Hello - Please help me to represent the Autistic community

I'd be happy to help if I can be of any use. I relatively recently gave up self-employment, running my own business, after years, to enter the world of work again. My re-entry into the working world has not gone well at all.

I'm really sorry to hear that.  Self employment is a great way for us to avoid the barriers but it is a huge responsibility and in addition your earnings can be insecure, which isn't good for spectrum folk.  I'm really sad to hear working for an employer is not going well.  Can I ask did you disclose to your employer? And are they disability confident?

I have disclosed to both employers that I've worked with since last July.

The first employer told me that I was too slow at my work and needed to speed up, or I wouldn't survive the busy period at Christmas. He started setting targets to get a certain amount of work done by a certain time, and I repeatedly failed at meeting them. The job was a physical one and I have motor difficulties which really came to light in this scenario. I quit because I knew I wouldn't get quicker, and didn't want to work somewhere for any longer where I knew I was inadequate at the job and was being pushed to work faster.

I then got another job where I was trained in one branch, and loved it. Everyone was wonderful to me. After my training, I was moved to another store and very badly bullied. I begged to be transferred back to the first branch and eventually I was allowed, with a lot of support from the manager who worked hard to get me back. Again, I was very happy and settled until I was accused of theft last week for an action that I had never been told wasn't allowed. I'm now under investigation and will potentially lose this job, but even if I keep it I cannot feel comfortable having seen how I've been treated like a thief. I'm a very good, moral person and anyone that knows me well would know that I'd never steal, but I've been accused by those I trusted and I'm now being treated like a criminal and left for day after day to stress without knowing the next steps.

I hated the stress of running my own business. I want a regular, secure income. But having tried three different working environments since last summer, I'm beginning to regret closing my business down.

I have disclosed to both employers that I've worked with since last July.

The first employer told me that I was too slow at my work and needed to speed up, or I wouldn't survive the busy period at Christmas. He started setting targets to get a certain amount of work done by a certain time, and I repeatedly failed at meeting them. The job was a physical one and I have motor difficulties which really came to light in this scenario. I quit because I knew I wouldn't get quicker, and didn't want to work somewhere for any longer where I knew I was inadequate at the job and was being pushed to work faster.

I then got another job where I was trained in one branch, and loved it. Everyone was wonderful to me. After my training, I was moved to another store and very badly bullied. I begged to be transferred back to the first branch and eventually I was allowed, with a lot of support from the manager who worked hard to get me back. Again, I was very happy and settled until I was accused of theft last week for an action that I had never been told wasn't allowed. I'm now under investigation and will potentially lose this job, but even if I keep it I cannot feel comfortable having seen how I've been treated like a thief. I'm a very good, moral person and anyone that knows me well would know that I'd never steal, but I've been accused by those I trusted and I'm now being treated like a criminal and left for day after day to stress without knowing the next steps.

I hated the stress of running my own business. I want a regular, secure income. But having tried three different working environments since last summer, I'm beginning to regret closing my business down.