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Being in a job

Danny

Hello, I have a new job (only 3 weeks into it) and the regional director & regional manager are coming into the branch I work in to speak to my manager and me. It's tomorrow and they've said it's just a 1-2-1 and an informal chat to see how I'm getting on, and I'm just wanting to see if there is anything I can do to impress them I guess? I don't know, it's always been a worry of mine that my ASD can get in the way of my job. For example today me and my manager were in the town centre just going to get a coffee and we went into one of the shops and I just got so overwhelmed with the noise, the amount of people etc that I needed to just get out of there.

  • in reply to Lillibet

    *worth mentioning I meant leave the coffee shop, not your job.

  • Being yourself in a world full of fakeness, is impressive enough! As for the noise overload, have some noise cancelling headphones to hand, and if it's still too much, leave, and don't feel bad for taking your needs seriously.

    You don't need to impress anyone, you're qualified for the position and you've already got the job. 

  • Iain said:
    you are seen as an appreciative, low support needs hire who knows how to say the right things.

    Rather than focusing on people pleasing (ie by only telling then what you think they might want to hear) and/or downplaying your support needs as an autistic employee, this upcoming meeting with your manager, regional manager, and regional director sounds like a perfect - and perhaps rare - opportunity to discuss any reasonable adjustments or other forms of support that you think might help you (and therefore also them, as your employer) in your new role.

    Pretending that things are OK in our work roles when they're not can end badly for us, including having serious adverse impacts on our mental health.

    Under the Equality Act, you are entitled to reasonable workplace adjustments. This NHS article provides some examples of these, which you might find helpful, depending on your specific needs:

    Reasonable Adjustments at Work for Autistic People

    It also explains about the Access to Work scheme, which can fund certain types of support.

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

    NAS - Support at work - a guide for autistic adults

    NAS - Employing autistic people – a guide for employers

  • Danny said:
    I'm just wanting to see if there is anything I can do to impress them I guess?

    I would suggest avoiding trying to impress and just be yourself - you will probably be more confident and authentic.

    If you try to impress then in the best case you will be given a lot more responsibility and pressure - are you ready for this? It is typically what breaks autists in the workplace to be pushed onto a pressurised environment that does not suit them.

    Maybe you would thrive in this but from your description of being overwhelmend in a coffee shop then it raises red flags.

    It sound like it is a standard probationary meeting so relax, tell them you are enjoying the working environment and your manager has been very supportive and helpful in getting you up to speed.

    If you diagnised your autism on the application then they are probably checking in on this as well - be positive about it and tell them that you are able to use your ability to hyper focus to look at some stuff in detail - if you actually do this of course. Try to find an aspect of the job where it is relevant and it may well help improve their understanding of the positives of autism, and may even find you some routes to a specialisation later down the line.

    Personaly I would point out how good you manager has been in helping you understand the work, make the environment welcoming to you and that you hope to reach their level one day - the praise will make the manager want to do more for you in future, the regional manager will see the local manager in a good light and you are seen as an appreciative, low support needs hire who knows how to say the right things.

    Remember to read up on the bigger picture business of the company and maybe ask how some of their initiatives are impacting the region - taking in interest in the big picture rather than just your part in it may get the regional manger engaged and may even consider you as a part of this in future - you are just planting the seed at this stage as you feel a part of the "bigger picture".

    Remember to recharge as much as possible the night before and think happy thoughts as much as possible to make you in the most positive frame of mind for the meeting - chances are it is just box ticking for all involved but you can make yourself seen in a better light if that is what you want.