Published on 12, July, 2020
And then, they ask me why I always mask and why I am never honest with the people I know. Mates, if you saw the real me I would end up unemployed!This is the reaction of any employer when they notice that their employee has ASD:
I don’t think it’s fair to generalise ALL employers like that. Whilst some may react like that to finding out their employee is autistic, that has not been my experience. I think comments like this could really put someone off disclosing their diagnosis to an employer when actually for them it could be a really positive thing as they could look for example at reasonable adjustments to help support them with employment and in their role.
I’m really glad that I am being supported to unmask at work at a pace and in a way that suits me. Masking for me is exhausting and I cannot continue to live that way, always pretending and trying to please other people all the time. It has led me to burnout on numerous occasions and I personally just cannot do that anymore.
I think we, as autistic/neurodivergent diagnosed or self diagnosed people on a forum need to be aware of putting out such negative generalised information that may scare and put off others. Whilst I believe it’s good to share you own feelings and experiences, making such broad statements all the time can be really negative and unhelpful to read.
I am not the only one who had bad experiences with employers. It's better to keep it safe until you can be sure that your employer is REALLY supportive.
I don’t imagine for one second that you are. Im sure many people have negative experiences with employers which is really sad. As I stated I agreed that this may be the experience for some people. I just think such sweeping statements are potentially damaging and failing to acknowledge that some people have positive experiences and could put them off having that conversation with an employer and missing out on any benefit or accommodation.