As World Autism Acceptance Month draws to a close, 10xer Sophie Baxter reflects on her experiences as an autistic woman in the workplace. She shares clear, actionable advice on what you can do to support autistic colleagues today.
Hi, I’m Sophie, and I am a Compliance Analyst at 10x Banking. Unfortunately, I am somewhat of an anomaly, as only 30% of autistic people are in employment, and are predominantly in zero-hour contracts as opposed to permanent roles.
I have been reflecting on these statistics, and many others this Autistic Acceptance Month. They are reminders that there is a lot of work to do to reduce the barriers autistic people face in accessing the workplace (and also more generally in wider society). I am also troubled by some government’s recent rhetoric, which is detrimental (and sometimes actively hostile) to autistic individuals.
It feels more important than ever, to promote education about the autistic experience, in the hope that this can start to break down some of the significant barriers and harmful stereotypes that autistic people live with on a day-to-day basis. There are things you can do today to help your autistic colleagues. Read on to learn more.
My background
As I have alluded to above, I am autistic – I received my diagnosis (along with diagnoses of OCD and social phobia) as a teenager, and I have more recently been diagnosed with ADHD.
This is (and has been), a lot to take in, and a process of many years to understand and reconcile what all of this means for me, firstly in education, and then in the workplace.
In the workplace, there is always the question of whether to disclose
autism (and any other forms of neurodivergence), and if so, how much, and when? The answer to this is not always clear and will depend on the organisation and individual(s).
Psychological safety is key to disclosure – I have been extremely lucky that I’ve felt safe to disclose and be open about my neurodivergence but had there not been a culture where this felt viable (e.g., that I wouldn’t be discriminated against and that I could get support), then I definitely wouldn’t have disclosed. If organisations want to attract diverse talent, and get the best out of their employees, creating a culture where people can feel free to be themselves and be open without judgement is critical.
Autism in women
Since I was diagnosed as autistic, understanding of autism as a whole has progressed, particularly with regards to autism in women and girls. It is now understood that the experience is varied between genders, and that stereotyping and misinformation can lead to missed and/or late diagnoses in women.
Women/girls may have autistic characteristics that differ from men/boys and are generally more likely to mask their autistic characteristics under the surface – this is definitely something I can relate to, as someone who has been masking heavily for years. Unfortunately, there is a cost to masking all of the time – it is absolutely exhausting and can lead to burn out, as well as being anxiety inducing and often overwhelming.
Another hidden cost of masking is the impact on self-esteem. Autistic women are constantly given the message (implicitly or explicitly) that their inherent autistic characteristics are objectionable to society, and that masking them is the best safety behaviour to avoid rejection/ridicule. It is no small wonder that so many autistic women struggle with self-esteem.
This is one reason why diagnosis is so important. Diagnosis for many women (especially in adulthood), is a life-changing experience that answers many questions, enables self-understanding, and the access of support. A shift in mindset around neurodivergence can mean that people are kinder to themselves, and much more able to advocate for their needs, and find ways of living their lives that works with their brain, as opposed to against it.
What can YOU do to help?
The following are suggestions for supporting autistic employees in the workplace – it is important to note that every autistic person is different, and that these are high-level suggestions:
Day to day
- Offer regular breaks and flexibility around working hours where needed
- Provide detailed information in advance about meetings/events/trips
- Where possible, avoid last minute meetings
- Present tasks in the requested format – for example, follow up after a meeting with written guidelines for tasks
- Give clear, unambiguous communication
- Share clear guidance about workplace rules/expectations
- If you are a line manager, ensure you have regular catch ups scheduled and avoid moving them unless necessary
- Give positive reinforcement, encouragement and reassurance
- Say it’s okay to have cameras off during Zoom meetings
- Offer a choice of workstations
- Enable the use of noise-cancelling headphones
- Follow through on reasonable adjustments – not doing so can make employees feel like a burden, or that they are not worth making adjustments for
Listening
Quite often, the reaction when somebody is discussing their concerns/anxieties is to say something along the lines of “Don’t worry about it”, or “There is nothing to worry about”.
Although this is generally meant to be reassuring, it can feel very dismissive, and the individual can feel foolish for being worried about it in the first place.
Acknowledgement is key in this context. What you could say instead is: “That sounds really challenging, let’s discuss how we can find a solution”. Even when the situation is not one that you can relate to (maybe a colleague is asking for adjustments), acknowledgement and truly listening to what they have to say is key to creating a culture where everybody feels they have a voice and is psychologically safe.
Interviews/hiring
Some tips for hiring managers and recruiters to make the process as smooth as possible:
- Ensure that job descriptions include a statement that applicants are welcome even when they do not fulfil all the listed criteria
- Give the opportunity to disclose autism ahead of the assessment process so that adjustments can be made
- Have clear, unambiguous instructions for assessments
- Share an overview of how the interview process works, and what happens at each stage
- Phrase questions in a way that is unambiguous and specific
- Provide questions ahead of time
- Break complex questions into smaller, successive questions
- Where the interview is in person, share pictures of the site and how to get there
Most of these changes are small and easily actionable. What underpins the suggestions is the importance of kindness, flexibility, and empathy, all of which will go a long way to breaking down some of the barriers that prevent autistic individuals entering the workplace. What will you try today?
