Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
I have been in employment for 4-5 years on a part time basis - now for 2 full days a week in an office job I love.
Since diagnosis, there are some situations I handle much better than before - but still some where I just need someone to talk to for a short while. My boss does not want me to speak to my colleagues as it distracts them from their work, or to speak to colleagues in nearby offices as she's worried about confidentiality. Besides, it is better if it's someone completely separate to the situation who can see the situation impartially, ie doesn't know me or my boss and so can be objective.
Is there a service who can provide telephone counselling on an ad-hoc basis for adults with Aspergers to cope with workplace stress? It would be good if it were the same person each time, or one of a few people, as they'd get to know me and my boss/colleagues and be better able to judge what is happening and the best way to handle the situation.
Any help you can give me would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Julia Evans
How would a helpline be able to judge what is happening if they don't hear from everyone involved?
Does your employer have some sort of employee benefit that provides a confidential help line to staff? The way these things usually work is that an employer pays some cash every year to a third-party provider. Any staff who call the helpline receive a listening ear and confidential advice/support.
Your employer should not get any information back from the provider which would allow any individual to be identified, but there will be aggregate statistics reaching your HR department on some sort of regular schedule. Something along the line of "50% of your staff have called the helpline in the last 6 months, asking for assistance with their mental health" (hopefully that's an exaggeration, but you get the idea...)