Picture the scene: it’s you, versus the conference room door. To unlock it, you need the key that’s currently on your desk at home. But you worked late last night and forgot to pack it in your bag.

You prepare your apologies; picture the janitor’s dismay when you ask him, again, for the master key. Plus, there are only five minutes before your meeting starts because you had to go back home for your work laptop (after setting out an hour early) and then got stuck in traffic.

Colleagues arrive. The supervisor reminds you, with a sigh, that the projector takes a long time to get going and what they tend to do is arrive ten minutes ahead of schedule to set up.

Here’s a startling statistic for you. As of February 2022, the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) finds that only 29% of autistic adults are in full time employment. (1)

 As with any figure, it helps to view it in context. The ONS asks participants to self-identify their disabilities. It’s possible that people with autistic traits (who do not view themselves as autistic) encounter similar struggles, but don’t make the numbers. What’s more, compounding factors like other disabilities, caring responsibilities, chronic illness, and education commitments bar many participants, who declare autism as their “main impairment” from employment. (2)

But what are the roadblocks to employment for neurodiverse jobseekers?

 In 2016, Timo Lorenz et al published Autism and Overcoming Job Barriers, in which they asked 66 autistic adults to describe the barriers they faced when entering work, and on the job. The group widely reported that “social and communication” impacted their entry to, and experience in, their job. (3) Autistic brains tend to interpret conversation and instructions literally, and it’s plausible that any company with a neurotypical majority might communicate in a neurotypical way: via inference, allusion, metaphor and irony. For neurodivergent folks, this figurative language renders workplace conversation (including senior instruction) too vague. 

Picture the scene: it’s you, versus the photocopier. Following the presentation, your boss tasked you with photocopying the meeting minutes. “Give everyone a copy,” they said, and left for their lunch break.

A simple task, no? Trouble is, you face a dilemma. Did they mean everyone on your project? Everyone in the meeting, on the team, in the office, on your floor, in the company? Your anxiety grows as you spend your valuable time guessing at the answer.

Lorenz T. et al also found;

             The formality problem of equipment and environment was the most common [issue] for individuals without (16%...) and with autism-specific employment (18%...) while this was followed by the social problem of communication (15%)

             -Lorenz et al. (4)

Formality, organization and processing are aspects of Executive function, a series of cognitive processes that many take for granted. (5) It’s the ability to form efficient plans, to ‘think inside the box,’ and understand workplace procedures. It also includes your working memory; the ability to remember your fob key, lanyard, diary, books, lunch, and purse. Research into autism historically shows “atypical executive function (EF) processes in ASD.” (6)

Many participants of the 2016 study described “compensation” for their E.F as their primary solution for challenges at work. (7) While this evinces the autistic employees’ adaptability, and commitment, one must ask how much effort (and energy) such compensation demands- and how much does it take from their productivity?

Of course, organization aids success at work. However, these results suggest that an unforgiving attitude towards executive dysfunction leaves autistic jobseekers at a significant disadvantage.

It’s 3pm and you are exhausted. You spent the afternoon looking for the phone you misplaced. Is it in the car? You look for your keys, and realise you left them in the pocket of your coat downstairs. Halfway down, you find them in your wallet and return upstairs to your desk. You go to make a work call- and remember you have lost your phone. An hour later, you find it; along with three missed calls from your boss and a growling voice note. “You missed the 2pm huddle, which is a shame.”

With autistic workers taking the initiative to adapt to a neurotypical workplace- might companies match their efforts? 

In 2005, Hagner, D., & Cooney, B. F. interviewed “supervisors of 14 successfully employed individuals with autism.” (8)

The supervisors’ answers read like a list of recommended micro-accommodations; small, simple changes that help autistic people onto the same footing as their neurotypical peers. Managers reported that ‘consistent schedules, clear responsibilities, structure and direct communication’ was transformative for both managers and employees, leading to improved performance and workplace relationships. (9) Use of clear, concise language, and mindful of inference, spared both parties from anxiety and frustration.

What inspired the supervisors to adopt these techniques? In fact, both the employers, and their employees, received autism-awareness coaching prior to the interview. (10) 

Supervisors believed that the assistance they and the individual received…was critical to successful employment. (11)

-Hagner and Dooney.

Awareness is the first step to change. By making bosses more aware of the challenges and realities of being autistic, they can make positive changes to accommodate their neurodiverse employees. It is in everyone’s interest to be more aware of autism at work: companies can retain, nurture and benefit from the unique, creative solutions their neurodiverse staff bring into the boardroom. 

Governments should endorse and support programmes and charities that support autistic people at work. Perhaps, they should consider mandatory workplace autism awareness training and provide support and incentives for employers to hire and support autistic workers. After all, while they claim to support working people with disabilities- right now, the figures say otherwise. 

Sources:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/disability/articles/outcomesfordisabledpeopleintheuk/latest (1)(2)

Lorenz T, Frischling C, Cuadros R, Heinitz K (2016) Autism and Overcoming Job Barriers: Comparing Job-Related Barriers and Possible Solutions in and outside of Autism-Specific Employment. PLoS ONE 11(1): e0147040. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0147040 (3)(4)(7)

https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/ (5)

Demetriou EA, DeMayo MM, Guastella AJ. Executive Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder: History, Theoretical Models, Empirical Findings, and Potential as an Endophenotype. Front Psychiatry. 2019 Nov 11;10:753. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00753. PMID: 31780959; PMCID: PMC6859507. (6)

Hagner, D., & Cooney, B. F. (2005). “I Do That for Everybody”: Supervising Employees With Autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20(2), 91-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/10883576050200020501 (8)(9)(10)(11)