Published on 12, July, 2020
I have just been diagnosed with Aspergers. I’m fairly ‘high-functioning’. You wouldn’t know I had Aspergers unless you had spent a few days in my company. My main symptoms tend to be general social awkwardness and saying the wrong thing rather than being unable to understand the body language of others or others intentions.
i also have strong obsessions, anxiety, depression and ocd.
i am a qualified social worker and have done well to get that qualification. However I’ve chosen the wrong career for me. It’s stressful and requires team-work, social skills and good organisational skills.
i manage well enough though.
My experience, particularly in social work and health fields, is that I am bullied at work. Picked on by managers a lot, subjected to people assuming good unauthorised authority over me and being the subject to ridicule. I seem to offend a lot and get unwritten rules wrong. I have so far found being in the workplace unbearable overall and very stressful and I’ve worked in several offices now. I have only worked in one where I felt welcomed and understood.
im now unemployed but I want to make sure I minimise the chance of having the same problem again.
what have your experiences been at work? Anything that you found helpful?
I worked for a large multinational. I was removed from a department I'd been in for 15 years when a director witnessed the horrendous bullying from the manager. It became a safeguarding issue.
The new department's manager had some issues with me - I was older than him, I was more experienced than him, I was more qualified than him and my salary was more than his.
He also had unresolved 'dad issues' so wasn't able to manage anyone older than him. He favoured younger, lower qualified staff which were easier to manipulate and bully.
He also liked to fake results and bodge evidence during audits. He had difficulties with my unflinching honesty and integrity and openness because I could accidentally blow his entire game. It was only a matter of time before it came to a head and I ended up being paid to go away with a nice package.