Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all. I'm Robin and yesterday I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I'm not sure what to do now!
My mam was with me for my assessment, and I've told my brother and my closest pal. But how do I go about telling people at work? It's not like I need them to make any adjustments at the moment, so it's almost irrelevant but it also feels like something important to share.
Does anyone have any advice?
Don't be talked out of disclosing your diagnosis because of fear mongering. There are many benefits to disclosing but I won't repeat them because Trainspotter has said it all. Telling the "office" gossip is a brilliant idea. You could tell someone you are comfortable with and let them know you don't mind other people knowing - it will soon make the rounds. In a more professional capacity, you should inform HR and your direct line manager.
It's not fear mongering when there's actual data that supports the fact that employers do things like actively bin CVs that mention autism and the rates of autistic people in employment are in the toilet. The fact that every autistic person I know (and I was diagnosed in childhood, not 5 minutes ago so I've been dragged to loads of stuff) is underemployed based on skills and qualifications.
Discrimination is real.