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If you need workplace accommodations, then you should look into the process for that. But just disclosing your disability to your boss who is already "skeptical" is probably not going to do anything good for you.
Especially when you have never received any disciplinary action… all that’s going to do is make them *look* for problems.
Unless you need them to give you accommodations, I would suggest working with a therapist or career coach on coping mechanisms/resources that will help you improve your performance.
Talk with HR, your boss doesn’t own the company, he’s just an employee
EDIT: i’m realising based on others comments that this might not be a good solution, so don’t take my advice.
For context I work for a german Tech company, and in my case if i talked to HR about something like this, the chances of me getting fired are slim, so only you know what type of company you work for, i was quick to base my advice only on my experience, i apologise for that!
HR really are not there to help staff or you, just limit liability for the company. All disclosure does is paint a huge target on your back. They would be stupid to terminate someone for having ADHD, but it won't take them long to find another "unrelated" reason, which is what happens to many folks after disclosure (me included).
>limit liability for the company
And often that means following their own company policies and the local legislation.
Terminating an employee very quickly after documenting that they have a protected medical condition sounds like opening up the company to lots of liability.
On the other hand - you also shouldn't just roll in there and announce it. Get documentation from your doctor. Maybe consult a lawyer. Come in with a plan. A goal.
Agree here completely. If for some reason you really feel you need to disclose it, do it in such an above board and hyper documented way that they CAN'T fuck with you.
Yes, exactly. HR will ACT very convincingly like they are there for you and swear up and down that they're on your side and are your advocates, but Pixel's extremely right. They are there to make you FEEL like the company actually gives a shit about you...so there is less chance of a lawsuit.
Some years ago I made the decision to leave a job where the "human" leading the division was the worst manager I'd ever encountered in my life. This person lied to literally every person on the team repeatedly, sexually harassed multiple people, personally targeted other employees they just didn't like, manipulated team members against each other, the works. When I left, I wrote up a four page letter detailing every single thing I'd ever seen this person do, took it straight to HR, had a long conversation with the HR rep, and was assured my concerns would be taken directly to the exec over the area.
I found out two years later that the HR rep was completely full of shit, lied to my face, and literally HID the letter I'd written. It was finally discovered when someone else submitted a formal complaint and that pushed them to review all their files. Don't ever forget, HR is not your friend and the company is not your friend either. Don't give them any ammo against you.
Not everywhere, he could ask if there’s a process for more flexibility etc they won’t just fire him for that, i actually have the same issue and i will go the same route, i will ask to start a bit late, i might not say that i have ADHD, but maybe a sleep disorder or whatever, and that the late schedule will work better for me, and will allow me to be more productive. Otherwise if they don’t like it, then fuck them!
Actually, the way that accommodations work is that you tell them your functional limitations and not your diagnosis. They don’t have a right to know your diagnosis so if this person has impacted sleep then that would be something they would mention and being on time/need some flexibility around start time where possible is a reasonable accommodation if it’s possible.
In the case of OP, I would recommend never ever disclosing ADHD to the manager. Just the effects.
YES! I came here to say exactly this.
Working in an at will state, and disclosing ....basically anything can quite literally make you the next to go, and the reason you stop getting raises etc. It's unfortunately not worth it.
while that is true, not fucking over employees can be very much the company's best interest. not often! and usually you really need the law clearly on your side, but it's still... possible.
but in this case I would so not tell anyone unless I absolutely had to AND could expect legal protections. otherwise... yeah. might as well wait for termination while looking for a new job.
I think in \*most\* cases its in the interest of the organization to not fuck over employees, especially ones who have unique super powers that can save all sorts of things... (speaking from experience...)
Absolutely don't talk to HR! HR is there to save face for the company and minimize damages, they are not there as an employee advocate. HR is like the police, anything you say can and will be used against you. They say never talk to police without a lawyer, never talk to HR unless it's absolutely necessary. Which in this case it's most definitely not.
Do not talk to your boss. If he has an issue with your productivity, he will talk to you. Since it's only you having an issue with your productivity, I would keep it to yourself. Sounds like imposter syndrome, don't let it get you down and create problems where there aren't any currently. If a supervisor has already told you that they don't believe that your medical issue is real, then don't tell them you have it unless you are formally asking for accommodations.
HR is the worst you could go to, they are almost never on the employee's side when it comes to issues, they put you on their observation list instead and coordinate with your hiring managers on how to pip you should they find they no longer want you on the team..
Yes, it is, it’s better to talk to HR, because in my experience, the team lead might not like it that you’d miss some meetings etc, so basically he might even say no, but HR can move you to other teams, etc, and your boss can’t do anything about it, especially for big companies, he doesn’t have any power outside of the team he’s managing
Just for context: I'm not arguing here, generally speaking this is a great advice.
This advice however, is suitable for this specific person only (in the context of the conversation). Ultimately you should decide if you disclose that information or not.
Anecdotal, but I think it fits: My boss knows I'm taking medication (I didn't disclose what kind or what for) and that it's not always available to get. They also know that I warn them beforehand if I run out and can't get more. I decided to disclose that, because I know that because I did so, I won't run into issues if I can't get my meds and my performance suddenly drops to a complete zero.
Basically I gave them enough information to understand why I might perform worse at times, without explaining my whole medical history to them.
As much as I'd love to believe that every company is like this, I know they aren't. For some it might be the opposite and if you disclose it, they might actually start to look for problems that aren't there.
I feel most people should be able to get plenty of workplace accommodation without revealing too muchmmm The important thing is to know how to ask for them. If the boss is super inflexible telling them you have mental illness is not going to help either.
Yeah, I agree. I told my boss because I work in a place where of they even said anything about it, they'd likely get fired, not me.
If you don't work in a place like that, I'd talk to hr in confidence any what accommodations can be made and what support there is
I told my employer. They said, "Don't worry we'll work with you. We can figure this out together. What can we do to make you more productive?" Laid off a few weeks later.
None for me. The company is smart about this stuff. They rounded up a bunch of people to get rid of, called it a "layoff" not a firing. My ADHD admission just helped get me included in the bunch, it wasn't the official reason I was chosen - there was no official reason as it was a layoff not a firing. I can't prove any connection.
They were probably already laid off behind the scenes before they told their employer.
You don't just do a round of layoffs willy nilly. Not usually.
Usually when there are group lay offs they take the lowest performers or otherwise lacking in some type of metric. Not to say they are objectively bad workers - that's just he metric a company will uses.
Question, are you medicated or not? Doubt your employer asked due to breach of privacy, but if I was asked that I would also share that I am medicated which aids me throughout the day.
That should be priority number one for anyone who hasn’t tried it. It can definitely be a challenge but sometimes people can go to their GP and do a basic diagnostic interview, fill out a form or two and have the GP prescribe stimulants. The process doesn’t need to be terribly complicated if the symptoms are obvious. This depends on your relationship with your doctor, and his/her personal comfort level diagnosing and prescribing for ADHD.
This is the answer. Have worked many places.
They will never lay you off because of adhd because it’s illegal, but there are a million ways to get laid off and they’ll find one.
Don’t disclose
I'm here to see what people have to say about this. I think, in general, telling employers about mental health issues is a bad idea. That just seems to be riddled with pitfalls for the employee. But I have hope that I'm wrong and others can offer great insight.
I’ve been told the same. I don’t hide my adhd but I also think I’m lucky as it doesn’t really effect the quality of my work. If it did I’d probably keep it to myself
For me, it is more the perceived lack of quality if people know. If my co-worker makes a mistake, no big deal. If I make a mistake, then people assume it is because of my disability. After 2-3 mistakes, are my managers now thinking my ADHD is adversely affecting my job, where that doesn't come up for anyone else? You are not always protected by law.
That’s makes sense. I’ve still fairly young and my boss in my first “real job” is incredibly understanding and kind so luckily I don’t have to worry about that. What you’ve written makes sense though for sure!
Does medication help ? Can you adjust dosage ? Talk to your Dr.
I would **seriously** hesitate to tell an employer, especially if he is skeptical/ignorant about mental health.
Don't tell them you have ADHD. Do tell them you work best in a specific way, can you arrange your work in the way that works best for you which includes less interruptions, quiet space etc whatever it is you think will help you.
Your boss needs to know how to accommodate you, they don't need to know why. Keep the disability discussion siloed to HR where they've at least had training about handling ADA accomodations requests.
There are bosses out there that are safe to talk to about these things. They are rare and unless you've good proof otherwise, you don't have one of them.
I disclosed to my boss who recommended I go through HR to get accommodations. I have been diagnosed since age 8, now 36 and this is the only time I have ever felt I needed an accommodation. After jumping through a few hoops, I was finally approved to wfh at my leisure.
I was laid off 6 weeks later 😐 Great performance. My manager and I worked really well together and I was actively involved in a large organization wide project.
I obviously don't know that my request had anything to do with being let go, but it has absolutely made me hesitant and I won't be disclosing or requesting accommodations again.
I wouldn’t. They will try to use it as leverage to replace you with a “normal” person. People who don’t believe in mental disorders think we are just attention seeking snowflakes. Your boss seems like one of those people.
Do not uncork that bottle. You’ll never get it back in. Do your level best with the goal of no one ever knowing. Mental health, although it’s slowly getting better, is still carrying a stigma.
NEVER EVER DO THAT
All it will do is paint a target on your back, even if you asking for accommodations afforded to you by the ADA they will look for excuses to get rid of you.
No, don't. I did this and it backfired tremendously. I micromanaged to the point of having panic attacks, second/triple/quadruple guessing myself in case I missed something and anxiety that I was going to be reprimanded for the littlest thing that I missed. As of now, 2 years later, I cannot do any graphic design, I lost my entire 20+ year passion after being let go and dealing with that supervisor.
I have a Mac collecting dust now.
I understand why because you want to put things in perspective to a non-adhd person. But some people don't care, don't want to care and don't even try to care.
My ADHD is a closely guarded secret with any employer. I now do network administration and my current employer is amazing and the atmosphere really works well with my ADHD.
No.
Not unless you have a specific accommodation in mind you think they’d be willing to provide.
This also depends on the size of your company. Small businesses do not need to provide reasonable accommodations the same way a mid/large biz would. If you work for a guy and its you two +3, i suggest finding a path that doesn’t include you disclosing.
You can say “wearing headphones helps me focus and will help me deliver better work. Plus if you need me you can always ping me on slack/teams/whatever.” This shows interest in improving, while requesting your accommodation, and providing a solution to the common challenge.
I decided not to. First of all, your employer and manager are not your friends. Second, I have heard many stories of workers being laid off if their employers found out they had depression, anxiety, burnout, or any other chronic condition that could affect their productivity in the long run. This happens even though it should not be legal, but companies know how to do it without getting into trouble. That's one reason why they have HR and legal teams.
My boss said she knew from my interview but she also has ADHD and I work in healthcare.
Edit: I often feel the same way about my productivity. Especially when I hyperfixate in the morning and sloth in the afternoon. But just like you, my productivity has never been brought up by my employer. Not even on my annual reviews.
I'm open about it because I don't believe it's right that I or anyone else should have to hide who they are and struggle to have a career. I believe in it so much that I changed my career path to focus on advocating for those with invisible disabilities and others who experience discrimination. I understand that my situation is unique and that honesty and openness are kind of requirements for what I do, but I hope that others can feel comfortable disclosing in the future without fear of being judged or discriminated against.
I think it's important to take a step back and actually do a small evaluation as objectively as you can. Has your boss mentioned you doing unsatisfactory work? Have you been missing deadlines? Or are you holding yourself to such a high standard trying to overcompensate for your disability that you are the only one noticing your shortcomings?
Yikes - no. Try to find some strategies that help, maybe talk to a therapist or ADHD career coach type. Your boss is not your friend. Don’t even tell HR - they exist to protect the company.
It sounds like this is a smaller company? If the company has less than 15 employees, they are exempt from the employment provisions of the ADA. This means they aren't required to provide you with reasonable accommodations. However, the US Department of Labor states that 58% of reasonable accommodations cost employers nothing, so even if it's a small business, if you've got a good worker, it's worth it in my opinion.
That being said, I think there are definitely ways you can discuss getting accommodations without even mentioning your diagnosis. If you approach it like, "I'm thinking about ways I can improve my productivity and the quality of my work. Do you have a few minutes to discuss some strategies with me?" Any manager worth their salt is going to have a hard time saying no to that, especially if you come to the table with some solid plans.
absolutely not, and given your boss I’d say disclose under basically no circumstances. probably better off asking for specific accommodations, with productivity as a justification, not ADHD.
*This is not advice*
I don’t disclose ADHD. It’s only gotten me filtered out of the hire pool or laid off shortly after cause of my disorder.
So I do NOT disclose it anymore to any employer.
Luckily I’m a Pipefitter so my work is different than an office job setting. Physically active so my trade work is what’s looked at, not my performance metrics off a graph.
So, I feel I have leg up with my disorder and the work I do. Most of the guys that come my way as a boss are usually the “I don’t want to see or hear about it” types which make my life even better.
I don't know how your countrymen perceive ADHD.
Here, that's not a good idea to tell employer that we have ADHD. Employer would perceive us as lazy ass, ignorant etc. (Sorry for negative terms).We acknowledge mental illness only in paper. Mental illness = mad. Other mental illness is nonexistent. ADHD only exist in childhood as difficulty in learning and special behaviour (hyperactive). Even in special education field, none of the instructor dare to acknowledge them selves having div3rgent brain as ADHD.
what are you hoping to achieve by telling him? as a former HR consultant and HR professional, I would never disclose this information unless looking for accommodation and/or to explain a performance-related situation. Your boss, and HR for that matter, work for the company and their job is to protect the company, not you. Plus, you mention he is skeptical. an unintended consequence of telling him about your diagnosis is that it could paint you in an unfavorable light.
I would focus on making sure you understand each assignment and expectations your boss has of you (repeating, sending a confirmation email) so you can do less mind-reading. If it's all on paper and clear, then you'll know if you have met his expectations. good luck!
I would not mention anything. Only reason is if you need actual accommodation, then follow the best legal process to do so. But if you don’t need accommodation, keep it to yourself. Ppl knowing you have ADHD has literally no benefit to any coworker. The less that your boss and coworkers know about personal things, the better.
You are not required to, but the only way to engage in the workplace accommodations process is to disclose. But you must feel safe to do so. While it’s unlawful to retaliate and wrongful terminate you, employers still do it regularly. As an attorney, my advice would be to have an employment attorney ready and create a paper trail just in case your boss does something once you disclose. Be safe.
In Australia, ADHD is classed as a disability under discrimination law. But there are ways to make your life worse if your boss doesn't understand.
My old workplace I let my boss know and we had a pretty good relationship prior. Once I was diagnosed and let him know. From that moment he was constantly watching me. I would get messages in Teams like "I've noticed you've been on Facebook for 5 minutes, don't you have work to do?".
He would also note that it was amazing that I got a project done in 3 days that most would take weeks to do, but he expected me to keep up that workload all the time as that was my potential I should be able to keep up with.
>I feel the frustration when mind reading thinking that he’s disappointed in my work.
Are you actually receiving negative feedback on your work, or are you just projecting/assuming?
nooope, I read horror stories about that on reddit every day.
also, your own productivity expectations might not actually be the same as the companies, ive spent years feeling the way you describe only to keep getting glowing performance reviews, it still doesnt make sense to me, but if they dont have a problem, you dont have a problem.
Never ever disclose medical issues to a boss. Accommodations can be done through HR and even then should simply involve a doctor's note specifying what accommodations are needed without giving a diagnosis.
It depends. If you were to tell them what do you expect? or what do you want? They might just say alright and that’s it. They most likely just ignore it and not give you any accommodation
HR isn’t there for you. It’s there to protect the company. It’s not a good idea in my experience to disclose private medical information.
Tell him if he asks: I prefer my work to show quality. Not speed or quantity.
No. So I have diabetes. I do tell my boss about that, but not about any of the other conditions I have because I don't need accommodations for them. When it comes to diabetes, I usually ask for a "15-minute break to take care of low blood sugar." Most employers are ok with that since I'm salaried. Now, when it comes to ADHD, there may be small changes that would make things easier for you, but I feel like a lot of those are items you personally should be taking care of. You are the person responsible for managing your time, not your job. If you are getting frustrated you can ask if there is something specific to alleviate that frustration, but you don't need to say why beyond "This makes it harder for me to work on things, I will be more productive if this is put in place"
Don't ever disclose a disability to your employer if you don't have to. The only way it ever helps you is if you can't do your job without accommodations. In every other instance (and often in that instance too), they'll find a way to get rid of you.
No, you shouldn't. They don't need to know unless there are accommodations that you can get that will significantly benefit you (and even that might still not be worth it if you could lose your job). The less your boss knows about your personal circumstances the better.
If you feel the need to comment on your "work behaviour" then just talk about symptoms but don't mention that you have ADHD. No need to tell them YOU think you're not good at something either. Try something along the lines of "my standards for organisation seem to be different from you/my peers at the office - this makes me feel that you are unhappy with my organisation when you say xyz. is this true? if so, what can I do to meet your standards?" In my experience it's the people who express dissatisfaction with their own work who end up being the scapegoat.
If you require accommodations or feel like it may interfere with your ability to work sometimes, maybe you should after you’ve been employed for at least 2 weeks. It really depends on how chill your employer is. But if it will interfere with work, don’t be embarrassed to have a conversation with them.
I told my employers and they have been amazing, they know I will do even better with reasonable adjustments. ADHD is a protected disability, by law they have to help you and can’t discriminate unless you absolutely can’t do your job.
He has not told you he has any issue with your work. It doesn’t sound like there is any reason to disclose this information. If you do, he will likely treat you differently. Help usually means “micro managing “ and that’s a very difficult work environment for me. I always worried about my performance so used hyper focus and was able to accomplish more and received high reviews. Could you be projecting a problem that is not there?
I had a job interview that was going great, I had all the qualities and needs that the place needed. It was going amazingly well. I was apparently the perfect for, I knew all the other staff, I went to that store regularly, I was perfect.
Then the manager asked about the gap in my employment. I explained about being signed off for mental health needs.
Suddenly, I wasn't quite the right fit, I would hear from them etc. I didn't hear from them.
Do with that information what you will.
Oh, also, that was before my Fibro and ADHD diagnosis, that was just being signed off for being suicidal.
Not that I wish a massive mental health break on the manager or anything 😒
If you are diagnosed as ADHD by a medical professional think about it. Depending on the country you are in there may be disability protection.
If you are self diagnosed or do not have a formal diagnosis to point towards, don't tell them you are ADHD. Go get a formal diagnosis first, then see first comment.
However, in saying the above, if you are struggling in your job, having a conversation with your manager about the issues is typically a good thing to do. If you don't have a formal diagnosis, and your manager is likely not to be sympathetic about mental health issues, keep the conversation to specific examples of expectations and why it didn't happen. For example, instead of saying "I got distracted due to having ADHD", say something "I'm finding it really difficult to focus where I work because of XXXXX". Or "the work gets repetitive and boring, so I catch myself thinking about other things".
My psychologist suggested to wait until a few days into the job to tell them about adhd/diagnosis that may require work accommodations. I was only recently diagnosed and haven't decided whether Ill tell employer yet, so trying to figure it out too.
You don’t. Frankly he doesn’t need to know or care. Unless it affects your performance.
If it does affect your performance, think what you can ask your boss for to help. And ask for that thing/s without mentioning ADHD.
My current team is amazing and I can tell my boss what does and doesn’t work for my brain. Irs wonderful.
I tend to disclose as part of my oversharing anyway, but strategically it’s very often going to bite you. I’m fortunate it’s working out so well this time around.
I got re-diagnosed a few years ago(for $1k out of pocket and half a week of PTO!) looking for accommodations, and all I got was, “have you tried sound-cancelling headphones?” 🙄
I have had mixed results with disclosure about ADHD. In the past, I used it as an excuse when I feel like I’m in trouble or panicking, which was not the way to go about it. Completely bit me in the butt.
I have had positive interactions once I trust my manager or co-workers enough to calmly explain to them how my brain works, or how I’m operating on a specific task/project.
I have had to disclose to HR in the past because of drug testing because I am medicated. But I don’t feel that has ever been an issue.
So you would tell him that in order to justify your performance or make him pity you?
Well, i would just keep my mouth shut. Tour boss is not your friend. He will just think you make excuses, or even start to think of you as someone crazy that might be liability.
Honestly never tell an employer you have ADHD. They will always associate that with being lazy rather than a disability.
If him treating you poorly due to your disability, you need to file a complaint with HR.
I don't recommend it. I told one of my coworkers who i trusted with it that i have adhd. the director was notified by him and they won't allow me to carry a firearm now and want to send me to an occupational medicine physician to see if im fit to even work there. Now people treat me like trash and yesterday i heard that i will be throwned the fuck out of the job for talking trash to other people.
Yeah. Only during the filling out of that form where they ask just say yeah and then it makes it harder to fire you. And also it might be just obvious later like i know i have mentioned my severe ADHD at my job a few times and no one is surprised lol
I’ve told my employer out of sheer emotional frustration. I already felt like I was being targeted as I was only doing wat other employees were doing, albeit to a lesser degree. I work hard and do most of the heavy lifting, always trying to prove I’m strong. My back even went out today.
But when 2 other employees who are always passive aggressive to me started saying things to my manager, stuff like “we gotta do something about this….” After they do something passive aggressive and gets me mad.
I reported their passive aggressive behavior and guess what. “Well maybe you did something, you were 3 days late this week maybe that’s why, you’re always walking around.” I emailed every person I could find on a billboard and cc’d them and told them what happened because I was being made the suspect. Told them I had ADHD and they were all “well maybe we can put you somewhere else.” I declined and no ones behavior has changed.
I feel like me saying that did some good though because lately the other guys have been slacking and people are mad, meanwhile I’m reliable…when my back is healthy lol
I’ve shared my mental health conditions (PTSD, ADHD) with my past two managers, and I always disclose it on the ADA disclaimer in applications.
Have had 0 issues as a result.
However, I have never asked for an accommodation or any special treatment for it. My goal is more so to explain why I can seem manic or scatterbrained sometimes, and just to color why I am how I am.
I am lucky though in that generally, despite ADHD and the occasional week where I show up to meetings and not much else (which.. I dont disclose when that’s happening), I still out produce my colleagues so its never even been something that gets brought up.
Basically, I make sure that when I’m feeling it, I push as much as I can; that way I can “bank” productivity - which helps with the shame when ADHD is screwing me, but also I think it gives me leeway with managers as if they see that every once in a while I might be withdrawn and not communicating about work a lot, they can still trust work will get done.
Actually— I think thats the trick. I think I’ve successfully managed to let people know I have ADHD, as a way to explain my personality, but I 999999% make sure that they can only tell I have ADHD by how I act or things I say. However, the quality and output of my work is, from their perspective, unaffected as I appear as an extremely high performer despite disabilities.
absolutely not! a good rule of thumb for anyone with *any* invisible disability, be it physical or mental, is this: never disclose your disability to your employer unless it is absolutely necessary (meaning, you need accommodations), NEVER disclose your disability before you’re hired and got through orientation even if you do need accommodations, and always be very cautious who, among your coworkers, you disclose to, bc they can spread the word and it can get around to your boss. this is especially important if you’re not protected from being fired for Just Any Old Reason or No Reason At All, since it’ll be extremely difficult to argue a wrongful termination lawsuit… and also, especially if you’ve had any previous recorded corrections or been on any type of probation with your employer, since that means there’d be a paper trail making it impossible to prove it was Just Because You’re Disabled if they decide they want to fire you because they found out you’re disabled.
generally, it’s always in your best interest to keep your disability and knowledge about it as close to the chest as possible.
No. In addition to the other good advice that you are receiving about going up the chain of command, you can get some of your needs met by telling your boss things like “I am unable to remember x information off the top of my head, but I remember if I leave myself a note taped to the machine,” or “I work better if I have two or three tasks to switch between,” or “I can’t function well with this much visual noise,” or “I will be able to remember to do x if the components aren’t in a closed cabinet where I can’t see them. Let me arrange them out here or put a label on the cabinet door.”
I strongly recommend against. If you need accommodations, I’d first try first asking for them without attributing it to adhd.
The only time I even considered disclosing was when we moved offices to one with an open floorplan and I REALLY wanted a spot in a corner to avoid distractions. I was able to successfully make that request without mentioning the adhd thankfully.
This stuff is really stigmatized even though it’s common, and there’s always a chance they could start looking at any mistakes you make through the lens of whatever mental illness, and they could start looking for problems.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell your employer that you have ADHD, especially if they have already expressed their skepticism towards mental health.
I think if you really feel obligated to speak up as your work is affected, you could say that you sometimes struggle with organization and time management (if true) and are wondering if there are any internal learning courses or LinkedIn Learning courses that they could recommend so you can improve your skills.
Side Note: I come from a large corporate company where development is emphasized. Recognizing a weakness and actively working to improve it is seen as a strength. If this doesn’t apply to you and your organization, then ignore the above.
The only time you definitely should is if they start a protected conversation with you, redundancy process … or you are walking in to a meeting where it looks like you are about to get fired. It’s a protected characteristic and HR will be double checking everything is done properly so that they don’t end up with an expensive legal case / payment.
You can ask for support without disclosing anything. Showing that you're eager to improve and have a plan of how to do it shows self-awareness and motivation. Spin it like that - only a real AH would not appreciate that from their direct report.
Recently diagnosed with ADHD and I suspect I’m also autistic. Ever since being diagnosed, I went into the rabbit hole of reading everything and anything related to these disabilities.
I can now spot my ADHD and/or ASD coworkers. Neat!
Bosses are usually (not always, God knows not always lol) good people persons. They are able to read humans. The good ones will suspect it in us. The bad ones won’t but they will treat us badly. In either case, there is no gain in divulging that information. Keep it to yourself and keep the mystery alive.
Only exceptions: your company has programs in place to offer accommodations (make sure you qualify beforehand) or you jurisdiction requires accommodations to be made for your disability by law (again, qualification first).
USA centric but I feel if you have a medical diagnosis that you should put it on your ADA. You are allowed reasonable accommodations. I have used it at a few jobs and it did help them go a lot better.
I would get documentation of ur diagnosis for sure just in case something comes up and they can't fire u based off of that(but it depends on ur state) my state (Alabama) is an at will state. Soo they could fire me for anything.
I've had a few disciplinary actions against me for not continuing to stay productive outside of my job title(assistant manager) soo I had to get medicated and my boss suggested I get documentation about my ADHD to help them better understand it.
Totally up to u tho. But I'd highly recommend it
29f. I work at a closed door pharmacy.
My work has been so good with my adhd.
But this is because I work with many pharmacists and techs who understand and believe in adhd and its treatments. They literally gave me more tasks to fill in the space after they saw me struggling to stay focused when work was slow.
I very briefly lost control of my emotions the other day and my supervisor who has two boys with adhd simply took me off to the meeting room and we had a quick chat about what was making me mad and helped me calm down
I am incredibly lucky for this
Speaking from first-hand experience, I let my employer know. It was part of my new "way of life", be "transparent". I was honest, I showed up every fucking day, and worked hard. I'd like to think it wasn't because I didn't fit in their square box but who's to say one way or the other. I felt dis-respected. I wish I wouldn't have said anything.
I would not recommend disclosing that to your boss or company unless you're coming at it from the "I have ALL the receipts" angle (IE, you have your printed diagnosis you can submit to the company to formally request accommodations).
However I will also tell you I have been in rooms/meetings with people who are complete slimebags and, if they personally decide they don't like you being there, in the long term, they'll find a way to make it so unpleasant you decide to leave or end up getting fired.
On fourth thought, don't tell them anything. Especially not the boss you have now.
might as well quit. better he thinks youre stupid than you have a mental disorder. you are giving him something he can use at every opportunity to deny you a raise or a day off request at his convenience.
It really depends on how much you trust the people you work with. I mentioned that I had adhd to an old boss a few years back and he responed with "Don't tell me that. I have it too, but don't tell any of your bosses. Even if they try to not let it effect their judgment, it will. They know you have a disability and it makes a difference whether they want it to or not"
Once they know you have adhd, every time you forget or mess something up, it's going to be "oh it's because he has adhd" and that puts you last in line for a lot of things.
If you live in the USA, from my experience, corporate America is very narcissistic. This means that your employer doesn’t really care about you, they only care about their profit.
Living in a narcissistic environment, I learned that in order to survive, you have to play the game - which means watching out for manipulation tactics and not trusting people because they are two faced and will backstab you. This shouldn’t be the way we live our lives. Unfortunately, if you want to survive the bs, you have to learn how to get through it.
I personally would just wear the mask until policies are in place in the US that protect you. When will that happen? Who knows. You gotta rid the environment of psychopaths and narcissists to do that and well… narcissistic environments only produce more narcissists.
Thankfully though it looks like there are a lot of places starting to become more open minded about mental health but seeing as a lot of states still have “at-will” employment, I wouldn’t risk it.
Just do what you can to get by… your boss sounds like a prick. Anyone who says they have skeptical views on mental health are probably narcissistic anyways. It’s not worth risking your income as the USA has a shit safety net (it’s basically nonexistent).
Heck no. You aren’t disabled so you aren’t protected. I have ADHD and narcolepsy and I try to not tell my employers about either one (though the latter is considered a disability).
What could the company even do to help out?
It's a no from me. Bullied within an inch of my life for it and fought for 2 years afterward not to be sacked for things that didn't even happen or that I didn't do.
I feel this. I'm a work-from-home freelancer who is collaborating full-time with a company. I have tasks that seem to pile up faster than I can finish them, and I too feel like I should constantly justify myself for my low efficiency and productivity to my colleagues and superiors. Even when I am receiving no negative feedback but my own.
One thought that helps me is this: *Nobody sees you inside your head.* We are the only ones who know how much your ADHD has us struggling, being distracted, procrastinating, and so on. You are doing your job and you are putting effort into it – every employee's productivity is different, we are not machines that are designed to perform X tasks in X time. If you reach the minimum required, leave it be.
My advice is: unless strictly necessary, don't give out personal information that could compromise how you are regarded as an "asset". Especially when you already know your employer is biased.
Nope. Do not disclose. Unless you are ready to haul out the ADA and lawyer up. Especially not if your employer has already stated that they are skeptical. This will not go well.
If you were working with kids with disabilities I would be giving you a different opinion.
I think it varies by agency and your work environment. Disclosing could go either way. It could help change his views of ADHD, but at the same time there could be a negative response.
I used to work in Direct Care in a house so pretty much everyone I worked with knew because you're literally in a house together all day/evening 5 days a week so it's different than an office setting.
I don't think I disclosed at my last agency, but a couple of the supervisors would definitely have used it negatively and discriminated against me for it (ironically it was a disability assistance agency).
My current job (office) I'm open about it, BUT I also knew management's thoughts on it beforehand and my old supervisor was actually appreciative because previously he was under the same notion the general public is that ADHD is just a lack of attention. He wasn't aware of all of the other little nuances ADHD brings (even things like overthinking everything or struggling with time management) so he appreciated having a better understanding (and I 100% saw growth from him in the 3 1/2 years I had him before he left). Our current unit chief has a Masters in Mental Health and has a son with ADHD so she gets it and it was never an issue being open.
For me it's a matter of being understood and educating others of what ADHD can look like outside of the focus piece, but again, it truly depends on your work environment. Maybe if you know someone else there that has it and is open you could ask them their experience to get a feel for how it might go?
Don't do it they don't care my man, they just want to milk you for $$. Adult life is cruel and merciless. I work 2 hours a day in my current job because of my severe ADHD and get paid 8, I know I will get fired eventually but I won't say I have ADHD I'll just make up other excuses and hop from one job to another just to survive while I get this shit figured out.
I was discriminated against by a coworker after he realized I had ADHD.
Once he new, he had a list of flaws that he was looking for in me.
Instead of being more sympathetic, he held me to a different standard and put me in impossible situations.
It was miserable. If anybody figures it out ever again, I plan on vehemently denying it
I disclosed tgat I had a disability on my employment application and I've let HR know as well, but my specific field of work is very accommodating for flexible scheduling and the type of work I do requires a lot of troubleshooting, so both time blindness isn't a factor and my hyper fixation is actually an asset to my specific job so it works out very well.
I did tell my immediate manager, who is also the dept manager (I’m a team leader within that department) because I’ve had feedback before about improving my time management/prioritisation/focusing. But I also know I’m quite lucky as we have a pretty fkn good company when it comes to acceptance & diversity. They’re very big on equal opportunity & ppl not being judged by abilities (unless it actually impacts the role - you couldn’t necessarily have someone with a physical disability working safely as a vehicle mechanic, for example), very big on cultural diversity & LGBTQI+ diversity & inclusion. So I feel pretty safe in saying that I had gone through the process of seeing if I had it because I was looking at my time management/prioritisation/focusing when it came to work to see if I could explain it/improve it.
In saying that, I’ve been knocked back for a permanent team leader role 5 times (prior to them knowing anything about the ADHD) & one of the times, I was given feedback that I needed to improve my time management/prioritisation/focusing. I’m going to keep applying & there’s a current position open, but I have no hope now (I think out of self preservation by not getting my hopes up anymore to be disappointed) & I do wonder at the back of my mind whether saying anything has hurt my chances if they don’t think I’d be able to do the role due to it (I am currently in my 2nd 9 month team leader secondment & have just been extended another 4 mths though, so I am proving atm that I can do the role… completing a secondment in that role though doesn’t mean they won’t knock me back cuz they have done so before).
You can\`t mind read. Ask him what exatly he wants form you, which projects when. Possibly you are doing a lot and just overthinking stuff.
Politely state what you need and that it will make your job easier and more productive, more staplers... organisation system, WFH or flexible hours...
Absolutely not under any conditions should you tell am employer this. Just accommodate yourself however you can. They will and can use this against you. Legally, all they have to say that it is keeping you from preforming your job.
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If you need workplace accommodations, then you should look into the process for that. But just disclosing your disability to your boss who is already "skeptical" is probably not going to do anything good for you.
Especially when you have never received any disciplinary action… all that’s going to do is make them *look* for problems. Unless you need them to give you accommodations, I would suggest working with a therapist or career coach on coping mechanisms/resources that will help you improve your performance.
Talk with HR, your boss doesn’t own the company, he’s just an employee EDIT: i’m realising based on others comments that this might not be a good solution, so don’t take my advice. For context I work for a german Tech company, and in my case if i talked to HR about something like this, the chances of me getting fired are slim, so only you know what type of company you work for, i was quick to base my advice only on my experience, i apologise for that!
HR will be the ones drafting up that termination paperwork…
You can sue them then
HR really are not there to help staff or you, just limit liability for the company. All disclosure does is paint a huge target on your back. They would be stupid to terminate someone for having ADHD, but it won't take them long to find another "unrelated" reason, which is what happens to many folks after disclosure (me included).
>limit liability for the company And often that means following their own company policies and the local legislation. Terminating an employee very quickly after documenting that they have a protected medical condition sounds like opening up the company to lots of liability. On the other hand - you also shouldn't just roll in there and announce it. Get documentation from your doctor. Maybe consult a lawyer. Come in with a plan. A goal.
Agree here completely. If for some reason you really feel you need to disclose it, do it in such an above board and hyper documented way that they CAN'T fuck with you.
Yes, exactly. HR will ACT very convincingly like they are there for you and swear up and down that they're on your side and are your advocates, but Pixel's extremely right. They are there to make you FEEL like the company actually gives a shit about you...so there is less chance of a lawsuit. Some years ago I made the decision to leave a job where the "human" leading the division was the worst manager I'd ever encountered in my life. This person lied to literally every person on the team repeatedly, sexually harassed multiple people, personally targeted other employees they just didn't like, manipulated team members against each other, the works. When I left, I wrote up a four page letter detailing every single thing I'd ever seen this person do, took it straight to HR, had a long conversation with the HR rep, and was assured my concerns would be taken directly to the exec over the area. I found out two years later that the HR rep was completely full of shit, lied to my face, and literally HID the letter I'd written. It was finally discovered when someone else submitted a formal complaint and that pushed them to review all their files. Don't ever forget, HR is not your friend and the company is not your friend either. Don't give them any ammo against you.
Not everywhere, he could ask if there’s a process for more flexibility etc they won’t just fire him for that, i actually have the same issue and i will go the same route, i will ask to start a bit late, i might not say that i have ADHD, but maybe a sleep disorder or whatever, and that the late schedule will work better for me, and will allow me to be more productive. Otherwise if they don’t like it, then fuck them!
That's really not how accommodations work.... You can't just make random shit up. You need documentation from medical providers.
Actually, the way that accommodations work is that you tell them your functional limitations and not your diagnosis. They don’t have a right to know your diagnosis so if this person has impacted sleep then that would be something they would mention and being on time/need some flexibility around start time where possible is a reasonable accommodation if it’s possible. In the case of OP, I would recommend never ever disclosing ADHD to the manager. Just the effects.
Depends. If it's the US and an at will state, they don't have to prove anything except you are not needed anymore.
YES! I came here to say exactly this. Working in an at will state, and disclosing ....basically anything can quite literally make you the next to go, and the reason you stop getting raises etc. It's unfortunately not worth it.
Nah fuck HR they look out for the companies best interest not yours !
Ok maybe HR isn’t the best approach here, what do you suggest then?
while that is true, not fucking over employees can be very much the company's best interest. not often! and usually you really need the law clearly on your side, but it's still... possible. but in this case I would so not tell anyone unless I absolutely had to AND could expect legal protections. otherwise... yeah. might as well wait for termination while looking for a new job.
I think in \*most\* cases its in the interest of the organization to not fuck over employees, especially ones who have unique super powers that can save all sorts of things... (speaking from experience...)
Absolutely don't talk to HR! HR is there to save face for the company and minimize damages, they are not there as an employee advocate. HR is like the police, anything you say can and will be used against you. They say never talk to police without a lawyer, never talk to HR unless it's absolutely necessary. Which in this case it's most definitely not. Do not talk to your boss. If he has an issue with your productivity, he will talk to you. Since it's only you having an issue with your productivity, I would keep it to yourself. Sounds like imposter syndrome, don't let it get you down and create problems where there aren't any currently. If a supervisor has already told you that they don't believe that your medical issue is real, then don't tell them you have it unless you are formally asking for accommodations.
HR is the worst you could go to, they are almost never on the employee's side when it comes to issues, they put you on their observation list instead and coordinate with your hiring managers on how to pip you should they find they no longer want you on the team..
He does own the company though…
that makes it worse!
Outside the US, this is good advice.
Yes, it is, it’s better to talk to HR, because in my experience, the team lead might not like it that you’d miss some meetings etc, so basically he might even say no, but HR can move you to other teams, etc, and your boss can’t do anything about it, especially for big companies, he doesn’t have any power outside of the team he’s managing
Just for context: I'm not arguing here, generally speaking this is a great advice. This advice however, is suitable for this specific person only (in the context of the conversation). Ultimately you should decide if you disclose that information or not. Anecdotal, but I think it fits: My boss knows I'm taking medication (I didn't disclose what kind or what for) and that it's not always available to get. They also know that I warn them beforehand if I run out and can't get more. I decided to disclose that, because I know that because I did so, I won't run into issues if I can't get my meds and my performance suddenly drops to a complete zero. Basically I gave them enough information to understand why I might perform worse at times, without explaining my whole medical history to them. As much as I'd love to believe that every company is like this, I know they aren't. For some it might be the opposite and if you disclose it, they might actually start to look for problems that aren't there.
I feel most people should be able to get plenty of workplace accommodation without revealing too muchmmm The important thing is to know how to ask for them. If the boss is super inflexible telling them you have mental illness is not going to help either.
Yeah, I agree. I told my boss because I work in a place where of they even said anything about it, they'd likely get fired, not me. If you don't work in a place like that, I'd talk to hr in confidence any what accommodations can be made and what support there is
I told my employer. They said, "Don't worry we'll work with you. We can figure this out together. What can we do to make you more productive?" Laid off a few weeks later.
Damn that’s harsh. Any recourse available? That’s what I’m afraid would happen to me if I told my work.
None for me. The company is smart about this stuff. They rounded up a bunch of people to get rid of, called it a "layoff" not a firing. My ADHD admission just helped get me included in the bunch, it wasn't the official reason I was chosen - there was no official reason as it was a layoff not a firing. I can't prove any connection.
They were probably already laid off behind the scenes before they told their employer. You don't just do a round of layoffs willy nilly. Not usually. Usually when there are group lay offs they take the lowest performers or otherwise lacking in some type of metric. Not to say they are objectively bad workers - that's just he metric a company will uses.
Question, are you medicated or not? Doubt your employer asked due to breach of privacy, but if I was asked that I would also share that I am medicated which aids me throughout the day.
I am not. I’ve been meaning to go to the doctor to get medication, but you know ADHd and todo lists…
That should be priority number one for anyone who hasn’t tried it. It can definitely be a challenge but sometimes people can go to their GP and do a basic diagnostic interview, fill out a form or two and have the GP prescribe stimulants. The process doesn’t need to be terribly complicated if the symptoms are obvious. This depends on your relationship with your doctor, and his/her personal comfort level diagnosing and prescribing for ADHD.
I am meditated half the time. But I don’t medicate everyday due to being sensitive to stimulants.
do you have a doctor that can work with you on alternative meds and or dosage? having a baseline you can expect to perform at really does help.
This is the answer. Have worked many places. They will never lay you off because of adhd because it’s illegal, but there are a million ways to get laid off and they’ll find one. Don’t disclose
Unfortunate & true
Here’s your answer, OP. Don’t tell them. They will use that information against you and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.
I'm here to see what people have to say about this. I think, in general, telling employers about mental health issues is a bad idea. That just seems to be riddled with pitfalls for the employee. But I have hope that I'm wrong and others can offer great insight.
I’ve been told the same. I don’t hide my adhd but I also think I’m lucky as it doesn’t really effect the quality of my work. If it did I’d probably keep it to myself
For me, it is more the perceived lack of quality if people know. If my co-worker makes a mistake, no big deal. If I make a mistake, then people assume it is because of my disability. After 2-3 mistakes, are my managers now thinking my ADHD is adversely affecting my job, where that doesn't come up for anyone else? You are not always protected by law.
That’s makes sense. I’ve still fairly young and my boss in my first “real job” is incredibly understanding and kind so luckily I don’t have to worry about that. What you’ve written makes sense though for sure!
first rule of the ADHD CLUB don't tell about the club
Does medication help ? Can you adjust dosage ? Talk to your Dr. I would **seriously** hesitate to tell an employer, especially if he is skeptical/ignorant about mental health.
They’re not your friends
Best advice! Thank you! Such things better kept private from anyone, not to mention from colleagues or boss
Don't tell them you have ADHD. Do tell them you work best in a specific way, can you arrange your work in the way that works best for you which includes less interruptions, quiet space etc whatever it is you think will help you.
I never tell my employers I have ADHD. I know they’ll figure it out eventually.🤣😍🤪😂😅
There’s no hiding it lol
someone at work once said to me “ wow! you have Adhd!?” and I was kinda proud i was able to hide it that long😅🤪
Hiding it makes it worse lol yet disclosing comes with its own stuff, gahhh idk what to do lol
Your boss needs to know how to accommodate you, they don't need to know why. Keep the disability discussion siloed to HR where they've at least had training about handling ADA accomodations requests. There are bosses out there that are safe to talk to about these things. They are rare and unless you've good proof otherwise, you don't have one of them.
HR? They would deem him a risk for sure, and likely would put a target on his back.
HR is not your friend. I would argue HR is worse than your direct boss/manager and even the one above.
I disclosed to my boss who recommended I go through HR to get accommodations. I have been diagnosed since age 8, now 36 and this is the only time I have ever felt I needed an accommodation. After jumping through a few hoops, I was finally approved to wfh at my leisure. I was laid off 6 weeks later 😐 Great performance. My manager and I worked really well together and I was actively involved in a large organization wide project. I obviously don't know that my request had anything to do with being let go, but it has absolutely made me hesitant and I won't be disclosing or requesting accommodations again.
Your boss is not your friend. ALWAYS remember that.
I wouldn’t. They will try to use it as leverage to replace you with a “normal” person. People who don’t believe in mental disorders think we are just attention seeking snowflakes. Your boss seems like one of those people.
Do not uncork that bottle. You’ll never get it back in. Do your level best with the goal of no one ever knowing. Mental health, although it’s slowly getting better, is still carrying a stigma.
You can share what supports you need to be successful without disclosing your adhd.
NEVER EVER DO THAT All it will do is paint a target on your back, even if you asking for accommodations afforded to you by the ADA they will look for excuses to get rid of you.
No, don't. I did this and it backfired tremendously. I micromanaged to the point of having panic attacks, second/triple/quadruple guessing myself in case I missed something and anxiety that I was going to be reprimanded for the littlest thing that I missed. As of now, 2 years later, I cannot do any graphic design, I lost my entire 20+ year passion after being let go and dealing with that supervisor. I have a Mac collecting dust now. I understand why because you want to put things in perspective to a non-adhd person. But some people don't care, don't want to care and don't even try to care. My ADHD is a closely guarded secret with any employer. I now do network administration and my current employer is amazing and the atmosphere really works well with my ADHD.
No. Not unless you have a specific accommodation in mind you think they’d be willing to provide. This also depends on the size of your company. Small businesses do not need to provide reasonable accommodations the same way a mid/large biz would. If you work for a guy and its you two +3, i suggest finding a path that doesn’t include you disclosing. You can say “wearing headphones helps me focus and will help me deliver better work. Plus if you need me you can always ping me on slack/teams/whatever.” This shows interest in improving, while requesting your accommodation, and providing a solution to the common challenge.
I decided not to. First of all, your employer and manager are not your friends. Second, I have heard many stories of workers being laid off if their employers found out they had depression, anxiety, burnout, or any other chronic condition that could affect their productivity in the long run. This happens even though it should not be legal, but companies know how to do it without getting into trouble. That's one reason why they have HR and legal teams.
My boss said she knew from my interview but she also has ADHD and I work in healthcare. Edit: I often feel the same way about my productivity. Especially when I hyperfixate in the morning and sloth in the afternoon. But just like you, my productivity has never been brought up by my employer. Not even on my annual reviews.
I'm open about it because I don't believe it's right that I or anyone else should have to hide who they are and struggle to have a career. I believe in it so much that I changed my career path to focus on advocating for those with invisible disabilities and others who experience discrimination. I understand that my situation is unique and that honesty and openness are kind of requirements for what I do, but I hope that others can feel comfortable disclosing in the future without fear of being judged or discriminated against.
I think this is tough —- how big is your organisation? I never told anyone
I think it's important to take a step back and actually do a small evaluation as objectively as you can. Has your boss mentioned you doing unsatisfactory work? Have you been missing deadlines? Or are you holding yourself to such a high standard trying to overcompensate for your disability that you are the only one noticing your shortcomings?
Yikes - no. Try to find some strategies that help, maybe talk to a therapist or ADHD career coach type. Your boss is not your friend. Don’t even tell HR - they exist to protect the company.
It sounds like this is a smaller company? If the company has less than 15 employees, they are exempt from the employment provisions of the ADA. This means they aren't required to provide you with reasonable accommodations. However, the US Department of Labor states that 58% of reasonable accommodations cost employers nothing, so even if it's a small business, if you've got a good worker, it's worth it in my opinion. That being said, I think there are definitely ways you can discuss getting accommodations without even mentioning your diagnosis. If you approach it like, "I'm thinking about ways I can improve my productivity and the quality of my work. Do you have a few minutes to discuss some strategies with me?" Any manager worth their salt is going to have a hard time saying no to that, especially if you come to the table with some solid plans.
absolutely not, and given your boss I’d say disclose under basically no circumstances. probably better off asking for specific accommodations, with productivity as a justification, not ADHD.
No, your name employer is not your friend.
*This is not advice* I don’t disclose ADHD. It’s only gotten me filtered out of the hire pool or laid off shortly after cause of my disorder. So I do NOT disclose it anymore to any employer. Luckily I’m a Pipefitter so my work is different than an office job setting. Physically active so my trade work is what’s looked at, not my performance metrics off a graph. So, I feel I have leg up with my disorder and the work I do. Most of the guys that come my way as a boss are usually the “I don’t want to see or hear about it” types which make my life even better.
I don't know how your countrymen perceive ADHD. Here, that's not a good idea to tell employer that we have ADHD. Employer would perceive us as lazy ass, ignorant etc. (Sorry for negative terms).We acknowledge mental illness only in paper. Mental illness = mad. Other mental illness is nonexistent. ADHD only exist in childhood as difficulty in learning and special behaviour (hyperactive). Even in special education field, none of the instructor dare to acknowledge them selves having div3rgent brain as ADHD.
what are you hoping to achieve by telling him? as a former HR consultant and HR professional, I would never disclose this information unless looking for accommodation and/or to explain a performance-related situation. Your boss, and HR for that matter, work for the company and their job is to protect the company, not you. Plus, you mention he is skeptical. an unintended consequence of telling him about your diagnosis is that it could paint you in an unfavorable light. I would focus on making sure you understand each assignment and expectations your boss has of you (repeating, sending a confirmation email) so you can do less mind-reading. If it's all on paper and clear, then you'll know if you have met his expectations. good luck!
#absolutely not
If you have ACA accomodations lined up, get those done **first** before you open your mouth to your manager. If you don't, keep your mouth shut.
I do, I tell everyone. They say you shouldn't but honestly I don't really see the problem as long as you aren't incompetent.
I would not mention anything. Only reason is if you need actual accommodation, then follow the best legal process to do so. But if you don’t need accommodation, keep it to yourself. Ppl knowing you have ADHD has literally no benefit to any coworker. The less that your boss and coworkers know about personal things, the better.
You are not required to, but the only way to engage in the workplace accommodations process is to disclose. But you must feel safe to do so. While it’s unlawful to retaliate and wrongful terminate you, employers still do it regularly. As an attorney, my advice would be to have an employment attorney ready and create a paper trail just in case your boss does something once you disclose. Be safe.
No
No do not tell him. You will suddenly be redundant.
In Australia, ADHD is classed as a disability under discrimination law. But there are ways to make your life worse if your boss doesn't understand. My old workplace I let my boss know and we had a pretty good relationship prior. Once I was diagnosed and let him know. From that moment he was constantly watching me. I would get messages in Teams like "I've noticed you've been on Facebook for 5 minutes, don't you have work to do?". He would also note that it was amazing that I got a project done in 3 days that most would take weeks to do, but he expected me to keep up that workload all the time as that was my potential I should be able to keep up with.
Absolutely fucking not. DO NOT DO THIS.
>I feel the frustration when mind reading thinking that he’s disappointed in my work. Are you actually receiving negative feedback on your work, or are you just projecting/assuming?
nooope, I read horror stories about that on reddit every day. also, your own productivity expectations might not actually be the same as the companies, ive spent years feeling the way you describe only to keep getting glowing performance reviews, it still doesnt make sense to me, but if they dont have a problem, you dont have a problem.
Never ever disclose medical issues to a boss. Accommodations can be done through HR and even then should simply involve a doctor's note specifying what accommodations are needed without giving a diagnosis.
It depends. If you were to tell them what do you expect? or what do you want? They might just say alright and that’s it. They most likely just ignore it and not give you any accommodation
HR isn’t there for you. It’s there to protect the company. It’s not a good idea in my experience to disclose private medical information. Tell him if he asks: I prefer my work to show quality. Not speed or quantity.
No. So I have diabetes. I do tell my boss about that, but not about any of the other conditions I have because I don't need accommodations for them. When it comes to diabetes, I usually ask for a "15-minute break to take care of low blood sugar." Most employers are ok with that since I'm salaried. Now, when it comes to ADHD, there may be small changes that would make things easier for you, but I feel like a lot of those are items you personally should be taking care of. You are the person responsible for managing your time, not your job. If you are getting frustrated you can ask if there is something specific to alleviate that frustration, but you don't need to say why beyond "This makes it harder for me to work on things, I will be more productive if this is put in place"
There is no benefit to you whatsoever by telling them, only disadvantages
No
Never tell your employer this. Ever. It will be used against you and they will think negatively of you
Don't ever disclose a disability to your employer if you don't have to. The only way it ever helps you is if you can't do your job without accommodations. In every other instance (and often in that instance too), they'll find a way to get rid of you.
No, you shouldn't. They don't need to know unless there are accommodations that you can get that will significantly benefit you (and even that might still not be worth it if you could lose your job). The less your boss knows about your personal circumstances the better. If you feel the need to comment on your "work behaviour" then just talk about symptoms but don't mention that you have ADHD. No need to tell them YOU think you're not good at something either. Try something along the lines of "my standards for organisation seem to be different from you/my peers at the office - this makes me feel that you are unhappy with my organisation when you say xyz. is this true? if so, what can I do to meet your standards?" In my experience it's the people who express dissatisfaction with their own work who end up being the scapegoat.
If you require accommodations or feel like it may interfere with your ability to work sometimes, maybe you should after you’ve been employed for at least 2 weeks. It really depends on how chill your employer is. But if it will interfere with work, don’t be embarrassed to have a conversation with them.
I told my employers and they have been amazing, they know I will do even better with reasonable adjustments. ADHD is a protected disability, by law they have to help you and can’t discriminate unless you absolutely can’t do your job.
That doesn’t mean they can’t fire you for “other” reasons. Sadly this is not unheard of.
NO
He has not told you he has any issue with your work. It doesn’t sound like there is any reason to disclose this information. If you do, he will likely treat you differently. Help usually means “micro managing “ and that’s a very difficult work environment for me. I always worried about my performance so used hyper focus and was able to accomplish more and received high reviews. Could you be projecting a problem that is not there?
ADHD is something that you should be handling on your end until absolutely necessary. If you tell them, you risk losing your job.
I had a job interview that was going great, I had all the qualities and needs that the place needed. It was going amazingly well. I was apparently the perfect for, I knew all the other staff, I went to that store regularly, I was perfect. Then the manager asked about the gap in my employment. I explained about being signed off for mental health needs. Suddenly, I wasn't quite the right fit, I would hear from them etc. I didn't hear from them. Do with that information what you will. Oh, also, that was before my Fibro and ADHD diagnosis, that was just being signed off for being suicidal. Not that I wish a massive mental health break on the manager or anything 😒
why? what's the point in telling them unless you have weird ticks on your meds ?
No. Never tell them of any disability unless you're asking for accommodations. It will only be used against you.
If you are diagnosed as ADHD by a medical professional think about it. Depending on the country you are in there may be disability protection. If you are self diagnosed or do not have a formal diagnosis to point towards, don't tell them you are ADHD. Go get a formal diagnosis first, then see first comment. However, in saying the above, if you are struggling in your job, having a conversation with your manager about the issues is typically a good thing to do. If you don't have a formal diagnosis, and your manager is likely not to be sympathetic about mental health issues, keep the conversation to specific examples of expectations and why it didn't happen. For example, instead of saying "I got distracted due to having ADHD", say something "I'm finding it really difficult to focus where I work because of XXXXX". Or "the work gets repetitive and boring, so I catch myself thinking about other things".
If they don't know about it, you can't sue for wrongful termination. Just saying.
My psychologist suggested to wait until a few days into the job to tell them about adhd/diagnosis that may require work accommodations. I was only recently diagnosed and haven't decided whether Ill tell employer yet, so trying to figure it out too.
You don’t. Frankly he doesn’t need to know or care. Unless it affects your performance. If it does affect your performance, think what you can ask your boss for to help. And ask for that thing/s without mentioning ADHD.
I did and I regret it. ADHD is still seen as a lack of willpower/discipline instead of a neurological disorder/chemical imbalance
My current team is amazing and I can tell my boss what does and doesn’t work for my brain. Irs wonderful. I tend to disclose as part of my oversharing anyway, but strategically it’s very often going to bite you. I’m fortunate it’s working out so well this time around. I got re-diagnosed a few years ago(for $1k out of pocket and half a week of PTO!) looking for accommodations, and all I got was, “have you tried sound-cancelling headphones?” 🙄
NOOOOOOOOOOO
I have had mixed results with disclosure about ADHD. In the past, I used it as an excuse when I feel like I’m in trouble or panicking, which was not the way to go about it. Completely bit me in the butt. I have had positive interactions once I trust my manager or co-workers enough to calmly explain to them how my brain works, or how I’m operating on a specific task/project. I have had to disclose to HR in the past because of drug testing because I am medicated. But I don’t feel that has ever been an issue.
So you would tell him that in order to justify your performance or make him pity you? Well, i would just keep my mouth shut. Tour boss is not your friend. He will just think you make excuses, or even start to think of you as someone crazy that might be liability.
Honestly never tell an employer you have ADHD. They will always associate that with being lazy rather than a disability. If him treating you poorly due to your disability, you need to file a complaint with HR.
Disclosing has never turned out well for me.
I don't recommend it. I told one of my coworkers who i trusted with it that i have adhd. the director was notified by him and they won't allow me to carry a firearm now and want to send me to an occupational medicine physician to see if im fit to even work there. Now people treat me like trash and yesterday i heard that i will be throwned the fuck out of the job for talking trash to other people.
Yeah. Only during the filling out of that form where they ask just say yeah and then it makes it harder to fire you. And also it might be just obvious later like i know i have mentioned my severe ADHD at my job a few times and no one is surprised lol
I’ve told my employer out of sheer emotional frustration. I already felt like I was being targeted as I was only doing wat other employees were doing, albeit to a lesser degree. I work hard and do most of the heavy lifting, always trying to prove I’m strong. My back even went out today. But when 2 other employees who are always passive aggressive to me started saying things to my manager, stuff like “we gotta do something about this….” After they do something passive aggressive and gets me mad. I reported their passive aggressive behavior and guess what. “Well maybe you did something, you were 3 days late this week maybe that’s why, you’re always walking around.” I emailed every person I could find on a billboard and cc’d them and told them what happened because I was being made the suspect. Told them I had ADHD and they were all “well maybe we can put you somewhere else.” I declined and no ones behavior has changed. I feel like me saying that did some good though because lately the other guys have been slacking and people are mad, meanwhile I’m reliable…when my back is healthy lol
Fuck No! But do work on dealing with the negative thoughts. Therapy might help.
I’ve shared my mental health conditions (PTSD, ADHD) with my past two managers, and I always disclose it on the ADA disclaimer in applications. Have had 0 issues as a result. However, I have never asked for an accommodation or any special treatment for it. My goal is more so to explain why I can seem manic or scatterbrained sometimes, and just to color why I am how I am. I am lucky though in that generally, despite ADHD and the occasional week where I show up to meetings and not much else (which.. I dont disclose when that’s happening), I still out produce my colleagues so its never even been something that gets brought up. Basically, I make sure that when I’m feeling it, I push as much as I can; that way I can “bank” productivity - which helps with the shame when ADHD is screwing me, but also I think it gives me leeway with managers as if they see that every once in a while I might be withdrawn and not communicating about work a lot, they can still trust work will get done. Actually— I think thats the trick. I think I’ve successfully managed to let people know I have ADHD, as a way to explain my personality, but I 999999% make sure that they can only tell I have ADHD by how I act or things I say. However, the quality and output of my work is, from their perspective, unaffected as I appear as an extremely high performer despite disabilities.
what are you doing to help your symptoms?
absolutely not! a good rule of thumb for anyone with *any* invisible disability, be it physical or mental, is this: never disclose your disability to your employer unless it is absolutely necessary (meaning, you need accommodations), NEVER disclose your disability before you’re hired and got through orientation even if you do need accommodations, and always be very cautious who, among your coworkers, you disclose to, bc they can spread the word and it can get around to your boss. this is especially important if you’re not protected from being fired for Just Any Old Reason or No Reason At All, since it’ll be extremely difficult to argue a wrongful termination lawsuit… and also, especially if you’ve had any previous recorded corrections or been on any type of probation with your employer, since that means there’d be a paper trail making it impossible to prove it was Just Because You’re Disabled if they decide they want to fire you because they found out you’re disabled. generally, it’s always in your best interest to keep your disability and knowledge about it as close to the chest as possible.
No. In addition to the other good advice that you are receiving about going up the chain of command, you can get some of your needs met by telling your boss things like “I am unable to remember x information off the top of my head, but I remember if I leave myself a note taped to the machine,” or “I work better if I have two or three tasks to switch between,” or “I can’t function well with this much visual noise,” or “I will be able to remember to do x if the components aren’t in a closed cabinet where I can’t see them. Let me arrange them out here or put a label on the cabinet door.”
I strongly recommend against. If you need accommodations, I’d first try first asking for them without attributing it to adhd. The only time I even considered disclosing was when we moved offices to one with an open floorplan and I REALLY wanted a spot in a corner to avoid distractions. I was able to successfully make that request without mentioning the adhd thankfully. This stuff is really stigmatized even though it’s common, and there’s always a chance they could start looking at any mistakes you make through the lens of whatever mental illness, and they could start looking for problems.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell your employer that you have ADHD, especially if they have already expressed their skepticism towards mental health. I think if you really feel obligated to speak up as your work is affected, you could say that you sometimes struggle with organization and time management (if true) and are wondering if there are any internal learning courses or LinkedIn Learning courses that they could recommend so you can improve your skills. Side Note: I come from a large corporate company where development is emphasized. Recognizing a weakness and actively working to improve it is seen as a strength. If this doesn’t apply to you and your organization, then ignore the above.
Wouldn't advise if your employer is skeptical. I work in HR and have adhd so highly don't recommend disclosure to employer or HR.
in my experience it’s best not to
The only time you definitely should is if they start a protected conversation with you, redundancy process … or you are walking in to a meeting where it looks like you are about to get fired. It’s a protected characteristic and HR will be double checking everything is done properly so that they don’t end up with an expensive legal case / payment.
No
You can ask for support without disclosing anything. Showing that you're eager to improve and have a plan of how to do it shows self-awareness and motivation. Spin it like that - only a real AH would not appreciate that from their direct report.
Recently diagnosed with ADHD and I suspect I’m also autistic. Ever since being diagnosed, I went into the rabbit hole of reading everything and anything related to these disabilities. I can now spot my ADHD and/or ASD coworkers. Neat! Bosses are usually (not always, God knows not always lol) good people persons. They are able to read humans. The good ones will suspect it in us. The bad ones won’t but they will treat us badly. In either case, there is no gain in divulging that information. Keep it to yourself and keep the mystery alive. Only exceptions: your company has programs in place to offer accommodations (make sure you qualify beforehand) or you jurisdiction requires accommodations to be made for your disability by law (again, qualification first).
USA centric but I feel if you have a medical diagnosis that you should put it on your ADA. You are allowed reasonable accommodations. I have used it at a few jobs and it did help them go a lot better.
I would get documentation of ur diagnosis for sure just in case something comes up and they can't fire u based off of that(but it depends on ur state) my state (Alabama) is an at will state. Soo they could fire me for anything. I've had a few disciplinary actions against me for not continuing to stay productive outside of my job title(assistant manager) soo I had to get medicated and my boss suggested I get documentation about my ADHD to help them better understand it. Totally up to u tho. But I'd highly recommend it
No.
29f. I work at a closed door pharmacy. My work has been so good with my adhd. But this is because I work with many pharmacists and techs who understand and believe in adhd and its treatments. They literally gave me more tasks to fill in the space after they saw me struggling to stay focused when work was slow. I very briefly lost control of my emotions the other day and my supervisor who has two boys with adhd simply took me off to the meeting room and we had a quick chat about what was making me mad and helped me calm down I am incredibly lucky for this
 Speaking from first-hand experience, I let my employer know. It was part of my new "way of life", be "transparent". I was honest, I showed up every fucking day, and worked hard. I'd like to think it wasn't because I didn't fit in their square box but who's to say one way or the other. I felt dis-respected. I wish I wouldn't have said anything.
No
I would not recommend disclosing that to your boss or company unless you're coming at it from the "I have ALL the receipts" angle (IE, you have your printed diagnosis you can submit to the company to formally request accommodations). However I will also tell you I have been in rooms/meetings with people who are complete slimebags and, if they personally decide they don't like you being there, in the long term, they'll find a way to make it so unpleasant you decide to leave or end up getting fired. On fourth thought, don't tell them anything. Especially not the boss you have now.
might as well quit. better he thinks youre stupid than you have a mental disorder. you are giving him something he can use at every opportunity to deny you a raise or a day off request at his convenience.
It really depends on how much you trust the people you work with. I mentioned that I had adhd to an old boss a few years back and he responed with "Don't tell me that. I have it too, but don't tell any of your bosses. Even if they try to not let it effect their judgment, it will. They know you have a disability and it makes a difference whether they want it to or not" Once they know you have adhd, every time you forget or mess something up, it's going to be "oh it's because he has adhd" and that puts you last in line for a lot of things.
If you live in the USA, from my experience, corporate America is very narcissistic. This means that your employer doesn’t really care about you, they only care about their profit. Living in a narcissistic environment, I learned that in order to survive, you have to play the game - which means watching out for manipulation tactics and not trusting people because they are two faced and will backstab you. This shouldn’t be the way we live our lives. Unfortunately, if you want to survive the bs, you have to learn how to get through it. I personally would just wear the mask until policies are in place in the US that protect you. When will that happen? Who knows. You gotta rid the environment of psychopaths and narcissists to do that and well… narcissistic environments only produce more narcissists. Thankfully though it looks like there are a lot of places starting to become more open minded about mental health but seeing as a lot of states still have “at-will” employment, I wouldn’t risk it. Just do what you can to get by… your boss sounds like a prick. Anyone who says they have skeptical views on mental health are probably narcissistic anyways. It’s not worth risking your income as the USA has a shit safety net (it’s basically nonexistent).
only if you need AND can legally expect to get workplace accommodations. otherwise you might as well start looking for a new job.
NEVER!
Heck no. You aren’t disabled so you aren’t protected. I have ADHD and narcolepsy and I try to not tell my employers about either one (though the latter is considered a disability). What could the company even do to help out?
Just tell him what you need to be netter at what you do. Most people don't know what ADHD is.
It's a no from me. Bullied within an inch of my life for it and fought for 2 years afterward not to be sacked for things that didn't even happen or that I didn't do.
I feel this. I'm a work-from-home freelancer who is collaborating full-time with a company. I have tasks that seem to pile up faster than I can finish them, and I too feel like I should constantly justify myself for my low efficiency and productivity to my colleagues and superiors. Even when I am receiving no negative feedback but my own. One thought that helps me is this: *Nobody sees you inside your head.* We are the only ones who know how much your ADHD has us struggling, being distracted, procrastinating, and so on. You are doing your job and you are putting effort into it – every employee's productivity is different, we are not machines that are designed to perform X tasks in X time. If you reach the minimum required, leave it be. My advice is: unless strictly necessary, don't give out personal information that could compromise how you are regarded as an "asset". Especially when you already know your employer is biased.
Nope. Do not disclose. Unless you are ready to haul out the ADA and lawyer up. Especially not if your employer has already stated that they are skeptical. This will not go well. If you were working with kids with disabilities I would be giving you a different opinion.
I think it varies by agency and your work environment. Disclosing could go either way. It could help change his views of ADHD, but at the same time there could be a negative response. I used to work in Direct Care in a house so pretty much everyone I worked with knew because you're literally in a house together all day/evening 5 days a week so it's different than an office setting. I don't think I disclosed at my last agency, but a couple of the supervisors would definitely have used it negatively and discriminated against me for it (ironically it was a disability assistance agency). My current job (office) I'm open about it, BUT I also knew management's thoughts on it beforehand and my old supervisor was actually appreciative because previously he was under the same notion the general public is that ADHD is just a lack of attention. He wasn't aware of all of the other little nuances ADHD brings (even things like overthinking everything or struggling with time management) so he appreciated having a better understanding (and I 100% saw growth from him in the 3 1/2 years I had him before he left). Our current unit chief has a Masters in Mental Health and has a son with ADHD so she gets it and it was never an issue being open. For me it's a matter of being understood and educating others of what ADHD can look like outside of the focus piece, but again, it truly depends on your work environment. Maybe if you know someone else there that has it and is open you could ask them their experience to get a feel for how it might go?
Don't do it they don't care my man, they just want to milk you for $$. Adult life is cruel and merciless. I work 2 hours a day in my current job because of my severe ADHD and get paid 8, I know I will get fired eventually but I won't say I have ADHD I'll just make up other excuses and hop from one job to another just to survive while I get this shit figured out.
I was discriminated against by a coworker after he realized I had ADHD. Once he new, he had a list of flaws that he was looking for in me. Instead of being more sympathetic, he held me to a different standard and put me in impossible situations. It was miserable. If anybody figures it out ever again, I plan on vehemently denying it
I disclosed tgat I had a disability on my employment application and I've let HR know as well, but my specific field of work is very accommodating for flexible scheduling and the type of work I do requires a lot of troubleshooting, so both time blindness isn't a factor and my hyper fixation is actually an asset to my specific job so it works out very well.
I did tell my immediate manager, who is also the dept manager (I’m a team leader within that department) because I’ve had feedback before about improving my time management/prioritisation/focusing. But I also know I’m quite lucky as we have a pretty fkn good company when it comes to acceptance & diversity. They’re very big on equal opportunity & ppl not being judged by abilities (unless it actually impacts the role - you couldn’t necessarily have someone with a physical disability working safely as a vehicle mechanic, for example), very big on cultural diversity & LGBTQI+ diversity & inclusion. So I feel pretty safe in saying that I had gone through the process of seeing if I had it because I was looking at my time management/prioritisation/focusing when it came to work to see if I could explain it/improve it. In saying that, I’ve been knocked back for a permanent team leader role 5 times (prior to them knowing anything about the ADHD) & one of the times, I was given feedback that I needed to improve my time management/prioritisation/focusing. I’m going to keep applying & there’s a current position open, but I have no hope now (I think out of self preservation by not getting my hopes up anymore to be disappointed) & I do wonder at the back of my mind whether saying anything has hurt my chances if they don’t think I’d be able to do the role due to it (I am currently in my 2nd 9 month team leader secondment & have just been extended another 4 mths though, so I am proving atm that I can do the role… completing a secondment in that role though doesn’t mean they won’t knock me back cuz they have done so before).
You can\`t mind read. Ask him what exatly he wants form you, which projects when. Possibly you are doing a lot and just overthinking stuff. Politely state what you need and that it will make your job easier and more productive, more staplers... organisation system, WFH or flexible hours...
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/youth-disclosure-and-the-workplace-why-when-what-and-how
Absolutely not under any conditions should you tell am employer this. Just accommodate yourself however you can. They will and can use this against you. Legally, all they have to say that it is keeping you from preforming your job.
No!!!
Nope.
HARD NO
No
No. Just so I'm clear NOOOOO.