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Disclosing diagnosis to Employee

krebs_cycled

Hello!

I just wanted some advice on whether or not I should disclose my diagnosis to my employer. I think that I have reached a communicative glass ceiling as my difficulty in reading between the lines causes a lot of distress personally as I am consistently analysing Tone, body language and indirect phrase to come to conclusion on what the other person is trying to convey to me and struggle to ask for what I need. Likewise my managers have said I am difficult to read and I was unable to convey my feelings in a recent meeting after well intentioned questioning. I mask very well and do it very often in my line of work. I want to disclose, however I don't want this to be viewed as an excuse for my mistakes or deficits. For some context I was diagnosed in my teen years and pass as neurotypical due to masking(although I have my eccentricities), I have worked at my job for over a year, I like working here and I like my colleagues, I don't think anybody will look down on me or treat me differently if I do disclose. Any advice, personal stories, second-hand accounts, other threads, articles or other materials would be much appreciated. Thank you!

  • in reply to Herself

     your boss seems really cool, i get your reasoning for wanting to disclose as i have thought from the same perspective as well. Based on the experiences people are telling me I'm definitely overthinking the social aspect Sweat smile of everything.

  • in reply to NAS80301

    Thank you for sharing your experience, I'm glad you've had a positive one. it gives me a little more confidence to do the same myself!

  • Hiya! Wave

    I'm in the middle of this process right now. For context, I was diagnosed in April at 34 years old. Since Covid my job has largely been done remotely and having that experience is probably what led me to wonder if I was Autistic. A few months ago I decided to tell my boss about my diagnosis. I'll be honest, it was because I trust my boss that I told her. Like you, there had been a lot of misunderstandings and me not catching inferred meanings in conversations that led to some small issues. I also felt that if I was my manager I would want to know so I could try to do my best to accommodate my employee. The other reasons I did it is that I wanted to secure a permanent accommodation of majority remote work and to provide clarity on things like why I don't often put my camera on, or why I find it hard to switch between tasks etc. 

    Telling my boss actually couldn't have gone better. By the end of the conversation she was wondering if she was Autistic too! Joy It has helped us communicate much more effectively as she is now very explicit with me when we have meetings which is great for me. What has been/is tough is that while my boss is great, the organisation has no policy for autistic or disabled staff. So in order to secure the accommodations I need, I have to be assessed by an occupational physician and it feels a lot like the diagnosis process all over again, which was tough enough. I have that assessment in a couple of weeks and hopefully that will secure the accommodations I need.

    The other challenge I am finding is the attention other staff are paying to my attendance in the office, noticing I'm not there too much and coming to their own conclusions and deciding I'm getting special treatment or that I must be only "very mildly Autistic" and so determining that I don't need the accommodations I am asking for.

    I don't think it's possible for avoid these attitudes but it is exhausting. So, I would say if you trust your boss and feel you benefit from them knowing, that approach is working well for me.

  • Hello, I was diagnosed in May this year age 56. I’ve worked at the same company for a long time and I told my manager and a few close colleagues about my diagnosis. I can honestly say they have all been great, I know everyone does not have such a positive experience. My manager has put me in a quieter part of the office and colleagues have been fine and I think in my case it was a good move. Also manager now gives me plenty of notice if any changes are coming in. By law you are allowed these reasonable adjustments. Best of luck.

  • Heya! You might like to have a look at our guide ‘Support at work – a guide for autistic people’ which you can find here: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/employment/support-at-work/autistic-adults  

    There is information in the guide which might help you consider the pros and cons of disclosing your diagnosis. 

    Best

    SarahMod