by KYW's Amy Feldman
Thomas Edison daydreamed in class so frequently that his teachers called him “addled.” How’d you like to see that on your kid’s report card? What was once seen as bad behavior is now recognized as a medical condition known as ADD. With an estimated 8 million people afflicted—including daydreaming kids who have grown up and gotten jobs and are in your workplace—and covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, what does a company need to do for its ADD employees?
Many ADD cases are undiagnosed, and employers can’t be held responsible for not helping a worker who has not advised the office that he has ADD. But if an employee tells his employer that he has ADD, it’s then up to the employer to make reasonable accommodations to allow the employee to perform the essential functions of his job. For many workers, this may mean lengthening the work day but taking more frequent breaks. Guess Thomas Edison showed his teachers that the joke was on them—imagine what your employee can do if given the accommodations needed to do it.
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