Sharing ASD diagnosis with your employer

I think it really depends on the work environment and how comfortable you feel with your employer before you share that information.

I'm quite lucky to work in a gym and I'm self employed, but while I was still on gym hours as part time staff I was able to ask to avoid meetings because I found them too exhausting (and pointless ice breaker games when we already know each other is just a waste of time). Unfortunately I had to go fully self employed because teaching classes and working in the evenings when it's busy and noisy was wearing me out. That's something we couldn't come to an agreement on and I had to leave the staff job. So much for equal opportunities I guess.

I feel that if I'd known I was AuDHD in my previous job then no accommodations would've been made and I'd have been ridiculed, bullied and gaslighted even more than I already was. The construction industry is not a good place to be ND. There's a lot of racism, ableism, sexism and homophobia dressed up as 'banter', and it can get very school yard if it's not addressed.

I have heard from some people who say their employer is very open to their needs and will accommodate them very well to enable them to do their job well in the way that suits their needs. Sadly this seems to be a minority experience and for many companies much of the equal opportunities guff is just a box ticking exercise, especially mental health. I'd say have a think about your relationship with your employer and colleagues. If it feels safe then it may well be, but if you have doubts then I'd explore those before telling anyone.

Worst thing I ever did. Managers completely unsupportive and projected their internal biases and stereotypes onto me and used it as a reason to force redeployment away from my field of over 30 years.

It now looks increasingly like a tribunal claim.

I am pleased to read that many that have disclosed have been supported but just wanted to let you know that there are dinosaurs still out there and they can damage you!

Hey! I had mine on the 22nd April and I am wondering the same thing at the moment. I work in quite a busy place so for me because I struggle a lot with noise sensitivity would really like to wear earplugs. Most people I work with are already supportive of another autistic member of staff so I am thinking maybe I will tell others I am. I think it’s a personal choice but I have been a bit stuck with this as well and what to actually ask for as adjustments! 

Thanks for the great advice and information everyone,  I think I'll let my employer know I'm autistic, they have been very supportive and as I work in a college that promotes inclusion and diversity I'm hoping I'll be ok. If they suddenly become unsupportive then I'd rather not be in a place like that. 

I have informed line manager and HR.

HR said several months ago - when I raised the ticket someone would be in touch - but I never heard.  That said I'm OK if they don't, I just wanted it noted on my file.

My line manager has been good so far and has made some adjustments in how we work.  I think more may be needed in future as I figure them out.

We have an ND group within the company (i need to find out more)  and they've produced a Manager guide for dealing with ND employees.  I may use that as a basis, obviously we are all different so a standard list is just a guide.

A recent online event explained the challenges but also the strengths of different ND conditions.  I felt it was overall very positive presentation, and was proud of this being done by my company.

As far as colleagues/client contacts I've not disclosed to them.  I work from home predominately and so engagement is mainly emails, IM chats and web call, with office visits only every 1 or 2 months.  I tend to stay away from any social events too (no surprise).

As others said - I think it would depend on your company. I imagine it would have been very different with some of my past employers.  Although that said they were some time ago.

I have shared with 2 employers. 1 was not that understanding and made a lot of brush off comments. My current one has been very supportive and is happy to make accomodations for me. This makes it hard to advise because I know there can be very different outcomes.

I think you absolutely should be able to share it and should benefit from sharing it but I'm wary of giving you that advice because I don't know your employer and I wouldn't want to give advice that couple backfire on you. But as you've said they're generally supportive, I see no reason that they shouldn't respond well and so I'd be pro sharing. You have to be comfortable with doing so though.

Some people do not disclose for fear of a negative outcome which I totally understand. But based on my previous experience, I would actually now always disclose my AuDHD as I wouldn't want to work for someone that wasn't accepting and supportive. Although that experience was really unpleasant at the time, it made me take the steps needed to find somewhere better.

You might find the advice here helpful:

NAS - Deciding whether to tell employers you are autistic - this article includes insights from several other autistic people.

NAS - What support can I get at work as an autistic person?

Along with the further related articles here: NAS - Employment

Hi, it’s hard to advise. I shared my suspected diagnosis (I don’t even have the official one) I did it only because my manager was concerned about my issues with communication and sensory overload. I explained to him with my own words why I have problems with social chit-chat, why I have bad reactions to noise and that I struggle to recognize signals from my own body such as hunger, which is important here because I often get weak out of hunger because I don’t recognize it on time. He understood and does not make any problems for me, I’m allowed to wear earplugs and I don’t have to socialize as much as others do. In fact I’m not the only ND person in our team, my strengths compensate weaknesses of other colleague. It’s very important to have supportive team and management. My company says that they are open for people with disabilities, which I saw is actually true, but sometimes it’s just written to look good, but the reality is different. 

There's have been several threads on this or similar before, and you can research these while waiting for replies by using the search function on the home screen, and inputting keywords. 

Personally, I certainly would - especially if you feel you have general support in the workplace.  Good luck with your decision & outcome