ADHD Accommodations for Work
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By: Vanessa Blanchard
ADHD can be pretty disruptive. It’s often hard to focus and easy to burnout, especially at work. But there are many accommodations that you can easily implement into your day that can help. Because dysregulation is such a core part of ADHD, it can be hard to know what accommodations will work and how to ask for them. This quick guide can help. We’ll discuss what ADHD is, what accommodations might help, and what strategies you can use to ask your job for them.
What workplace accommodations work best for your ADHD? Comment below!
What is ADHD?
ADHD is a neurological condition that causes dysregulation in many areas of life: focus, memory, energy, emotions, planning, organizing, starting, finishing, and other executive functions. Because it is deeply interwoven into the very structure of our brains, ADHD presents differently in each person. Symptoms will also shift and vary within the same person based on a number of factors. Fluctuation and dysregulation are key to understanding what ADHD actually is.
Check out What is ADHD to learn more!
What accommodations can I get for ADHD at work?
There are a range of ways to cope with ADHD and you’ll need to find what works for you. You’ll also need to find accommodations that are protected by the disability laws in your area. Here are two ways to find out what accommodations you can get at work for ADHD:
Read up on disability laws where you live. In the U.S., you can start with the Americans with Disabilities Act. There’s the Equality Act in the UK, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in India, and the Accessible Canada Act. Other countries may have similar laws
Research common ADHD accommodations for work and pick the ones that work best for you and that best satisfy the legal definitions in your country.
To get you started, here are a few types of accommodations you might need to manage your ADHD at work:
Energy regulation: Movement breaks, standing desks, fidget toys, gym membership, chances to socialize, etc
Attention/emotional regulation: noise canceling, white noise, body doubling, fidgets, mindfulness apps, flexible hours, flexible workspace options (i.e. remote and coworking options), written reference materials (instructions, notes, training), decompression time, etc
Executive Functioning regulation: visual planning aids, mentorship, consistent feedback and check-ins, health insurance (i.e. for ADHD meds), decompression time, mindfulness apps, etc
Notice that in the list above some of the suggested work accommodations are repeated. This is because many accommodations meet the needs of multiple ADHD symptoms. Keep this in mind as we move on to discuss how you can ask current or future employers for ADHD accommodations.
Ever wonder if it’s both ADHD and Autism? It might be! Learn more here:
AuDHD Explained: Navigating the Autism and ADHD Overlap
How to ask for ADHD accommodations at work?
Figuring out how to ask for ADHD accommodations at work can be somewhat tricky. There are a lot of stigmas attached to ADHD and legal protections come with huge loopholes and little actual oversight. However, there are a few strategies you can use to make the process go more smoothly:
Before you ask for accommodations, outline your needs and know which accommodations you need to meet those needs.
Do your best to boil your requests down to their easiest, most digestible forms (examples below)
Present your requests as solutions rather than as problems.
Record everything for reference: your requests, their responses, if/how things were implemented, if/how that worked out for you.
Most people enjoy feeling like they’ve helped another person. So striking a balance in how you ask for and offer help means you can frame your requests to create a sense of connection and reciprocity. People also prefer solutions rather than problems, and this approach will show you’re resilient, creative, growth-minded, optimistic, and self-motivated.
Here are a couple examples of requests you can make that incorporate these strategies:
It would be helpful for me to have certain tools [fidgets, noise canceling, white noise, etc] that help me regulate my focus.
My productivity in the afternoon is much more consistent if I have time to work out on my lunch break.
Flexible schedules give me the freedom to manage my brain fog and still meet all my deadlines.
I’m very detail oriented, but ADHD does impair my memory. If I can take notes and have written instructions, then I stay much more organized.
Simply put, find ways to show them how helping you helps them get what they need too.
It also helps to keep your accommodation requests simple. It’s a common instinct for ADHD folk to explain in great detail, but that will work against you here. Asking for ADHD accommodations at work means proving that the requests are reasonable -- as in not a burden to the company. This is a very vague bar to clear, though. It often boils down to what the people involved in the decisions feel they’re capable of taking on. Most people have very little room left to take much on.
So, focus on ADHD accommodations for work that address several issues all at once, like remote work, decompression time, or flexible hours. Make your requests specific and succinct. That way you seem knowledgeable, practiced, and in charge of yourself. They’re just letting you do what you do best.
Want to learn more? Check out our complete guide to productivity and ADHD!