Teenage son’s job

[sandgrown]

19 year old DS has been referred for ADHD assessment. He has had part time jobs since age 14 despite struggling with executive functioning. Last job he worked for a pub company for two years up to lockdown. Adult daughter’s friend is a pub manager and interviewed DS, his cousin and a friend and they all got jobs. Manager was told DS needs direct instructions and he will work well. All contact is by Facebook/e mail which he struggles to remember to check so manager agreed to text him if it was urgent . Fast forward and he missed a shift due to message on Facebook and has been 5 mins late a couple of times. Manager has had a meeting with him and wants to contact GP for medical evidence which he is happy to do. Despite him having good availability he is getting one shift a week while the others get about 4 . His training for the bar has not materialised despite asking . Another staff member criticised staff shortages on social media and she said she was desperately trying to recruit ??? I think she wants to get rid of DS but doesn’t want to upset my DD by sacking him and is hoping he will just leave . He is great with the customers by the way .

This may possibly be in breach of the Equality Act 2010 as he is being given less preferable treatment due to a disability (whether diagnosed or not doesn't matter). If he is dismissed he could possibly have a case for unfair dismissal even though he has been in his job for less than 2 years as protection from discrimination starts on day 1 of employment.
But ultimately your DS will just want shifts and not a legal battle.
I also have DC with ADHD

@smackeroonies thank you for your response. That’s useful information. Is your son or daughter working? How have they got along ? My son will work hard he just needs clear direction.

My son is still at school so we're not at that stage yet... I also have (undiagnosed) ADHD and have struggled all my life with drifting attention, job hopping, not being able to cope with multitasking etc. A diagnosis is a wonderful thing - a tool to guide oneself and to flag needs (which are often quite simple really) to others.

@smackeroonies . No one , including me , really noticed anything until my son was at college. I feel guilty when I think of the help he could have had at school. While I don’t want him to be labelled if he is diagnosed he can tell future employers etc and make sure strategies are in place to help him.

I am mid 40s - a diagnosis would have changed my life. I now realise I have poor executive function skills as well as being very inattentive. I only know this due to reading about my son's condition. I am unable to get a formal diagnosis on the NHS due to being fobbed off (and female) so am in limbo. Now looking at booking a private dx so I can attempt to gain, and keep, employment.
ADHD isn't a label it's a medical diagnosis. The labels you can avoid, with a diagnosis, are "lazy" "feckless" "airhead" "stupid" "disorganised" etc.

He needs support setting up structures that enable him to work efficiently. Can he set an alarm on his phone twice a day - say dinner time and first thing in the morning, to remind him to check FB for shifts?

DS2 and I both have ADD and we can be the most efficient members of the family once we have structures in place. We just can't create our own structures in an unstructured environment, if that makes sense. We must have routines.

Separate issue maybe, your son being late. Regardless of any disability, he needs to be on time for his shift and this could be contributing to him not being given shifts.