The Impact Of Personality Masking In The Workplace On Neurodivergent Employee Mental Health
In a previous article, ADHD, Anxiety, And The Struggle To Cope At Work, I mentioned that many neurodivergent people find themselves “masking” rather than coping. In this post I want to expand upon my explanation of masking and talk about its impact on neurodivergent mental health in the workplace.
What Is Masking?
Masking is the hiding of one's true self in order to fit in with societal norms and expectations. This is very common in the workplace and school, where people often feel pressured to conform to succeed. Everyone does this to some extent, but neurodivergent individuals often find themselves constantly masking for hours at a time during work, school, or anytime they are interacting with neurotypical individuals.
What Does Masking Look Like?
A masking behavior that many of us, neurodivergent or neurotypical, can relate to is the maintenance of a “customer service persona”. In this persona we must maintain the appearance of being extroverted, in a positive mood, and willing to help even when at times we may be or feel the exact opposite. Maintaining such personas can also include the intentional changing of behaviors and expressions such as the pitch of our voice, facial expressions, vocabulary, etc.
Those of us who have had experience working in retail or other customer service type positions are very familiar with the relief of clocking out and letting this persona fall off, but for neurodivergent individuals, clocking out may not mean every mask gets to come off.
A neurodivergent person may be at any time maintaining several layers of masking. These layers of masking are often composed of tricks and behavior redirections that allow a neurodivergent individual to give the impression of being neurotypical and often continue unless they are in positions where they feel safe to freely express themselves or are no longer able to maintain the mask.
Unbeknownst to those looking from the outside, a neurodivergent individual may be using a variety of techniques or sheer will power to cover behaviors such as fidgeting, rambling, verbal interruption, stimming, lack of focus, or other intrusive impulses.
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For me, I am often masking my need to move/fidget, how quickly I speak, stimming, my personal logic, and ever shifting focus. When I am unmonitored or around those I trust, I can seem very different; speaking quickly and jumping from idea to idea, humming or making miscellaneous noises, splitting my focus between many things at once, and constantly moving. When working in a physical office, it was often very difficult for me to hide these behaviors but I felt that doing so was necessary.
Impact On Mental Health
Masking requires constant effort and can cause cognitive overload, leading to anxiety, depression, burnout, and feelings of loneliness and isolation. Neurodivergent individuals can find it challenging to socialize and process sensory information, making it challenging to mask their true selves. Unfortunately, the impact of masking is often underestimated, and they may not receive the support and accommodations they need to thrive.
To address this issue, organizations need to recognize and address the impact of masking on the mental health of neurodivergent employees. Creating an inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and promotes acceptance of neurodiversity is crucial.
Managers and coworkers also play an essential role in supporting their neurodivergent colleagues by providing accommodations, fostering an open communication environment, and encouraging employees to be themselves without fear of judgment.
Related:
Should I Tell A Potential Employer I'm Neurodivergent? It Depends, And Here's Why.
6 Insider Tips To Navigating The Workplace If You Have Social Anxiety
How to Coach an Employee with Anxiety: Strategies for Supporting Your Team
5 Ways ADD or ADHD Impacts A Job Seeker's Networking Strategy
Meet The Writer!
Hi! I’m Madeline Jefferson. I am a freelance writer, editor, and designer who has a wide breadth of experience and knowledge on many subjects including: fiction writing, religion, law, politics, history, literature, chronic illness, and mental health. I have a B.A. in Religion and Middle Eastern Studies from Washington and Lee University. As a freelancer I offer services such as: blog writing, copywriting, ghostwriting, manuscript editing, and print and digital design. You can find me on: LinkedIn; Twitter, Instagram; and on my website: https://www.madelinejefferson.com/.
