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ADHD Chatter Podcast

How To Ask For ADHD Accommodations At Work - Jodie Hill

Jodie Hill is a neurodivergent solicitor, ED&I consultant, coach and trainer, author, and campaigner. She's passionate about people, creating psychologically safe workplaces, and enabling everyone to be their best and truest selves.

Alex PartridgehostJodie Hillguest

Oct 23, 202346mWatch on YouTube

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Chapter summaries

Jodie Hill’s ADHD diagnosis during lockdown and prior mental health treatment
Alex asks Jodie when she was diagnosed and what prompted her to seek an assessment. Jodie describes how lockdown reduced external stimulation while her mind stayed “a million miles an hour,” and how that felt distinct from her earlier anxiety/PTSD experiences.
- •Diagnosis occurred during the first lockdown period, around August 2020
- •Lockdowns removed usual movement and activities, revealing an intense mismatch between body and mind
- •Jodie had previously been treated for anxiety, insomnia, and PTSD and felt this experience was different
- •Long waits pushed her toward a private assessment, which she was able to do on Zoom
- •She was diagnosed with combined presentation (inattentive and hyperactive)
Relief after diagnosis and finding medication that worked
Jodie explains her emotional response to being diagnosed, including feeling relieved rather than shocked. She also describes a largely positive medication titration experience, while noting the costs of going private.
- •She wasn’t fully surprised, having been told before she might have ADHD
- •The diagnosis brought relief by answering “what is it?”
- •She had seen friends struggle with diagnosis emotionally, but her experience felt positive
- •She found a medication that worked for her relatively quickly
- •She emphasizes the private route provided support but was expensive
What medication changed—and what it didn’t
Alex asks whether medication helped with anxiety and other challenges. Jodie describes gradual dose increases, the subtlety of noticing effects compared with anxiety medication, and the reality that benefits can vary day to day.
- •Early on she wondered whether she was “supposed to feel anything,” and kept a diary during titration
- •She contrasts ADHD medication with anxiety medication, which previously made her feel emotionally numb at times
- •Medication alleviated many symptoms but not consistently; she estimates partial relief rather than a total fix
- •She notices differences when she misses medication, including exhaustion and slower decision-making
- •She describes the effects as nuanced, not a simple on/off switch for forgetting or functioning
Medication shortage stress and fear of losing hard-won stability
Alex raises the ADHD medication shortage and Jodie shares how it has affected her. She describes the difficulty of finding her dosage, the overwhelm of uncertainty, and the fear of returning to her pre-medication baseline.
- •She takes a high dose, making supply issues harder to work around
- •The prospect of running out created significant weekend overwhelm
- •Uncertainty felt especially stressful because titration took months to reach an effective point
- •She describes fear of “going back to how it was before” after reaching a high-functioning place
- •She shares relief at finding a lower dose on the day of recording
Early signs, masking, and a mental breakdown shaped by an unsupportive environment
Jodie reflects on childhood and early life through a post-diagnosis lens, describing masking and not fully being herself. She then explains a past mental breakdown, linking it in hindsight to burnout alongside anxiety/PTSD, and how an unsupportive environment contributed.
- •She recognizes ADHD signs earlier in life but says she masked heavily
- •She describes a mental breakdown a few years earlier as potentially linked to ADHD burnout in hindsight
- •At the time it was treated as anxiety and PTSD rather than ADHD
- •She explains how an unsupportive environment and multiple life issues escalated symptoms
- •She describes leaving a solicitor job she had worked toward for years after the breakdown
What a “mental breakdown” looked like: panic attacks, isolation, and decision paralysis
Alex asks what a mental breakdown looked like for her, and Jodie gives a detailed picture. She describes panic attacks, insomnia, catastrophizing, and withdrawing from social life and self-care habits, plus perfectionism and workaholism as possible contributors.
- •Symptoms included panic attacks, severe sleep disruption, and intense overthinking/catastrophizing
- •She became socially withdrawn and stopped activities that helped (self-care and exercise)
- •She didn’t notice the behavior changes at first because she’s usually outgoing
- •Easy decisions became “completely impossible,” creating a sense of being unable to cope
- •She links her perfectionism/workaholism tendencies to ADHD as a potential contributing factor
Insecurity, rejection sensitivity, and the ADHD–anxiety overlap
The conversation turns to what drives her work intensity and how rejection sensitivity shows up. Jodie describes earlier insecurity, a painful academic outcome that felt like rejection, and how she later learned rejection sensitivity can be linked with ADHD.
- •She describes being driven by insecurity earlier, and later by purpose and helping others
- •She recalls feeling like she was failing even when she wasn’t, and the impact of unexpected grades
- •She highlights not having a “plan B” and how rejection hit hard
- •She only realized within the last year that rejection sensitivity could be linked to ADHD
- •She notes the challenge of untangling ADHD from anxiety when both are present
Overwhelm in real life: social battery depletion and building reflection habits
Alex asks how she deals with overwhelm, and Jodie answers candidly that it’s still hard. She shares a recent example of leaving an event early and crying, and explains how journaling helps her notice emotions and practice gratitude.
- •She describes overwhelm building after a demanding week and a low social battery at an event
- •She left early, cried in a taxi, and felt she had “nothing to give”
- •She connects overwhelm to overcompensating and saying yes to too much
- •She created a journal to help reflect on physical and emotional state
- •Regular reflection and gratitude can shift focus toward positives when many demands arrive at once
How to ask for ADHD accommodations: no diagnosis required and come with suggestions
Alex asks how to approach an employer about reasonable adjustments, and Jodie explains the core principles. She emphasizes that a diagnosis isn’t legally required for workplace support, and encourages employees to describe impacts and propose workable adjustments.
- •She states you don’t need a formal diagnosis to get support at work
- •She frames the need as showing a mental impairment with substantial impact on work or day-to-day activities
- •She suggests describing specific difficulties (sleep, punctuality, tasks) and what would alleviate them
- •Examples include flexible start/finish times for time blindness and working from home for focused tasks
- •She encourages starting the conversation and bringing ideas because employers may want to help but not know how
Support options and early-stage adjustments: recruitment, DWP help, and practical tools
Jodie expands on ways to get support, including external routes and adjustments during interviews. She explains employers can ask what adjustments are needed for an interview, and she discusses tools and supports like coaching and tech training.
- •She mentions contacting DWP for a free process to obtain certain adjustments and support
- •She shares examples like ADHD coaching, iOS training, and noise-canceling headphones
- •She explains adjustments can begin at recruitment, such as requesting questions in advance
- •She notes employers can’t ask if you have a disability, but can ask if you need interview adjustments
- •She argues interview-stage responsiveness signals company culture and whether it’s a good fit
What counts as ‘reasonable’: tribunal factors and an example of an unreasonable request
Alex asks what might be unreasonable, and Jodie explains that ‘reasonableness’ is a major legal battleground. She outlines how tribunals weigh impact, whether the adjustment would alleviate disadvantage, and business factors like cost—while noting cost can’t be the sole reason.
- •She says tribunals look at impact on the individual and whether the adjustment would reduce disadvantage
- •They also consider business impact and cost, but cost alone isn’t sufficient to refuse
- •She gives an example: a full-time personal assistant is likely not reasonable
- •She suggests alternatives like redistributing parts of a role or body doubling
- •She underscores that reasonableness is context-specific and often litigated
If your employer says no: grievances, evidence, and tribunal routes
Jodie explains what to do if requests are refused, focusing on creating a paper trail. She describes raising a grievance, keeping a diary as contemporaneous evidence, and options for escalation including ACAS and tribunal claims while still employed.
- •She recommends raising a grievance to document what was asked for and the refusal
- •She explains a grievance can add protection if negative consequences follow (victimization)
- •She advises keeping a diary of conversations, dates, and what was said because details are easy to forget
- •She notes occupational health and medical documentation can support adjustment requests
- •She explains you can bring a tribunal claim while still employed and describes ACAS early conciliation and possible remedies like injury to feelings and recommendations
Medication shortage at work: disclosure, stigma, and employer-led support signals
Alex asks whether people should raise medication shortages with employers, and Jodie discusses the workplace impact. She highlights anxiety, distraction, and time spent trying to source medication, and argues employers should proactively invite requests for support without forcing disclosure.
- •She describes medication uncertainty increasing anxiety and reducing concentration
- •She notes time costs like ringing multiple pharmacies and trying to source the right dosage
- •She points out symptoms may return strongly if people ration or run out of medication
- •She emphasizes stigma: many people don’t disclose medication use due to shame or misunderstanding
- •She recommends employers communicate broadly about shortages and invite people to seek support without requiring them to reveal medication details
RSD and workplace culture: finding safe environments, leadership role-modeling, and bullying response
The discussion turns to rejection sensitivity at work and the fear of criticism, then broadens to culture change. Jodie emphasizes finding workplaces aligned with one’s values, the power of leaders sharing their experiences, and how to respond if bullying occurs after disclosure.
- •She stresses the importance of workplace culture where people can have honest conversations
- •She describes creating her own firm partly to work in a setting that values mental health and neurodiversity
- •She argues leaders sharing diagnosis, medication experiences, and adjustments can reduce stigma and normalize support
- •For bullying after disclosure, she recommends addressing it informally first and using a similar grievance-based approach if needed
- •She explains ADHD is likely to qualify as a disability in many cases, though it’s assessed individually
Building neuro-inclusive companies: manager training, policies, communication norms, and the ‘License to Thrive’
Alex asks what companies can do to be neuro-inclusive, and Jodie outlines practical organizational steps. They also discuss meeting design, communication expectations, normalizing tools like fidgets and movement, and a structured onboarding document used at her firm.
- •She emphasizes manager training on reasonable adjustment conversations and broader neuro-inclusive language
- •She highlights that discrimination doesn’t require intent; ignorance can still cause harm
- •She suggests reviewing policies for accessibility and ensuring people know how to access support
- •They discuss meeting practices like sharing information in advance, allowing time to think, and leaders speaking later to reduce bias
- •She describes her firm’s ‘License to Thrive’ document to set expectations about working styles, communication, and boundaries, plus normalizing movement, standing desks, fidgets, and walking meetings
Neuro-inclusion in courtrooms and training for handling overwhelm during evidence
Alex shares his experience of a panic attack while giving evidence and asks about neuro-inclusion in courtroom settings. Jodie describes how legal teams can request adjustments, how judges can be informed in advance, and the need for staff training to handle mental health crises.
- •She describes asking witnesses in advance what adjustments they might need before giving evidence
- •She suggests informing the judge about breaks or plans to pause if overwhelm appears
- •She notes tribunals often ask about needed adjustments, but issues can still arise unexpectedly
- •She advocates training for court staff, such as mental health first aid or crisis-focused training
- •She acknowledges the pressure of giving evidence and how ADHD/anxiety can make it harder to absorb information and cope under scrutiny
‘ADHD is a trend’ and ‘superpower’ debates, plus recognizing anxiety at work and self-acceptance
Jodie reacts to claims that ADHD is a trend and to casual comments like “I’ve got a bit of ADHD,” emphasizing they can invalidate real impairment. The conversation then covers manager training to recognize anxiety, signs of struggle in behavior changes, the ‘too much’ label, and ends with reflective and lighter questions about impulsivity and day-to-day ADHD life.
- •She expresses frustration about ADHD being dismissed as a trend or minimized through casual self-labeling
- •She argues increased awareness must be paired with education about real impact and darker moments
- •She supports training managers to recognize anxiety and create psychologically safe workplaces, including mental health first aid and open check-ins
- •She describes signs of anxiety as changes in communication and behavior (withdrawal, camera use, controlling work, reluctance to delegate)
- •She discusses reclaiming the ‘too much’ label through self-acceptance, then shares personal reflections (be kinder to herself), impulsive tattoos/travel, strategies for forgotten laundry (cleaner and reminders), and her mixed view on calling ADHD a superpower

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