How to Rethink PIPs for Employees with ADHD
Written by Shayne Swift, ADHD Coach
Shayne Swift is the founder of Swift Lyfe Coaching and Consulting, specializing in ADHD coaching and personal development. Diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, Shayne combines lived experience with professional expertise to empower individuals, particularly within communities of color, to navigate their unique challenges and achieve their goals.
When a performance improvement plan fails to consider an employee's neurodivergence, it stops being helpful and becomes harmful. In this powerful article, the author shares the story of a client with ADHD whose PIP ignored her neurological needs entirely, treating executive dysfunction as a character flaw rather than a challenge to be supported. With practical insights and strategies, this piece calls on leaders, HR professionals, and coaches to shift from correction to collaboration and build systems that empower neurodivergent brilliance.
I was angry.
Not surprised because this happens all the time, but genuinely infuriated.
A client had just forwarded her performance improvement plan (PIP) to me. It read like a checklist of every executive functioning challenge someone with ADHD could possibly face: poor time management, lack of attention to detail, inconsistent task completion, failure to follow through.
What ground my gears wasn’t just the content, it was the complete lack of context. No mention of her ADHD. No recognition of how her brain works. No support plan. Just a document that framed her neurological wiring as incompetence.
That’s when I knew I had to write this. Because when the plan doesn’t understand the person, it stops being a tool and starts becoming a threat.
“You just need to be more consistent.”
That’s a phrase many adults with ADHD hear repeatedly, especially in the workplace.
While it sounds like helpful advice, for neurodivergent employees, consistency is often the very thing they’re wired to struggle with.
In coaching professionals with ADHD, I’ve seen firsthand how issues like task initiation, time blindness, forgetfulness, and overwhelm can lead to performance challenges. But these challenges stem from neurological differences, not from a lack of skill, effort, or care.
And yet, many employers rely on performance improvement plans (PIPs) that don’t reflect this reality.
Why traditional PIPs often miss the mark
Performance Improvement Plans are designed to outline expectations, set goals, and document progress. But when the root issue is executive dysfunction, a hallmark of ADHD, the PIP often becomes a source of anxiety rather than a path to support.
Take the employee who reads an email three times and still forgets the attachment. Or the project manager who hyperfocuses on one task but misses a deadline on another.
Without a neurodivergent lens, these patterns are misinterpreted as carelessness or a poor work ethic.
When supervisors treat executive function challenges like character flaws, the PIP reinforces shame instead of clarity. And for employees with ADHD, shame is already a deeply embedded narrative.
Moving from correction to collaboration
For career professionals and supervisors working with neurodivergent clients or team members, reframing the approach can lead to better outcomes. Here are three ways to make that shift:
1. Ask instead of assuming
Before initiating a PIP, ask: Is this a matter of skill, will, or executive function? If the employee understands expectations and wants to succeed, but struggles with follow-through, it may be time to consider coaching or accommodations, not documentation.
2. Clarify in layers
ADHD brains benefit from structure, visuals, and layered clarity. Break large goals into smaller milestones. Use check-ins to build accountability and reduce overwhelm. Allow for autonomy in how tasks get done, even if it doesn’t look “typical.”
3. Coach to strengths
Instead of focusing only on deficits, explore what has helped this person succeed before. Does the employee thrive with visual planning tools? Deadlines? Body doubling? ADHD is highly contextual—cookie-cutter fixes rarely work.
What real support looks like
At SwiftLyfe Coaching & Consulting, I work with adults who often arrive feeling like they’ve failed in systems that were never built for them. Through a mix of ADHD-informed coaching, expressive arts, and executive function strategies, we rebuild confidence and momentum.
For clients navigating a PIP, we focus on:
Understanding how their brain approaches motivation and task initiation
Identifying internal drivers (using tools like the Motivators Assessment)
Creating custom systems for time management, planning, and prioritization
Practicing scripts for self-advocacy and workplace communication
These strategies reduce anxiety and restore a sense of agency, often leading to real, measurable change at work.
Reflections
Employees with ADHD aren’t failing the system; the system is failing to understand their brains.
Performance doesn’t improve through pressure. It improves through personalized support, compassionate leadership, and context-aware strategies.
So if you’re a career coach, HR professional, or manager, don’t just write a plan.
Understand the person. Because with the right tools, ADHD isn’t a liability, it’s a different kind of brilliance.
Read more from Shayne Swift
Shayne Swift, ADHD Coach
Shayne Swift is the founder of Swift Lyfe Coaching and Consulting, where she specializes in ADHD coaching and personal development. Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, she blends lived experience with professional expertise to help individuals navigate their challenges, particularly in communities of color. With a background in education and life coaching, Shayne has a strong commitment to dismantling the stigma surrounding ADHD and empowering others to thrive. Through Swift Lyfe, she provides clients with the support and tools to achieve balance, success, and fulfillment in their lives.
