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Why Autistic Employees are the most Loyal and the most Trustworthy

Hooverchips

​In the corporate world, we often talk about "culture fit." But if you want a team built on integrity and long-term dedication, you should be looking at cognitive diversity. Here is why autistic professionals are often the most dependable members of a team:

1. Value-Driven Integrity

​For many autistic individuals, honesty isn't just a policy; it’s a default setting. There is often a strong internal compass that prioritizes factual accuracy over social posturing or "office politics." You get a clear, unvarnished picture of project statuses, which is invaluable for effective management.

​2. Preference for Stability and Routine

​While the neurotypical world often chases the "next big thing," many autistic professionals find deep satisfaction in mastery and consistency. Once they find an environment where they feel supported and understood, they are significantly more likely to stay long-term, building deep institutional knowledge.

3. The "Focus" Factor

The ability to enter a state of "hyper-focus" is a common trait. When an autistic employee is engaged in a task, their dedication to seeing it through to completion is often unmatched. This translates to a high level of reliability and an attention to detail that misses nothing.

​4. Reciprocity and Environment

​Loyalty is a two-way street. When an employer provides a psychologically safe and sensory-friendly environment, they often earn an incredible degree of dedication. If the communication is clear and the environment is stable, there is very little incentive for an autistic professional to look elsewhere.

  • I worked for 34 years (biomedical research in academia) - in that time my job changed, I moved between buildings and my employer changed. However, I did not actively choose to change anything myself, things just changed around me. I had a job interview in 1986 and was still in place in 2020, when I took early retirement.

  • This is the opposite of my experience. My jobs have usually consisted of a kind of honeymoon period where I think things are going really well. Then I am ousted often by surprise and without warning. Often it’s been a kind of ambush tactic used by my colleagues or employer. Workplaces and companies are mostly places of people who like each other and always want to be Iin their company. The biggest flaw I see is the biase toward people they like or  know over their capabilities. Because also at interview people do not know your abilities other than what you sell them. I personally think narcissists and good looking people get away with murder and move from job to job so easily. Job selection should be much more arbitrary, machine selected (removing the Achilles heal which allows so many people to slip in) people need to learn to get along with everybody- the world would be so much better.

  • My working life was a train wreck followed by a motorway pile up followed by crash landing, followed by a shipwreck I now understand the why of it was down to my autistic behaviour. Yet everything in the OP is equally valid. My observation is that some employers do not want people who think. They actually want moronic automatons.  

  • in reply to Iain

    Well that could be unfounded prejudice and stereotypes so sounds like discrimination in its self 

  • Employers are more inclined to see the negatives however

    - the lack of a team fit makes other team members feel you are not working with them,

    - the performance impact when expernal factors are stressing you and making you lose focus,

    - the insistance of following rules when there are many times when bending (or even breaking them) is the right thing to do in order to achieve a bigger win.

    - difficulties in interfacing with customers due to poor social skills

    - the perception that we are fake due to our masking

    - our tendencies to snap when overstressed or worse, meltdown. We are seen as a potential risk

    - our lack of flexibility means when the priorities change we cannot adapt quickly or well.

    - our higher than normal levels of sick leave due to stress.

    - the unspoken fear of us making a disability discrimination case against the manager or company

    - our difficulties in picking up on subtle cues to drop a subject or not talk to someone about something etc - often leading to us unintentionally upsetting others.

    And so on - this is a list I gor from speaking to a former boss about whether they would consider knowingly hiring autists in future. The answer was no, and the interview process was designed to focus on the benefit of the skills we do not possess such as team work.

    The reason for this is "you can train tech skills easily but you cannot train aptitude".

    It was for this reason that I have chosen to be my own boss now rather than stay in a job market where our acceptance is becoming more difficult as people pick up on the liabilities versus benefits balance and seem to decide that the liabilities are too high to make it work for most situations.

    This has only been my experience - I hope others have better ones.

  • If only all employers and managers could view this instead of being blinkered by unconscious bias and stereotypical assumptions. 

  • I absolutely love love love this !! Totally agree !!!

  • in reply to Lonehare12

    Thanks Lonehare. Hope it was useful :)

  • Hi  

    Just want to say thank you for this very uplifting post.

    Blush

  • in reply to Hooverchips

    I wonder how others have difficulties accepting and admitting their mistakes. They look for ways to cover it or put on someone else. While I go to my manager and simply inform him that I made a mistake and I need his help to correct it. So I don't wanna leave a hidden mess behind, which would be found sooner or later and sometimes it may create a much bigger mess in the future.

  • in reply to Alien0n3arth

    Exactly its a two-way street. We need to feel psychologically safe and when we do, we can be the best employee we can be as our authentic selves.

  • Yes, but I would like to add, that these traits can be seen in other ND people too, for example ADHD. 

    I always hear, that im a reliable and honest employee. I remember my interview,  my boss asked me about my previous job (call center) and I told him i didn't like it because talking on the phone is very stressful for me. He noted something and went to a next question.  I was sure he won't employ me. Later that same day he called me and I got the job. Now colleagues tell me I'm hard working and the least complaining person. I'm gonna stay here as long as possible,  I like my tasks and I got used to everything here.