ADHD case study 1

An engineers story of their diagnosis for ADHD and how their workplace has understood their neurodiversity.

Please share your neurodiversity – diagnosed or undiagnosed, and the area of engineering or technology that you work in e.g. civil engineering.

Diagnosed ADHD combined type.

In software engineering with elements of electronics engineering – specifically research and development for medical devices.

What behaviours or processes do work well for you in the workplace?

Reminders to take breaks and go for lunch are helpful as I can get distracted with hyperfocus, and my medication can reduce appetite and make eating easy to forget.

My manager schedules regular 1-2-1s, which is helpful as without these check-ins I can start spiralling into self-doubt.

When people schedule meetings with me, they share what the meeting is about and include an agenda which is helpful for me in terms of being prepared and knowing what to expect.

When I first joined, HR did an initial meeting with me to assess my requirements and then did follow up meetings on these without me needing to ask for them.

My manager acts as an unofficial mentor and shares what is expected in certain circumstances e.g. when a project manager asks me for updates on a project I’m working on, I assume it’s because they want me to hurry up, but my manager will explain they may be asking for updates for their own planning.

In terms of performance indicators, my manager looks at how I approach problems or how I communicate with other people instead of how much work I can get done in a set time. They also appreciate how I will try and solve a problem myself before I go to someone else for information.

In general, there is a culture of trust in my workplace, people trust you to get your work done and are understanding if you need time off or away from your desk without questioning it too much.

What behaviours or processes do not work well for you in the workplace?

Micromanagement or overbearing management is off-putting and creates stress. Alongside this, too much rigidity with timings and location can add to this stress which makes executive function worse.

Sometimes it’s difficult to manage unexpected interruptions or questions from colleagues, which can cause me to lose focus and it’s hard to get back on track.

In my previous workplace, some meetings would occur with no recording, minutes or summary. This was unhelpful, and the culture of the workplace made it difficult to ask for this.

What tasks do you excel in?

I generally prefer creative, hands-on or problem-solving tasks, or those when you can see the reward or outcome quickly.

I enjoy some monotonous tasks but it depends on the task. For my role, there are some physical building tasks that I really enjoy. Tasks where you can see results or outputs quickly bring me the most satisfaction.

People with ADHD lack dopamine regulation, so anything where the reward is mild or linked to long-term delayed gratification, it’s harder to be motivated by it.

What workplace adjustments have been made to support you? If none, do you know of any that could support you?

I work in an open plan office which can be full of distraction, therefore I am allowed to wear noise cancelling headphones (which I received through access to work) so I can reduce noise or listen to music. I am also able to block out certain times of day as uninterrupted focus time where colleagues can’t approach me.

A standing desk (received through access to work) was also installed for me and I was reassured that it was okay to have this adjustment and it was not an inconvenience.

When I started, I was given a tour of the workplace and shown the quiet spaces I can use to work away from distraction.

Every time I’m given a new task, my manager helps me to prioritise it within my existing workload and gives a rough time frame for when it needs to be completed, which helps to keep me motivated.

What do you want employers and colleagues of neurodivergent colleagues to know about your neurodiversity?

I am sometimes late or I get fatigued easily, or I can be a bit unproductive on some days, this doesn’t mean I don’t care about my work.

Because I don’t have as much energy to give as some of my colleagues, when I put more energy into my work it can make it harder to complete life tasks outside of work and vice versa. I would appreciate colleagues to recognise it can be a balance for me and it is usually out of my control.

Staying focused can look very different for a neurodivergent person. We often either need minimal stimulation or a lot of (specific types of) stimulation to keep focused. Our circadian rhythms are often different from others.