"'Invisible' Disabilities at Work: How to Foster Neurodivergent Advocacy and Acceptance" [Video Replay & Podcast #443]

2 Comments: "'Invisible' Disabilities at Work: How to Foster Neurodivergent Advocacy and Acceptance" [Video Replay & Podcast #443]

1. This is an addendum to my earlier post. I’m older than most readers of this fine magazine and I’ve seen it all. I worked as an engineer for over 40 years for 6 or 8 companies, all of them for-profit corporations.

   These guys will provide a larger cubicle for a wheelchair person but any hint of a mental illness problem will land your resume in the shredder. An admission of ADD or ADHD will send the HR manager scurrying to the internet and he/she will find the major symptoms of this scourge:
   * Poor organization skills
   * Poor listening ability
   * Tardiness
   * Impulsiveness, which they will conflate as the tendency to blurt out something stupid in a customer-facing meeting

   You might get by with asking for cubicle away from the noisy break room but they will not give you a private office.

   So, you’re going to file a complaint with your state’s Fair Employment Commission? Don’t get your hopes up. I live in a Red State and those case workers were laid off, deemed as a tax wasting socialist scheme. Picture this: you’ll be sitting at the breakfast table worrying how you’re going to survive on an unemployment check of $300 per WEEK but the company you file your complaint against has lawyers who are paid $400 per HOUR. Who do you bet who is going to win?

   No law requires you to reveal to employers sensitive personal information such as marital status, the state of your finances, your sexual orientation or your health history. Gang members in handcuffs in the back of a police car do not go spilling their guts, so why would/should you? You have the same Miranda rights as any gangsta member plus you have HIPAA. Here are my personal recommendations, so take them FWIW:

   DO seek help from a mental health professional if you need help
   DO follow the treatment plan
   DO read Attitude for its heartfelt advice
   DO NOT reveal details of your mental health, especially to employers and prospective employers

   GBU and best wishes.

2. I have a schedule conflict on February 23 but I have some heartfelt comments that I must get off my chest. Telling your boss or prospective employer of your ADHD condition is a HUGE mistake. Your boss is not your friend. I spent a 40 + year career, always working at for-profit companies. These people are hard dudes and during the vetting process they are trying to ferret out any candidate who might have a penchant for blurting out something stupid at a critical customer-facing meeting. They have 0 tolerance for mistakes or missed deadlines.

   Merely asking questions about making special accommodations for ADHD will tip your hand. And, if you do manage to get hired, jealous peers will weaponize this revelation and trash your name all over the company. There is something worse than holding an explosive secret inside you: GETTING FIRED! I once had a friendly HR manager brag that he could fire or refuse to hire anyone he wanted and make it all sound legit.

   In my first job many years ago our popular boss was fired and replaced by a hard dude. Mr. Harddude called a conference with our group of 25 or 30. Each employee had to introduce him/herself. When my turn came I said, “I’m an engineer, not a salesman.” Mr. HD shot me a laser stare. Larry, the next guy, was 10 years older and so much wiser. He said, “I’m an engineer too, but even though I do not carry a quota, we must all be cognizant that we are all part of the overall sales effort and we have to be sales oriented.” Mr. HD became animated, leaped to his feet and shouted, “SALES ORIENTED! SALES ORIENTED! We must all be sales oriented! A few years ago we had some social moron say something stupid to a customer and killed a $1 million dollar sale.” A week later, about 10 people were summarily fired and I was one of them.

   I did find another job, but at 30% less pay. I had learned a hard lesson and afterward had a reasonably successful career as an engineer but I was never considered management material. And I didn’t get there by saying anything reckless or careless. Sales oriented ! Sales oriented! These stinging words still echo in my nightmares. So, please, know that ill-informed recommendations have disastrous consequences.