Ep. 152: Why You Should Hire People with ADHD

We’re probably familiar with most of the reasons an employer might be afraid to hire someone with ADHD. Some of the more common concerns include questions like: Will they ever finish projects? Won’t they waste a lot of time being distracted? Will they disrupt people on the team and destroy productivity and morale? But despite all the attention that gets paid to negative ADHD traits, the fact of the matter is that hiring people with ADHD can be precisely what you need! The key is to know what situations work best and how to ask the right questions. Of course everyone is different. People who have ADHD vary widely in terms of how ADHD affects them, how they manage it, and how they work. But here are a few key reasons why you should hire people who have ADHD. Reason 1: You Need People Who Think Differently Neurodivergent individuals think in ways that are truly unique. They bring advantages like out-of-the-box thinking and unique perspectives which can strengthen the success of projects and tasks. Research shows that companies with more diverse workplaces have higher revenue & profits and appeal to more buyers. A 2017 article published in the Harvard Business Review entitled Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage discussed specific ways that neurodiverse individuals outperform other (“neurotypical”) people in certain situations. Reason 2: You Need Creative Problem Solvers People with ADHD are often brilliant and creative Thanks to divergent thinking and the tendency to notice things other people might miss (distractibility!), studies (such as Creativity in ADHD: Goal-Directed Motivation and Domain Specificity) have shown that people with ADHD produce more original ideas than others! Reason 3: You Have a “Fast-Paced Environment” Many people with ADHD thrive when other people panic. If you’re in a stressful business situation, encounter a crisis, or need people who can focus in chaos, you might just need people who have ADHD Reason 4: You Need People with a Higher Energy Level When properly stimulated and interested, the right person with ADHD can be more far more energetic than others. Just keep in mind you may need to factor in times for them to recover! Reason 5: People with ADHD Can Compartmentalize Those of us with ADHD are used to bombs going off in our lives. We’ve often learned how to set difficulties aside so that we can be effective at what’s in front of us! Introducing: The Squirrel of the Week! In the debut of this brand-new feature segment, Dana shares one of her biggest frustrations with calendaring apps… and David proposes a possible solution!