My manager suggested me to start taking Ritalin

You can assume the worst and think your manager just wants you to work harder and longer while hopped up on amphetemines, or you can take it as not-particulary friendly advice to get yourself diagnosed for attention issues.

The best part of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and starting medication was my ability to sit quietly with my then 3 year old son and play blocks for longer than 10 minute stretches. Previously that was impossible. My diagnosis was a life-changing discovery that improved how I lived in a variety of contexts, both at home and at work.

Maybe your manager sees what he thinks your inability to focus as a real issue, and is, in a clumsy, intrusive way, suggesting you take it seriously. Or he's just an asshole and is trying to get more work out of you. That's for you to figure out.

Find a way to get it in writing, and start looking for a new job, because your days there are numbered if your manager is giving unsolicited medical advice.

Disclaimer: Neither a doctor nor a lawyer nor HR. In my opinion, it is probably not appropriate for the manager to suggest a drug unless you asked their opinion. For sure, they could not prescribe it to you or require you to take it.

You might ask them why they feel you lack focus. If they do not have a good answer, then perhaps you could request a skip level 1:1 with their manager, or if you feel that is a no-win, you could speak with HR, or decide to let it go. You know your work environment better than any of us and would have to weigh the pros and cons. I agree with others that say this doesn't always end well.

Why there are only bio-conservative comments are populating this question?

* You may not be aware that you have a focus problem. Are there any (personal) logs of your working hours? Are you getting things done within the deadline?

Your manager's attitude is quite reasonable. If you need some imporved focus, nothing wrong to take Ritalin.

Note it down, bring it up to HR/your manager's manager.

Best case scenario, your manager is well-intentioned but is misinformed (or under-informed) about what is/isn't okay to say. Mild kerfuffle, not a big deal.

Worst case scenario, your manager is outright crap and the personnel around them is equally bad. (Aka the "you should really think about moving companies now" scenario.)

In either case, escalating is the way to resolve things.

Totally inappropriate for a manager to make that kind of suggestion. Most likely not legal either.

Definitely get it in writing and then take it to HR. Alternatively, if you feel like this would fall on deaf ears, start looking for new employment.

In a manager/report relationship I think it is inappropriate, but I had a colleague suggest I begin taking ADHD medication in grad school and it changed my life. Without knowing your relationship with your manager I can't speak to the appropriateness other than to say you shouldn't bring that up, but I have had very close relationships with some of my managers where I might have approached that level of honesty/vulnerability to make them feel like that was appropriate.

All of that aside, your manager is not a physician and you are free to ignore anything they say regarding your health. I would still reflect on why they might have said that and whether you are struggling in your role.

I definitely don't think this is legal (disclaimer though: I am not a lawyer), unless your manager is also a MD, but even then, I don't think it's legal unless he's acting in that capacity.

If, as you note, you are no longer working there, I wouldn't worry yourself too much about it unless you think that you do have focus issues. If that's the case, I would try correcting the problem in non-medical ways first. There's a number of things you can try - keep a tidy workspace, listen to soothing music if possible, try meditation, keep a low sugar diet, etc. If you feel that you've expended your options, consult your doctor.

wouldn't be the first employer to suggest that the employee might be more valuable if they started doing speed

I think that such a suggestion is huge Red Flag, and would either begin looking to be transferred internally so I had a different manager, or begin looking for work in another company altogether.

Absolutely not okay. ADHD medication should only be taken if one has ADHD. Which can only be determined by a medical specialist. And even if you do have ADHD, you don't have to take meds. ADHD meds are often misused as drugs, so suggesting this is basically asking you to take drugs. Not okay.

If a manager has a hunch that one of their employees has an unknown medical condition they might tell them about it. If their relationship is good enough.

If, on the other hand, they notice a performance issue, they can talk about that and potential ways to fix this. Which would include a quiter workplace, more interesting tasks or an inquiry of underlying issues.

I have ADHD and would have been happy if I had been diagnosed earlier. But I became a Machine Learning engineer without diagnosis. And while meds are nice, they surely were not the end of my problems. I am glad you don't work there anymore, because the real problem there was this manager.

In life, we all have blind spots. Things that are obvious to others with more experience but may be invisible to ourselves.

But it may have been a helpful suggestion from the manager based on observation or personal experience that the OP might have some attention deficit issues that may or may not be improved with medication.

Hanlon's razor may apply here also.

No. This is illegal. He's not a medical professional and should not be giving you advice on what medication to take.

It's inappropriate, but it's hard to know his intent.

"Oh wow, I didn't know you were a Medical Doctor as well! Where'd you go to school?"

What a weird thing to do of your manager. How did he suggest this? Was he just like "I think you need to take Ritalin"? Did he suggest going to a psychiatrist, or did he want to sell some to you?

Managers and companies existence is fueled by extracting as much energy out of employees as possible. They just usually aren't so brazen about that.

Idk about the legality but it's hugely unprofessional.

Fireable offense in some environments. Big tech company or startup?

Clearly unethical. Take written notes. Join your union.

But a few side points:

- ADHD is an actual condition that can cause lack of focus and/or hyperfocus

- there are plenty of other reasons why a person can exhibit lack of focus and/or hyperfocus

- in people with ADHD, stimulants are often very effective, but dosage and side-effects need careful medical management

- in people without ADHD, stimulants often make them feel like they are more focused that ever before, but blind studies have shown that their actual focus is not truly affected

This reminds me of when owners of a company told me to just give paracetamol to my 1yr old and leave at the nursery and come to work.

I had a similar situation with a punch bowl of no-doze at a data center startup.

No job is worth your health, I think glass door is a good outlet for this type of information.

Without the exact phrasing I don't think anyone can give any advice.

Send an email asking them which drug they recommend. Then go see a lawyer with the printout.

Based on that this AskHN exists, there may be implications.

That stuff is highly addictive. Honest to god, if he suggested it, most likely he takes it too. Get out of there, his expectations are based around people abusing speed, which means he basically expects some unhealthy output.

Remember kids, all drugs work, until they don’t. You can always take more I guess.

Noise cancelling headphones playing Ambient Sleeping Pill helps me focus.

Was (s)he a body hacker? I've seen people also experiment with nootropics in an aim to improve their output. The fact that it was a boss in a 1:1 is a bit weird but ... what if it had simply been a coworker telling you what worked for them?

Better off taking Alpha GPC nootropic supplement. It’s cheap and more effective, helped me recover From a concussion recently and I’ve kept taking it. Stuff is amazing.

Also - find a new job your manager is terrible. It’s probably illegal and/or against company policy but you’d have to go around/above him to report this and honestly that never works out well.