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Aspergers in the Workplace

NAS39237

Hello,

Firstly I should state I am awaiting results from my Diagnosis test but believe I may be on the spectrum. Within that said, I wanted to address something I have struggled with all my life - Aspergers within the workplace.

I currently work in retail - Which as you could imagine is a nightmare considering my possible condition. I feel i can function with the tasks of the job very well - Admittedly I struggle to focus on tasks when I see there are much bigger issues that need attending to. But I consider myself very good at customer service, something I have been complimented on within my reviews. So I can handle brief encounters with customers, what I struggle with is a working relationship with colleagues.

I can't do small talk, I will ask questions like "How you doing?" (Not in a Joey FRIENDS sort of way :P) "Been up to much lately?", " Have any plans for the evening?" Which can work but I find these days they get very minimal response because my colleagues have noted my social debilitations. I see them all sudden spring up topics of conversation and I have no idea how. Many other times I don't care or find the matter of conversation crude and want no involvement.

I don't have any intention to socialise with these people beyond work, but I guess they do with each other. Of course, today in the world we have social media with offers communication at a distance so after hours if they get along they will continue to talk and maintain a bond on their. Me I can't stand social media for many reasons but I have often felt discarded from people of this generation because of a lack of an online presence and persistence to maintain bonds with them through that. Even with my limited friends, I meet them individually and prefer 1to1 contact with that than having them associated and mixing - Another reason I don't apply myself to social media is I preffer 1to1 communication and not to talk in an open space, the little time I did have it I would only PM people.

pardon the tangent, but I hope it applies context to my situation. While I have no intention in socialising with these people outside hours, I wish within hours wasn't such a strain. I often get ignored by some staff when greeting with them and as I mentioned before as I cannot create conversation or maintain bonds well I get a very cold reception in general.

Notable traits:
- I cannot address people by name
- I struggle with eye Contact.
- I hate repeating myself if not heard.
- I feel very uncomfortable when there are more than 3-4 people in the cramped staff room.
- Narrow conversation field - If it isn't media (Movies, Video games etc.) I struggle - Unless it is work related but that's no fun!
- I struggle making mistakes in aim to keep a perfect image.

I just thought I would add a few traits that I certainly notice. I should add that I have previously been fired from a job due to having to colleagues nag at me while trying to focus on till work, I felt so much pressure build up that I was just trying to maintain myself and lost the company a notable fee within the transaction. But since then I have held my current job for 3+years.

I just wanted to lay my situation out there and get opinions on it? Has anyone else here been in a similar situation?

Parents

  • I think another big topic is that I feel an immense sense of shame in my position, I won't name the place but it's a typical discount good store and I just feel very low about my credibility working there. The worse problem is what I call 'Encounters' - Where someone from the past who might acknowledges me sees me and I just freak out, I have to stop what I am doing, avoid them by hiding in the warehouse and still maintain that I am looking active. Just the eye contact is enough to really wreck my day, I feel so lousy in myself and really curse myself and get in a massive panic.

    The worst is when I am called to tills, which is announced over the big tannoy across the store - Had someone seen me the name might jog their memory to confirm it. But when i am on tills I cannot escape, I feel I am there on a pedestal and vulnerable to an 'Encounter' attack.. I have had it before when I have had to serve people who recognised me and It was immensely distressing - It was one of the worse people I could have hoped for too.

    This structure has also effected me outside work, just yesterday I met eye contact with someone who I knew at school and my anxiety spiked up - It was a person I had no bare no bad feeling too either, but the acknowledgement that they we're aware of me in that brief moment was enough to unsettle me.

Reply

  • I think another big topic is that I feel an immense sense of shame in my position, I won't name the place but it's a typical discount good store and I just feel very low about my credibility working there. The worse problem is what I call 'Encounters' - Where someone from the past who might acknowledges me sees me and I just freak out, I have to stop what I am doing, avoid them by hiding in the warehouse and still maintain that I am looking active. Just the eye contact is enough to really wreck my day, I feel so lousy in myself and really curse myself and get in a massive panic.

    The worst is when I am called to tills, which is announced over the big tannoy across the store - Had someone seen me the name might jog their memory to confirm it. But when i am on tills I cannot escape, I feel I am there on a pedestal and vulnerable to an 'Encounter' attack.. I have had it before when I have had to serve people who recognised me and It was immensely distressing - It was one of the worse people I could have hoped for too.

    This structure has also effected me outside work, just yesterday I met eye contact with someone who I knew at school and my anxiety spiked up - It was a person I had no bare no bad feeling too either, but the acknowledgement that they we're aware of me in that brief moment was enough to unsettle me.

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