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Telling Your Employer About Your Diagnosis

AspieJimmy

I am currently in a job in Marketing/Media which has a lot of diversity and not a lot of routine to it which I started 3 months ago. After my opening 3 months which ended yesterday, I have been kept on probation. Before starting my job, I did not tell my employer that I have Asperger's Syndrome. I'm currently finding some new tasks difficult as I am slow in getting to grips with it and my bosses are getting a bit impatient with me.

Would you say I made a mistake in not telling my employer about my ASD or informing the HR department about it? I would link my problems at work to my disorder.

The reason I did not tell them to begin with is because I am worried about being judged or they may find negatives from my disability that they can use as an excuse to dismiss me.

I look forward to reading your advice. 

Parents

  • well Jimmy - I would not have told them either. I have no faith in employers making allowances for disabilities - they'd just rather get someone else in who is less trouble, in my experience, and they will find anon-disability related reason for this - that's what HR do. 

    People interact with you based on the way you present yourself, and they aren't able to adjust to differences, even when they try. When I told a former boss I was deaf he used to shout at me when he remembered and mutter the rest of the time. He even used that moron voice quite a lot. I just used to cry. I'm trying to imagine what the reaction would have been if I had known about my autism. Perhaps I could have made a joke of it ? I think you have to be very strong to sort of say 'I'm autistic, not stupid, I am willing and able to do this job but I have to do it my way.'

    In practical terms, and I hope this isn't too depressing, can you not get around this by making lists for yourself and maybe 'training' your colleagues to get involved with them?  Like a list for each task etc? So don't say - 'sorry, I have ASD' but say something like -  'Good point, I need to add that to my list, its the way I work... '. maybe lists aren't your thing, but something similar.

    This has just brought on a wave of depression/self pity about past employment experiences! I wish you luck

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  • well Jimmy - I would not have told them either. I have no faith in employers making allowances for disabilities - they'd just rather get someone else in who is less trouble, in my experience, and they will find anon-disability related reason for this - that's what HR do. 

    People interact with you based on the way you present yourself, and they aren't able to adjust to differences, even when they try. When I told a former boss I was deaf he used to shout at me when he remembered and mutter the rest of the time. He even used that moron voice quite a lot. I just used to cry. I'm trying to imagine what the reaction would have been if I had known about my autism. Perhaps I could have made a joke of it ? I think you have to be very strong to sort of say 'I'm autistic, not stupid, I am willing and able to do this job but I have to do it my way.'

    In practical terms, and I hope this isn't too depressing, can you not get around this by making lists for yourself and maybe 'training' your colleagues to get involved with them?  Like a list for each task etc? So don't say - 'sorry, I have ASD' but say something like -  'Good point, I need to add that to my list, its the way I work... '. maybe lists aren't your thing, but something similar.

    This has just brought on a wave of depression/self pity about past employment experiences! I wish you luck

Children
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