Disclosing Neurodivergence
Navigating if, how, and when to discuss with colleagues, leaders, and HR
If you’ve been diagnosed with something under the umbrella of neurodiversity, you may be navigating how and when to share this with co-workers. Disclosing any diagnosis at work is personal, and there are a number of considerations that may influence your plans to share.
Sharing a medical diagnosis is usually really personal. Colleagues rarely (never?) come back from the dermatologist or gastroenterologist with colorful details of their recent visit. If you want to keep it private, that is your choice.
If you do want to discuss with someone at work, think through when, with whom, and why you might want to share.
Wait for it…
Most roles include a few rounds of interviewing before a formal offer from a new company. In addition to the company interviewing you, you are actually interviewing them. You can learn a lot about a company culture, and the hiring manager’s leadership style through these interviews, with the right questions.
There are ways to get a feel for how inclusive a team or organization is by asking about:
- Workplace flexibility (location, hours)
- Creativity and innovation
- Career pathing and advancement
- Communication styles and preferences
- Learning why other team members left
While it is a personal choice to directly disclose during the interview, you run the risk of the interviewer introducing unconscious bias. We wouldn’t want them remembering this detail more than your many other great qualities that make you a strong candidate for the role.
Once you’ve been offered the role, it’s a great time to consider if/how you’d like to share with people.
Keeping it quiet
Want to keep your news a bit more private, but interested in certain workplace accommodations? Consider reaching out to your HR representative to understand how they can support you. In many situations, even the most well-intentioned HR folks will turn to you for specifics on what you need. Be ready to advocate for what you need instead of expecting a menu of options available.
If you work for a smaller company, or somewhere that is slower to embrace diversity, be prepared to ask for what you need. They likely will not have a list of accommodations ready for you.
Identifying appropriate accommodations
This could be anything from working flexible hours to avoiding the office when distractions are at their peak, or working from home more than you come in to an office. It may include text-to-speech software or a bluetooth headset so you can pace around when you are on calls. The biggest theme we’ve noticed with late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD individuals, is even if their employer is willing to provide accommodations, the employer really don’t know where to start, so come prepared with a list of ideas. This article has some ideas on accommodations that will likely be considered reasonable.
Enlarging your ‘circle of trust’
Some accommodations that impact other team members will certainly need to be shared beyond HR, i.e., with your manager and/or your team. This level of transparency requires psychological safety and trust. If team relationships are strained, it may be harder to share what you need with the people around you.
Once you are comfortable, it will become easier to share with colleagues. This level of transparency allows you to unmask and be your authentic self. This may mean pacing around the back of a large meeting to focus better vs. feeling obligated to sit perfectly still while missing important content. It might mean the team understanding that you can’t be productive in an open floor plan office, and need to face a wall or wear noise-cancelling headphones to get things done.
Communication is key
Much of sharing more about what you need isn’t focused on disclosing a diagnosis or even discussing neurodivergence. It is simply saying, “I work better when [insert some detail about working condition]. I would prefer [a request or suggestion], so I can [identify what you will do better because of implementing said suggestion].”
For example, instead of saying “I have ADHD, and I will spend the entire day ruminating over that 4pm meeting identified only as ‘quick chat’ on my calendar, and my rejection sensitive dysphoria will manifest this uncertainty into physical pain” you could say “I want to be prepared for our upcoming call. Please let me know what you want to discuss, and if there’s anything I can have ready to present in the meeting.”
Over time, the people you trust around you will include these requests without needing to be asked. Agendas for meetings to minimize ambiguity and help everyone stay on track. Scheduling the conference room with natural light, so sensory issues don’t keep your from your best work. Shorter meetings, or frequent breaks, so attention isn’t required for lengthy uninterrupted periods.
Everyone wins
The examples mentioned above would serve many people – not just the team member making the request. This concept of universal design means that everyone wins!
Remember, you get to choose if, how, and when the topic of how your brain works is discussed, but hopefully this gives you some ideas to get started!
