When work context limits opportunities for career sustainability: insights from people diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood

Purpose The studies into attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the workplace are limited and an improved understanding of the factors, which may enhance the career sustainability of adults with ADHD can contribute to their health, happiness and productivity. Thus, we aimed to examine the perceptions of this group of neurodivergent employees, with the aim of describing how they experience organizational work contexts and developing suggestions for improving their work experience. Design/methodology/approach We conducted ten semi-structured interviews with participants who were diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, each of whom had more than five years of employment, and analyzed interviews using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings Three themes summarizing the workplace experiences of ADHDers were developed: (1) “Taped up with your arms behind your back” – The “non-neuro spicy world of work”; (2) “How to show up at work” – “Finding a way to pass”; (3) A double-edged sword – diagnosis and the disclosure dilemma. These themes describe experiences of restriction and constraint in the workplace, their impact on psychological wellbeing and participants’ autonomy and performance in the workplace. Originality/value The study contributes to gaps in the career sustainability literature, specifically by exploring the workplace experiences of adults with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD and discussing their implications for sustainable careers.