do amazing things that would be extremely difficult with those that are just in it because it pays well.

And yes, a lot of it is to do with better understanding these days. I wasn't diagnosed with ASD until I was in my 40's. I used to think it was just me but I have learned to be kinder to myself since my diagnosis.

100%

[HD Adam]

marksx said:

"The acceptance of people in the workplace and reduction of outdated bigotry"

Well that depends on the job, doesn't it?

I work with explosives in the oilfield. Manufacturing, testing, deployment.

Having a "neuro diverse" person on the team wouldn't be a good thing.

The company receptionist? Go for it.

[Dingu]

HD Adam said:

marksx said:

"The acceptance of people in the workplace and reduction of outdated bigotry"

Well that depends on the job, doesn't it?

I work with explosives in the oilfield. Manufacturing, testing, deployment.

Having a "neuro diverse" person on the team wouldn't be a good thing.

The company receptionist? Go for it.

Depends on what way they are ND, no? Some people may be better than you, others a cloud of mist.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

HD Adam said:

Well that depends on the job, doesn't it?

I work with explosives in the oilfield. Manufacturing, testing, deployment.

Having a "neuro diverse" person on the team wouldn't be a good thing.

The company receptionist? Go for it.

I know many people who are neurodiverse. Driven, focused, accurate; can take a huge amount of abuse, get up. Do the same.

You'd be surprised how many served successfully in the armed forces, emergency services etc.

[TGCOTF-dewey]

HD Adam said:

Well that depends on the job, doesn't it?

I work with explosives in the oilfield. Manufacturing, testing, deployment.

Having a "neuro diverse" person on the team wouldn't be a good thing.

The company receptionist? Go for it.

You do realise that dyslexia and ADD are OVER represented in special forces. You know, the folks who play with explodey things for a living.

[Rowe]

Blown2CV said:

• Drifting off mid sentence when anything happens e.g. a text or chat message arrives
• Distracting self constantly whilst explaining something resulting in just a chain of digressions and everyone left having to suppress WTF facial expressions
• rambling about one small detail for entire meetings and missing lots of more important points
• not listening at all to what others say and trying to interrupt them constantly
• failing to help anyone new get up to speed because they can't really consider what they might need in order to do so
• constantly forgetting to forward calendar invites, emails, documents
• ringing you without warning the second they think of something, regardless of what time it is or whether you're in a meeting etc.
• everything is last minute, urgent, unfortunately not high quality as a result

This sounds like every employee who's not far from retirement at my place.

[Sycamore]

Rowe said:

Blown2CV said:

• Drifting off mid sentence when anything happens e.g. a text or chat message arrives
• Distracting self constantly whilst explaining something resulting in just a chain of digressions and everyone left having to suppress WTF facial expressions
• rambling about one small detail for entire meetings and missing lots of more important points
• not listening at all to what others say and trying to interrupt them constantly
• failing to help anyone new get up to speed because they can't really consider what they might need in order to do so
• constantly forgetting to forward calendar invites, emails, documents
• ringing you without warning the second they think of something, regardless of what time it is or whether you're in a meeting etc.
• everything is last minute, urgent, unfortunately not high quality as a result

This sounds like every employee who's not far from retirement at my place.

Yep, most of those points cover every person who's 50+ where I work.

[Blown2CV]

As much as I partly agree that STEM careers might lend themselves well to people with ND traits, I always feel that is a bit of a misleading statement that companies make. Firstly, ND is a very very broad definition. I would suggest that when companies go on about wanting to hire ND people, they only really are interested in those with quite mild and high functioning combinations of conditions. It's a bit offensive really as it's almost like saying you want an OCD wife as long as she is the type that just really cleans the house well and doesn't pose any issues whatsoever, as opposed to the type that is crippled by anxiety and can't go out. Secondly i reckon that the contributing tasks are only part of the job. You need to be able to interact, collaborate, communicate, influence, etc. The people I have met find this really difficult it seems, but they've moved from accepting that the difficulties are with them to resolve, towards it being everyone else's problem.

[Blown2CV]

Rowe said:

Blown2CV said:

• Drifting off mid sentence when anything happens e.g. a text or chat message arrives
• Distracting self constantly whilst explaining something resulting in just a chain of digressions and everyone left having to suppress WTF facial expressions
• rambling about one small detail for entire meetings and missing lots of more important points
• not listening at all to what others say and trying to interrupt them constantly
• failing to help anyone new get up to speed because they can't really consider what they might need in order to do so
• constantly forgetting to forward calendar invites, emails, documents
• ringing you without warning the second they think of something, regardless of what time it is or whether you're in a meeting etc.
• everything is last minute, urgent, unfortunately not high quality as a result

This sounds like every employee who's not far from retirement at my place.

with one of these people, yes. The other was 40.

[Blown2CV]

don't get me wrong, i am not saying people with ND conditions should not be around me or should mask all day... but what i am saying is that I am not sure the new way of working works either. Also how are they measured at work? All the sorts of dimensions of performance I have seen would appear to massively favour non-ND people. I can't imagine someone who is ND would just get a poor rating every year so what is actually being done instead?

[GiantCardboardPlato]

I want to write a longer and more considered post here later, when I have time, but for now, in response to the OP, I just want to say: I can guarantee that your colleagues are 10x more frustrated about all the things you describe them doing than you are.

[TikTak]

Sycamore said:

Rowe said:

Blown2CV said:

• Drifting off mid sentence when anything happens e.g. a text or chat message arrives
• Distracting self constantly whilst explaining something resulting in just a chain of digressions and everyone left having to suppress WTF facial expressions
• rambling about one small detail for entire meetings and missing lots of more important points
• not listening at all to what others say and trying to interrupt them constantly
• failing to help anyone new get up to speed because they can't really consider what they might need in order to do so
• constantly forgetting to forward calendar invites, emails, documents
• ringing you without warning the second they think of something, regardless of what time it is or whether you're in a meeting etc.
• everything is last minute, urgent, unfortunately not high quality as a result

This sounds like every employee who's not far from retirement at my place.

Yep, most of those points cover every person who's 50+ where I work.

Jut covers 90% of the employees at my place. Ugh.

[GiantCardboardPlato]

Blown2CV said:

You need to be able to interact, collaborate, communicate, influence, etc. The people I have met find this really difficult it seems, but they've moved from accepting that the difficulties are with them to resolve, towards it being everyone else's problem.

I cannot help myself sorry…

Perhaps you might more charitably re-phrase this as:

“They’ve moved on from accepting that the difficulties are with them to resolve, towards it being something that they can face together with support from others”.

You would not - for example - say that stairs are a difficulty for a person in a wheelchair to face alone and that is entirely with them to resolve, would you? And providing access to a lift does not make getting upstairs “everybody else’s problem” for the person in the wheelchair. It just gives them the tools they need to get upstairs by themselves.

The point is that the difficulties are quite often generated as much by methods and ways of working and the environment as they are by the challenges of the individual.

It sounds to me - OP - like you are a very “convergent thinker” - directed towards just getting things done and only able to consider one or a perhaps a few paths towards that. You may need to consider and accept other ways of achieving the same end.

Edited by GiantCardboardPlato on Thursday 13th July 09:24

[Blown2CV]

GiantCardboardPlato said:

I want to write a longer and more considered post here later, when I have time, but for now, in response to the OP, I just want to say: I can guarantee that your colleagues are 10x more frustrated about all the things you describe them doing than you are.

are you sure? How do you know? I thought the purpose of giving people a feeling they can be their true selves at work is to try and alleviate the stress and exhaustion from it. If it doesn't solve that then what's the point of sharing it?

[Blown2CV]

GiantCardboardPlato said:

Blown2CV said:

You need to be able to interact, collaborate, communicate, influence, etc. The people I have met find this really difficult it seems, but they've moved from accepting that the difficulties are with them to resolve, towards it being everyone else's problem.

I cannot help myself sorry…

Perhaps you might more charitably re-phrase this as:

“They’ve moved on from accepting that the difficulties are with them to resolve, towards it being something that they can face together with support from others”.

You would not - for example - say that stairs are a difficulty for a person in a wheelchair to face alone and that is entirely with them to resolve, would you? And providing access to a lift does not make getting upstairs “everybody else’s problem” for the person in the wheelchair. It just gives them the tools they need to get upstairs by themselves.

The point is that the difficulties are quite often generated as much by methods and ways of working and the environment as they are by the challenges of the individual.

It sounds to me - OP - like you are a very “convergent thinker” - directed towards just getting things done and only able to consider one or a perhaps a few paths towards that. You may need to consider and accept other ways of achieving the same end.

Edited by GiantCardboardPlato on Thursday 13th July 09:24

my question might be, how do I support someone who has these attributes, other than just tolerate the frustration and swallow it? I can't force someone to stay on topic or keep telling them I don't understand their explanation. If I highlight where it's going off the rails then I am just making it worse, surely? All the training I have seen on the topic just tells me to be patient and trying using different words. Those things don't really help, and barely scratch the surface. Ultimately yes, I am directed towards getting things done - massively so. It is my role, and it is how I am measured. If the 'other ways of achieving the same end' result in blown timescales, massive stress, unsatisfactory communication then maybe those other ways of doing things are objectively not as good?

in any case your rephrasing of my words describes something totally different. You are stating an ideal. I am stating a reality. I think people feel they can just relax and let it all out. That isn't benefitting from the support of others, that's just dropping your end and letting everyone else struggle.

Edited by Blown2CV on Thursday 13th July 10:10