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Work Issues and Autism

Polaris302

Hello.

This is my first post here and I wanted to ask about the issues people on the spectrum can have in the world of work.  I haven't been lucky when it comes to finding long term employment; I graduated with a Masters in Engineering in 2011, but I've only been in a long term job for the last 5 years and, putting it mildly, it's a dead-end.  There's no career progression, I hate my employer more and more each day and in my interview, when I was trying to explain my Autism and the issues it can cause, I was cut off and asked "Are you an angry person?"  If it wasn't for difficulties at home, and the recession making it harder to find work I would have quit years ago.  

- Why do people on the spectrum have difficulties with finding or keeping a job? 

- Does anyone have any advice on explaining what Autism is and how it can affect your work to an employer?   

Parents

  • The problem will always be how receptive the employer is to being told. In theory they should be interested as your autism is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act but in practise, many aren’t all that interested, so without wanting to seem all doom and gloom, trying to explain to an uninterested employer may be an excersise in futility and as such it may be a better investment to find ways you can manage your traits in the workplace, possibly with the support of other workers there who may be more interested than the bosses.

    I have found it hard to keep a stable job in the past mostly because I felt so out of place and struggled to manage my traits, so the advice is a bit rich coming from me I know, but what is clear to me is that you are a smart individual and you have a lot to offer any workplace :)

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  • The problem will always be how receptive the employer is to being told. In theory they should be interested as your autism is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act but in practise, many aren’t all that interested, so without wanting to seem all doom and gloom, trying to explain to an uninterested employer may be an excersise in futility and as such it may be a better investment to find ways you can manage your traits in the workplace, possibly with the support of other workers there who may be more interested than the bosses.

    I have found it hard to keep a stable job in the past mostly because I felt so out of place and struggled to manage my traits, so the advice is a bit rich coming from me I know, but what is clear to me is that you are a smart individual and you have a lot to offer any workplace :)

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