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Writer's pictureAnna Granta

Barriers to promotion for ADHDers

Updated: Nov 14

This post is an early instalment of the data from phase 1 of my research 'What barriers do ADHDers face to promotion, and what factors mitigate them?'. Here I list the barriers identified in phase 1. The purpose is to help ADHDers and the organisations that employ them to understand where reasonable adjustments are likely to be required. This list is by no means exhaustive of the barriers an ADHDer could face. However everything on this list has been validated during my research, either coming from literature review, survey responses or from interviews.


I have grouped the barriers to facilitate discussion - the groups can be expanded or collapsed via the arrows. Some barriers appear in more than one group.


The second stage of this research involved exploring ways to reduce or remove these barriers. If you would like to participate in the focus group please register for a ticket (free) at https://www.grantacoaching.com/event-details/overcoming-barriers-to-adhd-promotions-research-focus-group


Executive Function Barriers

Time

  • Problems with getting work done efficiently

  • Problems with attendance

  • Being late

  • Procrastination

  • Increased risk of burnout

  • Expectation to collect evidence consistently over a long period of time

  • Lack of flexibility about when promotions are applied for (perhaps because opportunities are only available when someone leaves)

  • Requirements to stay motivated for the promotion over a long time period, e.g. because opportunities to gain evidence/experience required are infrequent.

  • Inflexible time frames around interview tasks

  • Lack of time to think through answers to questions in interviews

Other Executive Function Barriers

Cultural Factors

Implicit Information

Problems performing required duties

  • Problems taking on new tasks

  • Poor social skills

  • Difficulty following instructions

  • Lack of clarity in how much evidence to provide for applications

  • Lack of clarity in how to phrase evidence for promotions

  • Lack of explicit hierarchy

  • Unwritten expectations, e.g. to be visible/attend conferences

Bias

Behavioural Expectations

Internal Barriers

Past Experiences

  • Stress sensitivity

  • Difficulty responding to feedback

  • Difficulty setting boundaries

  • Being unaware of ones ADHD or co-occuring conditions (RSD, anxiety OCD etc)

  • RSD and not asking for raises successfully

  • Lack of meaningful feedback from previous promotions processes leading to a lack of motivation

  • Lack of constructive feedback where promotions are not given

  • Promotions processes where there is a lack of justice or transparency


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