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ADHD May Already Be in Your Team, Whether You Know It or Not.

Natasha
Oct 1
5 min read

Updated: Oct 1


October is ADHD Awareness Month, and I want to use it to help organisations feel more confident talking openly about ADHD, and to share practical ways to support and protect the people who live with it.

ADHD is still widely misunderstood. Many people still see it as a childhood behaviour issue or a lack of discipline, when it is a complex neurological condition affecting executive function, attention regulation and impulse control throughout life. In the UK, around 2.6 million people are estimated to live with ADHD, which is still not an accurate figure due to the number of people who have not officially had a diagnosis. That means ADHD is almost certainly already present in your team, whether anyone has said so or not.


Why managers need to pay attention now

This is a fast-moving area. The number of UK Employment Tribunal decisions citing ADHD has risen from just 6 in the first half of 2020 to 51 in the first half of 2025, an 8.5-fold increase. I don't share that increase to frighten anyone. I share it because it shows how quickly expectations are shifting, and how much good support protects both the employee and the organisation.



Four things that often surprise managers

A diagnosis isn't required. According to Acas, a worker does not need a diagnosis to be considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010, and employers should offer support, including reasonable adjustments, whether or not a diagnosis is in place. With many adults waiting a long time for assessment, this matters enormously.

"Ought to know" counts. The duty to make reasonable adjustments applies where an employer knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that someone is disabled and likely to be at a substantial disadvantage. Noticing a pattern and asking a supportive question is part of the job.

It's never too late to disclose. Acas guidance is clear that support should be offered even if an employee only discloses their neurodivergence after a formal procedure has started. In one recent case, a supermarket worker who was unfairly dismissed succeeded in his claim that his employer failed to make reasonable adjustments for his ADHD during disciplinary proceedings. The law also requires adjustments where someone's absence or sickness record is linked to their disability.


There is funding available. Access to Work is a UK government scheme that can help. For people with ADHD, support might include ADHD coaching, virtual assistants, equipment such as sit/stand desks and noise-cancelling headphones, and software for voice-to-text, calendars and task management. Many managers have never heard of it.


You won't always see it

Many people assume they would recognise ADHD if someone in their team had it. In most cases they wouldn't, and they aren't expected to. The picture most of us carry is of a child who can't sit still, but the NHS explains that ADHD often looks very different in adults, with hyperactivity tending to decrease with age. Around 2 to 3 in 10 people with ADHD have no hyperactivity at all. Women are also more likely to be diagnosed late, partly because their symptoms are often less visible. What a manager may notice instead is someone finding certain parts of work harder than others, such as frequent interruptions, busy open-plan spaces or shifting priorities. The positive side is that these are often the easiest things to adjust. And many people learn to hide their difficulties at work altogether.

This is why ADHD is relevant to every manager, not only those who know someone in their team has it. The aim isn't to spot or label anyone. It's to notice when someone seems to be struggling, ask a supportive question, and make support easy to access, whether or not anyone chooses to share a diagnosis.



The hidden cost of not speaking up

Tribunal figures only show the cases that reach a formal dispute. Many more people never say anything at all. CIPD research found that around three in 10 neurodivergent employees haven't told their line manager or HR, and only about half feel their organisation has an open and supportive climate for talking about neurodiversity. Managers feel the effect too: in an Acas survey, 7 out of 10 line managers said employees not disclosing their needs had been a barrier to putting adjustments in place.

Often, the reason is masking. Acas notes that neurodivergent employees may hide their condition at work to fit in, which can lead to mental health problems, exhaustion and isolation. When people feel safe to be honest, they stop spending energy hiding and start spending it on their work.



Small changes, big difference

Adjustments are often simple. Examples include providing a quiet area to reduce distractions, allowing more regular home working, and offering more frequent breaks with short milestones to work towards through the day. Clear written follow-ups after meetings and agreed priorities can also help. Acas goes a step further, recommending support that is available to all employees, so neurodivergent staff can access it without having to share their diagnosis. Good neuroinclusion tends to be good management for everyone.


Celebrating ADHD strengths

This month is also about celebration, and the research here is fascinating. A 2016 study of entrepreneurs with ADHD found that impulsivity was closely linked to their decision to start a business, many credited hyperfocus with helping them carry heavy workloads, and hyperactivity was linked to high energy. Inattention made routine tasks such as accounting harder, but most had found ways to delegate them. It was a small study of 14 people, and the authors were open that it was only a first step, noting that thousands of academic papers had documented the negatives of ADHD while very few had examined any positives.

For managers, the lesson is practical: people with ADHD often thrive when the role plays to their strengths and the draining tasks are shared or supported. That's not special treatment. It's smart team design.


One action for this October

Ask your team a simple question "What helps you do your best work?" Then listen, and act on what you hear. Awareness is a starting point; open conversations and practical support are what make the difference.



Natasha Rhone BSc (Hons), MSc

Founder | Organisational Psychology Consultant

With a passion for understanding what shapes people’s experiences at work.

Her work focuses on the influences that affect employee engagement, experience and wellbeing, and on helping organisations create working environments where people can do their best work without compromising their health and wellbeing.

For Natasha, workplace wellbeing is not simply about what individuals can do to look after themselves. It is also about the organisation, the culture, the systems and the everyday experiences that shape how people feel and function at work.





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