Tom Wodden and Gamze Arman
Over the course of the lifespan, ADHD diagnoses continue to increase, with a particularly significant increase in diagnoses during adulthood. At the same time, we see constant inequality in working life. Employment rates for neurodivergent individuals, such as those with ADHD, remain significantly lower than for neurotypical individuals. Even at work, people with ADHD are often perceived as lower performers (regardless of their actual performance) and tend to change jobs or career more ways.
One of the reasons may be that the written and unwritten rules of working life are mainly designed with neurotypical norms in mind. As a result, “one-size-fits-all” job descriptions, performance measures, and expectations do not work for everyone. If organizations are serious about adoption neuro diversitythese rules need to be re-examined – or at least critically re-examined.
Redesigning work in ways that match individuals’ strengths has the potential to improve both employee well-being and organizational performance. An important first step in this process is to listen and understand how neurodivergent employees themselves feel in the workplace.
With this in mind, we conducted a qualitative study that explored the work experiences of individuals with ADHD in adulthood – after they had already entered working life. Our findings were recently published in a special issue on neurodiversity in this country International career development.
Being an employee with ADHD: what we’ve learned
Our analysis revealed three common themes in how participants experienced their work lives.
1. “Tiing Your Hands Behind Your Back”: Navigating the Non-Neurodivergent World of Work
Participants often described feeling constrained by rigid expectations What kind of work must be done.
As one participant explained:
“My biggest obstacle to success is the expectation that things have to be done a certain way. It prevents you from performing to the best of your abilities.”
Surprisingly, many participants used physical metaphors to describe the experience, such as “having my hands tied behind my back” or “having to work with one hand.” These metaphors vividly convey a sense of limitation and lost potential.
This topic also includes:
- Stress which arise from micro-management and excessive control
- Limited and suppressed autonomy creativity
- Concerns that requests for flexibility will be misunderstood
2. “How to show up at work”: Trying to fit in
The second theme reflects the often invisible labor of trying to “fit in” to workplace norms – both professionally and socially.
One participant described it this way:
“At work, it feels like I’m acting. My ‘work self’ is completely different from who I am outside of work.”
It emphasizes emotional and cognitive effort to match to expectations. Participants also reported:
- Masking behavior and aspects personality
- Attempting to be admitted without formalities attention or perceived as a threat
- Differences between work and non-work identities
- mental exhaustion from constant self-control
- Experience burnidentity confusion and lack of belonging
3. Double-edged sword: Diagnosis and disclosure
Receiving an ADHD diagnosis as an adult is often felt as both empowering and challenging.
As one participant reflected:
“You have to find a way of doing things that works for you, but also accept that you can’t do things like everyone else.”
While the diagnosis helped individuals better understand themselves, it also created a new challenge: whether to detect ADHD in the workplace.
Participants further described:
- Between disclosure and concealment
- Concerns about stigma—even in seemingly supported environments
- An additional problem for women, given that ADHD is still often associated with male stereotypes, such as “hyperactivity boy”
The power of an inclusive work environment
Our findings also point to that does work
When employees had relationships based on trust and support leadershipthey were able to capitalize on their strengths such as creativity, adaptability and innovative problem solving. In these contexts, neural diversity has become an asset rather than a hindrance.
Therefore, inclusive leadership is not just about location, it is about unlocking potential. It allows individuals to express themselves more fully and make differentiation a driver of innovation.
Summary: For true coverage
We live in a time when the nature of work and the rules that govern it are being actively questioned and reshaped. Conversations about neurodiversity are an important part of this change.
Designing work environments that meet diverse needs not only benefits neurodivergent individuals; helps everyone to have a more sustainable and humane working life.
Understanding how different groups experience existing systems is an important starting point. But true coverage cannot be achieved through a single formula. It requires flexibility, empathy, curiosity and a constant commitment to learning.
For occupational psychologists and organizational practitioners, it also means revisiting and revising long-held theoretical models—perhaps from a more nuanced understanding of individual differences and how we can effectively accommodate them in the workplace.
