Performance reviews with employees who have ADHD can be particularly complex if expectations are unclear or feedback is poorly framed. Many managers want to be fair and supportive, yet still hold people accountable for their roles. This balance can feel difficult when ADHD affects attention, pace, emotional regulation or how feedback is processed. Understanding how to approach performance reviews and appraisals with ADHD in mind is essential if feedback is to lead to real change rather than overwhelm or disengagement.
This article explores how managers can give clear, lawful and constructive feedback to employees with ADHD, how to avoid setting unrealistic expectations, and how small changes to appraisal conversations can make a significant difference to performance and confidence.
Why Performance Reviews Are So High-Risk for ADHD
Performance reviews are meant to provide clarity and direction. Performance reviews with employees who have ADHD risk doing the opposite.
Not because feedback isn’t wanted, but because it is often vague, implicit, comparative, or unrealistic.
When expectations aren’t clearly defined, appraisals can trigger overwhelm, shutdown or a deep sense of rejection. This is particularly true where rejection sensitivity is present.
ADHD, Feedback and Rejection Sensitivity
Many people with ADHD experience feedback intensely. This isn’t about fragility; it’s about how the nervous system processes perceived criticism.
If feedback is:
- global (e.g., “you’re not good at…”),
- comparative (e.g., “others don’t struggle with this”), or
- unclear (e.g., “be more proactive”),
it often feels like threat rather than guidance.
Good feedback, delivered clearly, can be motivating, while poorly framed feedback can undo years of confidence-building.
The Equality Law Context (UK)
Under the Equality Act 2010, ADHD can meet the definition of a disability when it has a substantial and long-term impact on day-to-day activities.
This means employers must:
- avoid discrimination arising from disability,
- make reasonable adjustments, and
- ensure performance processes do not unfairly disadvantage disabled employees.
This does not mean lowering standards. It does mean ensuring expectations are reasonable, achievable, and clearly defined for the individual.
Managers are not expected to be legal experts, but they are expected to seek advice where disability may be relevant.
You Cannot Assess Someone Against the Impossible
A helpful way to think about this is through the lens of visible disability.
You wouldn’t expect a wheelchair user to run upstairs, then mark them down for not doing so. Instead, you would look at access, alternatives and adjustments.
ADHD is no different – except its impact is invisible.
Expecting someone with ADHD to:
- hold multiple unstructured demands in working memory,
- infer expectations that haven’t been stated,
- regulate attention without support, or
- match a pace dependent on the executive functions they struggle with,
can be just as unrealistic.
Performance reviews should never set someone up to fail.
Pace vs Performance in Appraisals
One of the most common issues arising from performance reviews with employees who have ADHD is confusing pace with performance.
Someone with ADHD may:
- deliver complex work exceptionally well,
- work ahead to clear their mind,
- struggle with interruptions or meetings, and/or
- question processes to understand them.
If outcomes are being met, managers need to ask: “Is this about results? Or is it about discomfort with difference?”
What to Say and What to Avoid in Performance Reviews
The table below shows how common appraisal language can be reframed to remain fair, lawful and effective.
Performance Reviews and ADHD: Practical Examples
| Instead of saying this… | Try saying this… | Why this works |
|---|---|---|
| “You need to be more organised.” | “Success looks like having a clear weekly task list agreed on Monday.” | Focuses on outcomes, not traits. |
| “You need to work at the same pace as the team.” | “We need X delivered by Y. Let’s agree how best to achieve that.” | Separates pace from performance. |
| “You get distracted too easily.” | “Let’s look at what interrupts your work and what could reduce that.” | Addresses environment, not blame. |
| “You ask too many questions.” | “Let’s agree when questions are most helpful and when delivery takes priority.” | Channels questioning constructively. |
| “Stop thinking about this and switch off.” | “Let’s agree what needs action now and what can be parked.” | Supports regulation without suppression. |
| “You’re making others uncomfortable by working ahead.” | “Let’s agree how early work is shared so it supports the team.” | Manages impact without pathologising. |
| “Just do it like everyone else.” | “For this task, consistency matters more than optimisation.” | Explains why compliance matters. |
| “This shouldn’t be difficult.” | “Let’s break this into clear steps and agree the first one.” | Reduces overwhelm. |
These examples are illustrative and should always be used alongside HR or specialist advice.
Why This Matters Organisationally
When ADHD-related performance reviews are mishandled, the costs can include:
- grievances and tribunal claims,
- loss of skilled employees,
- increased sickness absence,
- reputational damage, and/or
- significant management time.
Most issues arise from a lack of clarity rather than bad intent.
A Necessary Boundary
Every person with ADHD is different. For this reason, it is important that managers:
- avoid assumptions,
- involve HR where appropriate,
- seek occupational health or specialist advice, and
- treat this article as guidance, not legal advice.
Good performance management is collaborative, not diagnostic.
A Final Reflection for Managers
Performance reviews should not aim to homogenise. Their real value lies in asking whether success is defined in terms that the individual can achieve.
They are about answering one question clearly and fairly:
Have I defined success in a way this person can realistically achieve?
When that answer is yes, performance reviews stop causing harm and start supporting growth.
How I Can Help
If you’re a manager trying to do the right thing, but you’re finding performance reviews with ADHD employees complex, emotionally charged or legally worrying, you’re not alone!
I work with managers, leaders and organisations to:
- bring clarity to performance expectations,
- ensure feedback is fair, lawful and actionable,
- support neurodivergent employees without lowering standards,
- reduce the risk of grievance, disengagement or burnout, and
- create working environments where different brains can do their best work.
This isn’t about labels or excuses. It’s about understanding how someone works, defining success clearly, and putting the right structures in place so everyone has a genuine chance to succeed.
Support can include:
- coaching for managers ahead of appraisals or difficult conversations,
- helping translate role requirements into clear, achievable expectations,
- guidance on reasonable adjustments and practical support, and
- support for employees navigating feedback after a late ADHD diagnosis.
If you’re also navigating day-to-day team dynamics where one person works at a different cognitive pace, you may find this article helpful:
Managing a Team When One Person Works at a Different Pace
Sometimes the biggest shift doesn’t come from changing the person, but from changing the way expectations are understood and communicated.
If you would like to discuss further, you can book a free 30-minute discovery call with me.
