Thought I'd pass this on:
Thought I'd pass this on:
Expanding on what I said,. I told the centre manager that my benefits would be stopped if I just left of my own free will without a good reason or if they threw me out, I had to complete the two week scheme, or, no job no benefits no money.
He said that the centre staff were terrified of what I might say or do and just wanted me out. The important point here is not what I did or said, but what I might say or do. It was a preemptive measure.
agency work can be good for you then, thats how i got my job, no interview start right away on the same day agency work, which then i got kept on as permanent.
you have to first really want to work though which is where the first step is the struggle with your own mind and motivation whether you really want to work or not, and if not then the fight of logic about how you are going to exist in a world that forces you to work and you cant exist without it. you have to eventually find the motivation or fall down a deeper and deeper hole.
At this interview I was asked very informally about how I spent my spare time etc. Naturally I failed the interview.
You just answered honesty though, why should honesty mean you fail an interview?
that's horrendous and I fear this is exactly the sort of bleeping bleep they're going to start up again. Just wish they'd leave us the bleep alone and stop dressing up enforced labour as 'helping' employers accept us.
I do not feel in the least bit disabled.
Neither do I, being autistic for me is a neurotype/difference, it gives me so many strengths that I wouldn't have if I wasn't neurodivergent. I love being autistic, I think our autistic experience is an advantage particularly because we are monotropic. All of the compliments I have received from my work experience have been thanks to my autistic brain, for example learning new skills really quickly, being really detail orientated, dedicated and thorough.
. It is my strength.
Exactly! I couldn't agree more! What job suited your autistic neurology? What would you say are your autistic strengths?
I totally agree with you. I did research - numbers, statistics, data analyses are made for me so how is something that helps give me these skills be a "disability"?
I was super honest with my bosses and they didn't like that, or me for doing it. My thought was, how can they not like to hear something that would improve the work and the organisation? I couldn't, and didn't, be someone different in order to fit in - that would be unproductive and also be living a lie.
The note taking is very me! My late dad, who I think had Autistic traits, told me about the importance of note taking because you can't remember everything. Sometimes I'd be the only one taking copious notes in staff meetings. Then, sometime later, colleagues would come to my desk to ask me about something that was said in the meeting; so ironically, note taking increased my dreaded interactions with colleagues!
I also read that if a person walks anywhere in their office, carrying papers or a file makes them look like they are in the midst of working on something and it's less likely they'll be bothered by a colleague wanting to chit chat. If a colleague still tried chatting, I could always say I'm in the middle of a task and draw attention to the papers or file I was carrying. The bonus points included making me look productive and devoted to my work!
My past experiences of government help to find employment have not been very positive.
One of the worst was when I was looking for part time/ flexible work in shops and supermarkets, I needed flexibility because of the care work I was doing at home.
Because I was signing on for over six months, the job centre made it clear that I was being mandatory referred to a two week Training scheme that was being run jointly by the Job centre/ city council / Tesco. And after two weeks we were guaranteed a genuine interview. If I didn't attend or complete the two scheme my benefits would be affected.
I attended on time every day, did everything they asked and I was on my best behaviour. Half way through this training scheme I was asked into the general managers office and he told me that I was being asked to leave. I asked for his reasons for kicking me out. He was very vague and evasive, finally he told me that no shop or supermarket would employ me in a million years so there was no point in me being here or applying for these jobs.
I'm thinking in particular of an interview I had at the Barclays Bank computer centre, where I was qualified to do the job and I passed all the aptitude tests with flying colours, we started with over 100 candidates, then 30 after lunch, finally just ten of us were left. Finally we had a personnel interview with HR, the recruitment manager warned us that we had to pass this personnel interview. At this interview I was asked very informally about how I spent my spare time etc. Naturally I failed the interview.
Content writing. Although I am concerned about the long-term sustainability of that in light of the rise of ChatGPT etc.
I have other skills but haven't found a similarly well-organised and depersonalised mode of employment in which I can put them to use.
There was an item on BBC Breakfast about this which actually included an employer extolling the advanatges of employing poeple with Autistic minds. Then they spoilt it and talked about Autism as a disability My Autism made me really good at my job. I do not feel in the least bit disabled. It is my strength. The only real disadvantage was that I was a bit too honest with my bosses. I just needed to learn that something that was obvious to me, was not obvious to others who lacked my autistic abilities. The other trick I learned long before I was diagnosed was to take copious notes during meetings. It saved me from having to make or avoid eye contact whilst showing thst I am listening. I would like to think that the world will eventually change to suit us. Meanwhile, we will just have to use our autistic minds to trick the others into thinking we are like them.
I think the most useful thing would be a massive expansion and promotion of the gig economy. Platform working suits me perfectly as an autistic person. All instructions are in written form, I can work from home and on my own schedule, and the rules are clear. Rules like "Miss three deadlines and your account will be deleted" or "you need to keep your average rating above 4/5 or you'll be demoted and have less access to work" are clearly defined expectations that are easy for me to manage. "To keep your job, you need to satisfy your boss in some nebulous way that may or may not depend on the quality of your work or might just be down to whether they personally like you" is not and I have no idea how to manage in that kind of environment.
I am sorry you have had that experience.
'how employers identify and better support autistic staff already in their workforce'
Love that quote. My experience is that HR people actively weed out autistic candidates in order to exclude them from the workplace or progressing further in a job application.
