Why Masking at Work Damages Performance

Masking, the act of hiding or suppressing parts of ourselves to fit in is a survival strategy many neurodivergent people learn early in life. In the workplace, masking can look like “acting normal,” copying colleagues’ behaviour, over-controlling facial expressions, forcing eye contact, or pushing through sensory discomfort to appear unfazed.

On the surface, masking can make someone look like they’re coping well.
In reality, it comes at a significant psychological and physical cost, and organisations often underestimate the impact.

Masking doesn’t just affect wellbeing.
It directly harms performance, engagement and retention.

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1. Masking drains cognitive resources

When neurodivergent employees spend large parts of their day monitoring their tone, body language, communication style, sensory responses, or emotional reactions, their brain is running two jobs:

The job they were hired to do

The job of “performing” to fit in

This constant self-monitoring burns through cognitive energy that would otherwise support:

• Focus
• Problem-solving
• Creativity
• Working memory
• Decision-making

Masking creates an invisible mental tax that reduces overall performance, even in high performers.

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2. Masking increases burnout risk

Burnout rates are significantly higher in neurodivergent populations, and masking is one of the biggest contributors.

Common signs include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Emotional overwhelm
• Irritability or shutdown
• Difficulty recovering after work
• Increased sickness absence

Burnout doesn’t happen because someone is “not resilient.”
It happens because they’re running in survival mode all day.

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3. Masking creates a culture of fear not honesty

When employees feel they must hide who they are, they are less likely to:

• Ask for support
• Admit when they’re struggling
• Raise concerns early
• Share new ideas

Psychological safety disappears, and teams lose out on diverse perspectives, innovation and collaboration.

A culture that unintentionally rewards masking is a culture that unintentionally silences people.

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4. Masking damages long-term retention

People can only mask for so long before the pressure becomes unsustainable.
This is why many neurodivergent professionals:

• Change jobs frequently
• Step back from leadership roles
• Reduce hours
• Leave organisations altogether

Retention improves when people feel they can work in ways that support their strengths, not hide their challenges.

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5. Masking hides the real barriers your organisation needs to fix

When employees hide their difficulties, leaders never see the underlying problems:

• Overstimulating environments
• Ineffective communication practices
• Rigid working patterns
• Unclear expectations
• Lack of processing time

This means the workplace stays inaccessible because the people who need support don’t feel safe saying so.

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What organisations can do instead

Masking reduces performance, but removing the need to mask boosts it.

Workplaces can support neurodivergent employees by:

• Modelling nonjudgement and curiosity
• Allowing flexible communication styles
• Reducing sensory load where possible
• Offering clear, predictable expectations
• Normalising the use of adjustments
• Encouraging open dialogue without pressure
• Training managers in neuro-inclusive leadership

When employees feel safe to show up as themselves, performance increases not decreases.

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Key message

Masking is not a lack of professionalism.
It’s a survival strategy.

Workplaces that understand this create cultures where neurodivergent employees don’t just “cope” they thrive.