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Work struggles

NAS70989

Hi, I hear autistic people can do well in a job, but I also fear they can tragically fail. I'm reading about being absent minded, lost in their own world, not taking things in easily, gaps in skills, abrupt and aggresive, I have identified with all these. I also read about focus and precision, time reliably and good work ethic. Sadly I identify more with the first, but I also have nounerous mental health problems and very traumatic childhood. 

Still, which positives and negatives have autistic people with at the workplace? I'm currently on disability benefits, but I wonder what is the general experience of people with mental health problems at the workplace?

Please sign some light! 

Parents

  • I work full-time and coming to terms with a diagnosis of ASD. 

    Positive (of working)

    -Earning my own money / positive for self-identity 

    -Opportunity to support other people and influence things for the better

    -Provides structure to the day and some normalizing to everyday experience

    -I work with good people in the main. Good working relationships (even though I forget to "check in" with people socially).

    -I have an excellent manager who is working hard to make sure I've support in place.

    -I can look back on things I have achieved at work. They're minor successes, but still successes.

    -There's room for personal development and training

    Negatives

    -I feel limited by a workplace that isn't designed for me (i.e. it's not very logical, random meetings are all over the place, confused leadership). 

    -I don't function well with ambiguity or other people making decisions that impact me but are not explained

    -I'm not great at handling things with people (so I can work well with folk, but I really seem to struggle with the office politics or what seems like random decision making. I'd be a rubbish manager)

    -I can find full days exhausting (although I have flexible hours so if I'm absorbed in something I'll pull the extra time in and chip it off elsewhere)

    -I can get bored with routine tasks, fortunately I've been able to move around a lot workwise.

    -My occupational health assessment wasn't particularly supportive. 

    -When I was in the office I found some of the background noise, and commuting difficult to handle (no problem now at home!!!)

    -Occasionally I'll have a crisis of confidence and catastophisize everything- especially if I feel I haven't handled something particularly well.

    After a particularly rubbish day with general office stuff which would frustrate anyone - and where I'm feeling pretty awful - I'd still sooner be in work than out of it. I'm fortunate enough to have a fairly supportive employer and I do wonder how I'd fare in another role.

    To be honest, perhaps not as well. So figuring out the right role is important as well as learning the art of "letting stuff go" in the workplace and how many hours you can comfortably work (I did a 4 day week for a few weeks once and it was a godsend).

Reply Children
  • in reply to NAS70989

    Sometimes it's difficult to stop Grinning

    I've found it helps to know what resources are already available to employers and Trade Unions, so TUC have autism in the workplace https://www.tuc.org.uk/autism-awareness-workplace and the CIPD resource Neurodiversity in the workplace https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/diversity/neurodiversity-work . That's the standard I expect because I know what information is out there for employers. Even an answer to a simple question to a potential employer such as "Are you aware of the disability confident campaign?" https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/ might tell you whether or not that employer is right for you. 

    Sometimes it's about educating employers in how best to support - I'm fortunate to work for a large company who are getting all excited about Diversity and Inclusion and have just moved to a new role so I've built in half an hour each week with my line manager to talk about how I'm managing the work in light of diagnosis so she can "ground" me a little (I can be overly-focused, try and process too many ideas at once and sometimes I'm a little hyper and I can be *very* impatient with people who don't get my explanations for things). I'm also aware that her manager (and my indirect boss) feels she doesn't need to be aware of the nuances of my condition and how it affects me - which led almost to me being pushed into a role that wasn't suited for me. 

    Advocacy is important. So again, I'm talking in the sense of working for a large company, but see if there are virtual networks of employees to share experiences and what union representation there is. I'm working on getting an advocate in case I feel I'm getting boxed in or overwhelmed and need someone to speak on my behalf (personally I'd like to take my psychologist to work, but sadly that's above my pay grade Wink)

    As a starting point, if possible, try out some part-time hours or volunteer work just to learn how you feel in the workplace (check with your benefits people that it's ok and what the impact is before you do anything). A few hours a week can help you learn what your stressors are, what things are supportive to you - how you might cope if X situation arises, the kinds of people you don't find as comfortable to deal with. It's all useful information in working out what self-management strategies will work for you, and what reasonable adjustments you may need.

    Finally, if you're able to get someone to support you on this journey so you can check in with them as to how things are going that makes a world of difference. That support can be anyone, friend, work support person, counsellor - just someone who will allow you to offload with them while you're finding your way.

    Personally, even though I've worked for my organisation for ages and I know some of the conversations that take place at senior levels (leadership, making your team a success blah blah blah) I've been blown away by some of the things that have been said about me which shows a complete misunderstanding not only of my condition but of supporting people in general. The workplace is a messy place and even with the policies in place - managers can still fall way short.

    ....and... I've just read your answer to blue below Flushed so you might (probably will) be aware of this  stuff already....my bad. If any of this is helpful .... great. If not, no worries.