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I want to support my colleague who just shared that they have ADHD. Would it be okay to share this information with our supervisor?

Elaine Varelas advises on how to best support a colleague with ADHD, without violating their privacy.

Ask the Job Doc. Boston.com

March 8, 2024

2 minutes to read

Q. A colleague on my team shared that they have ADHD. I was going to tell my supervisor just so they would know and might be able to support my colleague to a greater degree. Is it okay to do so?

A. Most colleagues know significant personal information about other colleagues – much of it that they would prefer is not shared with management. By knowing information like this about your colleague, you might think it would be useful to speak to your manager and inform them of your colleague’s ADHD diagnosis. However, this isn’t your story to tell or your information to share. If you believe that the manager could be more supportive of your colleague by having access to this information, you should discuss this with your colleague and suggest or ask them if they’ve thought about sharing this information with your manager.

You might encourage your colleague to first have a conversation with Human Resources about any other support that might be available to them. A company may be able to provide reasonable accommodations that might be beneficial or provide training that the manager and your team could all benefit from. Your colleague may even be able to share preferences with your manager on how to best manage them or work with them to identify strategies that will help them succeed, knowing that they have ADHD. Some managers are knowledgeable about how to work with individuals who have ADHD, but other managers may not have any knowledge of the disorder. Managers need to develop an understanding of any personal challenges employees face and are willing to discuss them. HR can help educate managers, and they need to commit to that education in the role of manager.

Leaders should work to create an inclusive, understanding, and supportive environment for employees with ADHD. Managers might provide flexibility in work arrangements, have regular check-in meetings with the employee, offer flexibility with deadlines, offer access to task management tools, educate the entire team about ADHD, etc. Included below are some resources that can provide more guidance and information about ADHD in the workplace.

A reason for not sharing this information with anyone else is that your colleague may think they have ADHD, but they haven’t yet received a diagnosis from a clinician. They may or not be on any medication. So, this information may not be accurate. Think about why your colleague shared this information with you. Was it to enlist your support? Was it used as an excuse for missing a deadline or was it something that they were saying in jest for not being able to focus?

In any situation like this where you’re the keeper of private and sensitive information, evaluate your motivations for sharing information and always return to the source. Anytime you share sensitive information, and this is in the bucket of sensitive information, there can be risks attached to it. It’s important that you respect your colleague’s privacy by not disclosing their ADHD diagnosis.

For further information:
Managing Employees With ADHD And Helping Them Succeed (add.org)
Understanding the Impact of Employees with ADHD in the Workplace (shrm.org)
ADHD in the Workplace | Psychology Today