ADHD or just personal preference?

[SummerStrolls]

I work with someone who says they have ADHD.

This manifests in different ways: they won't use spreadsheets, they won't pick up the phone to make a call, they only really use instant messaging at work (often very bluntly), won't veer from the set tasks they have for the day/take any last minute requests and they won't do anything that isn't in their job description.

There are five of us in the team, but we all have to adhere to this individual's way of working, which doesn't seem fair.

I get the feeling our manager is scared of upsetting them in case they complain to HR.

AIBU to question how much of this is actually ADHD and how much is just their personal preference?

Did they make all of this clear at recruitment stage?

They were at the company before I joined, and I'm not their manager, but no I don't think so.

you may find it's to do with reasonable adjustments by your employer eta; for your co-worker.

I'd not read about these before. Interesting..

As pp say it’s very likely to be reasonable adjustments.

Having said that it can be very difficult to separate out reasonable adjustments for ADHD/Nurodiversity from personal preference. It’s about defining what is the barrier a person faces and how to remove or reduce it.

My brother has inattentive and hyperactive ADHD and is an accountant. I know it manifests differently for everyone but not using spreadsheets at all?

The reasonable part of the adjustments has to come into play though. Sometimes not using things like spreadsheets and a phone just aren’t an option at work.

I really struggle making phone calls but there are times as hard as it is I have to do it as part of my job. If there is an alternative I will always use it but sometimes there isn’t.

Thank you. This is the challenge I'm facing in trying not to get frustrated. We all have our preferred ways of working, but have to adhere to this individual's, when they're part of a team.

Apparently so. They prefer to use Trello, which comes at a cost and no one else in the team likes using.

I don’t think it essentially matters which it is. If their refusal to do particular tasks or work with particular systems is placing undue pressure on the rest of the team then that’s what you raise with your manager. Regardless if they’ve agreed reasonable judgements or don’t want to challenge, they have a duty to the welfare of the rest of the team to mitigate the pressure caused by e.g. bringing in additional resource or accepting that the rest of the team don’t have the capacity to support additional tasks created by the colleague’s adjustments or choice of systems, and project manage differently and to different timelines.

I hear you. I don't like driving hire cars or organising large groups of people, but they're both a part of my job.

How does their way of working affect you and the rest of the team?

Thanks for this, and I completely agree but get the feeling our manager is scared of this person and doesn't want to upset them.

I think you need to clarify with your manager what the reasonable adjustments might be so that you can be more assertive over things which aren't part of that.

I have adhd, and I bloody love spreadsheets!😂I don't really recognise any of the things that you describe to be honest, but each person with adhd is different and will have different ways of managing it.

Employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments. But reasonable adjustments do have to be, well, reasonable. They should not get in the way of doing the job to an acceptable standard, nor should they put unreasonable pressure on other employees.

People don't all have to be treated as being exactly the same. People do need to be treated equitably, and sometimes that means doing something a little differently for some individuals in order to make things fair for everyone.

It isn't clear from your posts as to whether your employer's reasonable adjustments for your colleague are actually causing you any difficulties or whether you are just feeling resentful about the perception that they are getting "special" treatment. However, if there are things that are making your own job more difficult, by all means, have a chat with your line manager about how these can be appropriately managed while ensuring an inclusive work environment for everyone.

Are they able to do the job they’re employed for, with these adjustments?

You are probably aware that you can import/export from Trullo to CSV/Excel (if that's preferred by rest of the team) and vice versa @SummerStrolls

They don’t have to: they can accommodate one colleague’s needs or preferences, whilst ensuring the rest of the team is supported properly and that resourcing is sufficient to fill in any gaps. But colleagues need to speak up and ensure the manager is aware of the impact of the adjustments on capacity, and where the gaps are.

Here are the diagnostic criteria for ADHD

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t3/

Exactly. It isn't a zero sum game where adjustments for one employee necessarily have to impact negatively on other colleagues. It is the manager's job to support all members of the team effectively.

For those asking how it affects me/the rest of the team:

This person refuses to take on any last minute requests that come in from other areas of the business, even if they're in their area of expertise. They need to be done, so it's me or my colleagues that have to do them. Often not as well/confidently as the person with ADHD.

They don't like having calls to talk things through - which is my personal preference - and would rather email/Teams/communicate via Trello cards.

They won't share documents/reports they work on, stating 'It's on the shared drive' so requests for information in their area take longer than they should.

They're not at all flexible with their working days, so it's often me or my colleagues who cover for events outside of usual hours.

Just a few examples.

Surely most people these days don’t like making phone calls? But if part of the job they need support to do so? We had actors come in to train us in doing appraisals as we needed it - perhaps some job skills like this will also need training

Exactly. And I suppose this is where my frustration lies - with our 'manager'.

Technically yes, but I would say they do the bare minumum.

ADHD might not be the only neurodivergence/disability they have. They aren't obliged to tell all their coworkers everything they have.