Do you need an ADHD diagnosis to get support at work?

When one is navigating a new neurodivergence diagnosis, it can be an unsettling time. This article is here to provide some guidance.

When you’ve a diagnosis

Under the Equality Act 2010 in the UK, your employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments if you're placed at a substantial disadvantage because of your disability compared with non-disabled people or people who don't share your disability.?

Whether we agree or not, ADHD, autism, and other neurodevelopment conditions are classed as disabilities by many governments around the world. How you’re disabled by it is different for everyone as neurodivergence occurs on a spectrum.

If you’re in paid employment, self employment, or run your own business in England, Scotland, and Wales, Access to Work can fund some of the costs for support workers, awareness training, and more.?

If you’re in full time employment, your employer may have to pay for the support upfront, contribute 20% towards the cost and get reimbursed for the rest. However, Access to Work does not pay for the reasonable adjustments made for the employee, as this their employer should cover this. Here’s more information on the grant.

Worry about the stigma against neurodivergence

However, the way most workplace HR policies are set up means that people do need to disclose their diagnosis if they want to receive support.

However, the reality is that many will continue to mask their neurodivergence while trying to work out if their disclosure would work in their favour or not before having that dreaded conversation with their manager.?

This means that the worry about the stigma against ADHD, autism, Tourette’s or dyslexia, and the risk of people projecting their ignorance on you?can become a barrier for neurodivergents to receive adequate support to help them at work.?

When you don’t have a diagnosis

Isn’t it ironic that the system is set up so that those who are self-employed?or run their own business CAN apply to the Access to Work grant and get support WITHOUT a diagnosis, but those who are employed in full time jobs NEED a diagnosis before they can dream of asking for adjustments at work?

So the HR, hiring and People team within companies who are sitting on these workplace policies?is adding another layer of BARRIER to support because:

• of the bottleneck in NHS diagnostic services
• not everyone wants to declare their diagnosis even when they have it due to the stigma?
• not everyone wants to be singled out as different
• not everyone needs much to begin with

The neurodivergents who are self diagnosed continue to go to work with the newfound awareness of their differences, MINUS the support.?

What tends to happen is that identifying with the struggles can cause one to?“unravel”, and the coping strategies that they used previously starts to fall apart. Without the access to support, how are they expected to go on as business as usual?

Imagine identifying with having brain differences which impact 30-40% of the population later in life, only to find that there is no support??

Where does one go??

Companies need to act quickly to retain talents

Companies need to act quickly to retain their neurodivergent talents, not just in middle management or people who execute the work. There are many neurodivergents in senior roles too, even if they are hidden in senior ranks.?

So if you're an ND leader and has an opportunity to make a change, perhaps now is the time to speak up?

A neurodiversity awareness training is a great place to start to help neurodivergents feel safe and understood, and others to get immersed in our world.

We also have an ADHD Workplace Adjustments & Wellbeing eLearning programme, which helps ADHDers better understand themselves, manage their ADHD, learn how to be successful in the workplace, how to communicate to get the support we need. The programme includes an ADHD Owner's Manual workbook, a PDF of 100 workplace adjustments that make a real differences to ADHDers, and four virtual support sessions in November & December.?

About the author:

Dr Samantha Hiew is the Director of?ADHD Girls, a company with a dual mission to empower girls and women with ADHD to thrive in society and demystifying neurodiversity via an intersectional lens.

Sam regularly trains companies on neurodiversity, and has turned some of her trainings on neurodiversity and ADHD into eLearning video courses on a new?knowledge and support platform.

Sam’s currently running the?Utopia campaign?to uncover hidden stories of neurodivergence alongside Qbtech. Her work has been recognised with double nominations in the “Stereotype Buster” and Community Choice” categories at the 2022 Celebrating Neurodiversity Awards.