Hello fellow neurodivergents,
I’m applying to a job that I’m really excited about for various reasons, about to have my second interview so things are looking good but obviously I’m not guaranteed anything yet.
The only problem is it’s an office job, and specifically an open concept office.
Right now I have a remote job and I’m honestly not that bummed about working in an office. It’s super close to me and I could use the physical and mental work life separation. I’d prefer a hybrid job but meh. Besides, if I really end up hating it I can just quit, I think I’m pretty hireable. I want to make a life change.
I’m nervous about the open concept part, and I have some questions but also I’d just be happy for anyone to talk about their experience.
- Are people going to be annoyed at me if I fidget, move around, and pace a lot? All of these activities help me think and soothe my anxiety.
- Are people going to be like, constantly looking at my screen? Am I going to feel judged the whole time?
- I have the classic ADHD “do double the work in half the time, do nothing the other half”. Am I going to be judged on my work output, or how busy I make myself look?
- If I have downtime, would it be acceptable to read a book or something?
- If I have a chat with my coworker sitting next to me, is the whole office going to hear it? Am I going to be interrupting and bothering everyone? I like talking to my coworkers.
- Did you disclose ADHD to your boss? Did you get any accommodations for it?
Like I said, I’d just be happy to hear anyone’s experiences.
My experience is pretty good as the team has the general mindset of, “Avoid waisting other people’s time, get stuff done, and do quality work. If you are doing that we don’t care what your process is.”
A lot of movement is going to draw people’s attention. It’s just baked into humans. If you need to do movement that is going to be in people’s line of sight while they work, just go for a walk.
You will feel watched and judged. But the reality is they have their own work and problems to worry about. Generally if your not interfering with them doing their own thing, they don’t care.
People being OK with you doing off task things like reading would be like an earned privilege if allowed at all. You are new and will need to prove that you can deliver. If you earn a reputation for consistent, quality, on time work you manager will be more open to you managing your own schedule.
Volume control is important. Most conversations seem to happen at the level between normal conversation and whispering. This generally means conversations are not disruptive to people nearby. But always assume everyone around you can hear everything you say and choose topics/words accordingly.
I didn’t share my ADHD with my manager until I was well established in my role and trusted that wanted to help me succeed. I’m not saying that is the correct choice, just what I did. Before that we did have many conversations about how I can work most effectively finding the balance of what I need and what the team needs.
As for accomodations, I would get explicit permission to were noise blocking headphones and a desk that doesn’t face an area with a lot of traffic. People moving in your line of sight all day is super distracting.