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New Job

Emma

Hi everyone!

I'm new here and looking for some advice about going into a new job. The last role I had informed me they had understanding and knowledge of supporting an autistic employee but by lunchtime on my first day, I had already broken down, gone non-verbal and struggled with my employer to even let me leave the premises (I've since left that role).

I'm really eager to get into work but struggle so badly with that initial change/transition period! Can anyone suggest any reasonable adjustments that have helped them with that big change of starting a new job? 

Thank youHeart

  • Emma said:
    Can anyone suggest any reasonable adjustments that have helped them with that big change of starting a new job? 

    This NHS article provides some great examples of reasonable workplace adjustments (and other support, via Access to Work) that you might find helpful, depending on your specific needs, along with tips for employers:

    Reasonable Adjustments at Work for Autistic People

    The NAS also offers advice for employees and employers, which you could perhaps refer them to in support of your case:

    NAS - Seeking work – a guide for autistic people

    NAS - Support at work - a guide for autistic adults

    NAS - Employing autistic people – a guide for employers

  • Emma said:
    by lunchtime on my first day, I had already broken down, gone non-verbal

    It will help a lot to revisit this situation in your mind and make a list of what started the problem and what contributed to it.

    From this list, sort it by the most influential factors - was it noise, light,  the social interaction, the strangeness of it all or having to learn so much stuff.

    Once you can identify these triggers then you can start to formulate a plan to present to any new employer. Get someone with some management experience to look over it first as there are probably going to be some things that are not realistic to ask for but with enough adaptations you should have a plan worked out.

    It may include visiting the office after work hours for a familiarisation of your work area. Take the time to familiarise yourself with it.

    If you struggle with socual interaction then forget jobs that have lots of this - try to have these early in your day initially when you have the fullest "social battery" for dealing with it. As time goes on the familiarity should make it less of an issue.

    If it is the noise then invest in good noise cancelling headphones and get used to wearing them.

    If you are OK with making your autism public then consider wearing the sunflower lanyard. Some will recognise it and for those who don't you can always tell them. Maybe asking the HR / People dept to make a note on the staff intranet about autism before you join would help here and you can tell people to look there if you don't have the battery to explain it multiple times.

    Maybe a few half days to start with would be a good approach. Followed by a full day Monday, half Tuesday, Full Weds, half Thurs Full Friday then onto full day just to ease you in.

    There isn't much you can do about lighting initially, but later you can ask for softer lighting near your workstation.

    I would also recommend engaging with a therapist to prepare yourself mentally before starting - just make sure they are well versed in working with autists.

  • Hi Emma, sorry for the late response I've just seen this now.

    I normally ask for 'breathing space', so if I'm feeling overwhelmed due to a lot of noise and sensory stimulation I ask if I can go outside to get some fresh air. Other than that, I ask if I can bring a 'fidget toy' or something to squeeze so that if I am feeling stressed, I can exult that negative energy into the object in my hands.

    Hope this helps,

    Danny