Published on 12, July, 2020
Recently diagnosed and first time posting! Hello!
I am having difficulty at work in so many ways and desperately want to keep working. One is the main things I really am struggling with at the moment being able to use a headset for meetings and things over teams as I get so distracted by background noise around me, get really overwhelmed and then cannot focus or concentrate, so I loose my ability to engage in a conversation which is obviously really affecting me. I spoke to IT department today about getting a noise cancelling headset but been told anything like that has to go through HR as a reasonable adjustment and would have to provide medical evidence etc I don’t know how I feel about being open about my diagnosis at work and how it affects me. Any experience with this? Positive or negative? anyone tried a noise cancelling headset? Did it help? Any other suggestions to try? thanks!
I haven't disclosed that I'm autistic at work yet, but I have been through this process for physical health conditions and how well it works is very dependent on the workplace, especially your immediate supervisor and your HR department. Using a noise cancelling headset is something that a lot of neurotypical people might also prefer or benefit from, so I would say that it definitely comes under 'reasonable adjustments'.
When it comes to disclosure and asking for adjustments, remember that you don't have to tell anybody else you work with apart from those who absolutely have to know in order for you to get what you need. You can choose whether to share your diagnosis and how much information you share about it, and it's not appropriate for HR and/or your manager to tell anyone else about it without your consent. You might also be able to limit what you say to the people who DO need to know- it may be possible to just say that you have some sensory issues and would benefit from the headset, if you're not ready to tell them you're autistic.