Is your underperforming employee incompetent or is it AADD?
AADD: Adult Attention Deficit Disorder is often difficult to understand. This is especially true when it exists in one of your key employees. It can often be disguised as relationship problems with peers, mood swings, forgetfulness, lack of commitment, complacency, and even substance abuse. Now for the disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I claim to be an expert on AADD. The purpose of this article is simply to draw your attention to the fact that erratic, unusual and unacceptable behavior can sometimes be related to an often overlooked medical condition. This condition is called Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. If this article suggests any familiarity with the circumstances of any of your employees, seek a professional medical opinion.
It’s not just for kids
People have mistakenly believed that ADD was a childhood condition that often disappeared by early adulthood. That is not always the case. ADD has been shown to often persist into adulthood and can have a dramatic impact on an employee’s performance at work. It has been reported that more than 50% of children diagnosed with ADD carry the condition well into adult life.
However, ADD in adults is difficult to recognize. Sometimes when an employee struggles to start a task, stay focused, and stick with it, it’s simply considered poor performance or incompetence. The inability to pay attention for long periods of time is a common symptom of ADD. The inability to complete tasks, lack of organization, and excessive talking are also common symptoms. It’s easy to understand why this behavior is often interpreted as poor performance. However, there are often other symptoms of ADD in addition to the behaviors that can confuse us. Other symptoms include lack of self-control, poor memory, anxiety, depression, punctuality, poor attendance, and inconsistent emotional behavior.
If one of your underperforming employees has ADD and has not been recognized or treated, this employee is also likely to exhibit very low self-esteem. They may seem lazy and feel that they are not as smart as others.
Beware of assumptions
Don’t make assumptions. If you have a valued employee who suspects that he is not living up to his expectations, you might consider asking him to take a test. However, before you take that leap, you may want to consult with legal counsel.
For the individual employee, being diagnosed with ADD means finally having an explanation for many of the challenges their employee has been experiencing. However, you must be careful, because an explanation is not an excuse. An excuse can be defined as “a justification used to obtain forgiveness”. Employees still must perform and must take responsibility for their performance.
A matter of choice and treatment
The fact that an employee has been diagnosed with AADD does not mean that they are relieved of the responsibility to meet job expectations. On the contrary, now he knows the reason for the previous performance, which allows the employee the opportunity to make the right decisions regarding personal performance. They are no longer simply victims. This means that they must learn to manage their AADD through treatment, positive attitude, and choice. It will take time, patience on your part and the part of the employee and will require persistence and practice.
Medications are available to treat AADD. Additionally, behavior modification principles administered through training and counseling can be very effective.
Seek professional advice. It is important to recognize that help is available and that treatment is easily achievable. The employee should take comfort in knowing that her problems are related to a medical condition and that they are not incompetent, stupid, or lazy.
Really worth it? Why not just terminate the job?
Good question. The answer is not simple. The answer is that it depends. It depends on your company’s values, your values, integrity, your moral convictions, the employee’s values and integrity, and any number of other considerations. So if you find yourself in a situation that might make you believe you are facing a potential case of AADD, dig deep and look at your personal convictions because in the end only you can decide what is right.
