ADHD & adjustments
The leveller that benefits everyone
Not-very-fun fact: the Equality Act 2010 considers ADHD to be a disability.
Well, if the symptoms have a significant adverse effect on someone’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities and the person lives in Great Britain, it does.
This means that employers in England, Scotland and Wales have a legal obligation to put reasonable adjustments in place for their ADHD employees, in order that they are supported and empowered to perform their job to the best of their abilities.
The ultimate objective of this part of the Act, of course, is to ensure that disabled employees (and job applicants) don’t find themselves at an unfair disadvantage – which can only be reasonably considered as right and fair. But, when it comes to ADHD, what might these adjustment be? And what does ‘reasonable’ even mean?
Removing barriers to let people shine
Every organisation is unique; every role is generally unique; and, most importantly, the ways in which ADHD shows up in people’s lives is totally and utterly… unique. Therefore, what’s considered a good or appropriate adjustment aimed at helping someone overcome the challenges that stand between them and the successful execution of their duties will vary from person to person. And should always be considered carefully, with individuality in mind.
There are, however, some RAs that are more commonly implemented than others – and they stretch far beyond the almost clichéd examples of noise-cancelling headphones and ‘a quiet corner in which to work’. They include:
A shift in the work day or even flexible working hours
Many people with a neurodivergence have an atypical circadian rhythm – that internal clock that governs not just when we naturally fall asleep and wake up; but when we’re most alert and ‘on the ball’ too. Add to this the deeply unpleasant, sometimes traumatic experience that many (hypersensitive) neurodivergent people have when combatting the daily rush hour commute, and there’s a clear case for that individual beginning the working day earlier or later than is conventional – to the benefit of the employee AND their employer.
The introduction of helpful technology
The permission to concentrate on one thing at time is a luxury many people in the working world have been increasingly deprived of over the past decade. For a mind that's already ‘busier’ than is typical, the expectation to take notes as well as listen intently (to highlight just one challenge) can be a stretch too far. Transcription software is therefore a great example of tech being used for good as it allows meeting notes to be captured automatically, and all participants on a call (or in a room) to be fully present and engaged in the conversation.
An accountability partner to help stay on task and up to speed
For reasons of time blindness, distractibility and procrastination (alongside MANY other possible traits), some ADHDers struggle to get the right tasks completed at the right time. These oft-cited challenges of ADHD can be further exacerbated by the ‘paradigm of limited consequences’. If we don’t stay connected to WHY something should be done, there’s a good chance it will remain incomplete or even not started for far too long. A helpful ally here is an accountability partner: someone with whom to regularly share goals and objectives – and to check back in with later to confirm that what was committed to has indeed been achieved.
Whilst it’s a fact that a disabled employee can legitimately bring a claim for discrimination against an employer that has failed to put reasonable adjustments in place, it’s also true that the employer’s considerations must be taken into account in deciding what’s ‘reasonable’ as well.
Various factors come into play here, including the size and resources of the employer and the impact an adjustment might have on the business and other employees. An organisation is not required to make adjustments that would negatively impact such factors, or which would incur disproportionate cost.
Reasonable AND fair
Despite the Equality Act 2010 making it a legal requirement of employers to provide reasonable accommodations, it’s still occasionally claimed that the introduction of RAs offers some kind of unfair advantage to an ADHD employee.
But this is a point of view that almost entirely misses the point.
So often, ADHDers find themselves struggling to shine because the environment doesn’t work for them. They might have skills and talents that are incredible – but those are not even being seen because the ways of working and limitations the person is forced to operate within are weighted towards a one-size-fits-all approach to doing anything.
In other words, the organisation’s systems, processes or culture are designed to facilitate the neurotypical mind – and only the neurotypical mind. So these folks have to adapt. They have to find ways to hack the system if they’re to stand any chance of performing adequately in the first place – let alone thriving and bringing their unique touches of magic to the game.
Reasonable adjustments don’t offer an unfair advantage in the workplace; applied well, they simply put everyone on the same footing before the work begins. And when that happens, it’s to everyone’s advantage.
Sound reasonable to you?
Copyright © Kevin Exley 2025
You should not regard the information contained in this article/post as being, or as a replacement for, professional medical advice or treatment. The words contained herein represent the thoughts and opinions of the author, who is not clinically or medically trained.
IMAGE: Tim Gouw (Unsplash)
