Working with ADHD: Accommodation in the Workplace

You may have heard about accommodations for students with ADHD; did you know there are accommodations for adults in the workplace as well? Yes, there are! An adult with ADHD must be able to advocate for themselves in the workplace and ask for accommodations if necessary, to help them be their most productive at work.

If you are an adult whose ADHD is interfering with your work functioning, here are some examples of accommodations that may help you better deal with distractions, procrastination, and the need to move.

1. Ask your boss to allow you to address difficult tasks when you are at your most alert. Some of us are morning people, some people find their groove in the afternoon. Find the time when you feel you focus the best and tackle those projects then, you will find it easier to stay on task and feel accomplished afterward.

2. Do the 30/10 split to get the less interesting work done. People with ADHD can focus an endless amount of time on items that interest us but have difficulty completing tasks we find boring. In the 30/10 split, you focus on the task for 30-minutes and then give yourself a 10-minute movement break. Get up and refill your water bottle, use the washroom, or just take a lap around the office to release that pent up energy. Do NOT look at your phone during break time, that can lead to the rabbit hole of scrolling that is hard to stop.

3. Ask your boss if you can have a flexible schedule: start work a bit earlier when the office is empty or start later and stay after hours when things are a bit quieter. If you know what time of day works best for you, bring that forward to your boss and ask if they are open to have that flexibility in your schedule.

These are just a few of the accommodations that can help you to be your best at work. If you would like to learn some more strategies to help you excel in the workplace, contact PathWell to set up a free introductory call to learn more about our ADHD Assessment and Coaching services and how we can help.

You can reach us via email at [email protected], phone (647) 241-5438, or visit us at www.pathwell.ca.

Written by Michelle Witte who is a Registered Psychotherapist (RP,Q) and ADHD Coach at PathWell. She uses Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (CBT) to help people struggling with ADHD, Anxiety and Depression to better manage their symptoms and flourish in their daily lives.