An Autistic in the Workplace: Should I tell My Boss?

I was already employed for a few years in the IT field before I was diagnosed. But I had experienced some trouble in a newly assigned task. I was asked to be on a helpdesk team, taking tech support calls from individuals within the organization and from users outside.

But, I struggled, to say the least. I couldn’t figure out what people were saying. I couldn’t distinguish accents (I live in a VERY diverse country, racially, linguistically, and educationally). I was terrified of speaking verbally. The thought of the phone ringing was horrifying. I was afraid of sounding terse, angry, unhelpful or stupid. I couldn’t “hustle” my way around a user’s problem. I struggled to ask for help from a supervisor who would say to me “you need to learn to think” and left it at that when I asked for help with a problem.  I hated it. Even though the products and systems I supported were awesome, the inherent lack of clarity of the job description and the muddiness of undefined social interaction made it incredibly difficult. I wanted to help people with their tech problems. But SOMETHING was preventing me from using my brain to do that. I wasn’t diagnosed at this stage. 

I was granted a change in an assignment (assisting in setup and configuration of network equipment), and here, I was given “finite” or discrete projects, with clear boundaries that I could tackle on my own with some training from others here and there. It was amazing. My productivity soared. I could work alone, either at the office or at home. I worked fast and loved what I was learning. I was officially diagnosed around this time. 

I toyed with the idea of disclosing my “status” to my manager. He knew I previously had struggled with depression and anxiety and he was supportive then. So, I decided to tell him. But I did have my misgivings. Unlike depression or anxiety, which are now getting more support in the workplace, in a lot of people’s minds, autism is a mental disability, not the “difference” we autistics know it to be. The result is that we are treated in a way that we see as condescending. We are not suddenly “beneath you” mentally and cognitively. We are so often treated like little kids. Comments like “good for you” and “Aw, you are trying your best” are insulting. The mental benefits that come with autism are ignored. 

When I told him about my diagnosis, he thought back to how I struggled with the helpdesk assignment. He needed a bit of help understanding what autism/Asperger’s syndrome really was. After I explained, he then said he was happy he changed my assignment to what it is now. After I described it to him, he said “well, you could say that about a few others on this team too, couldn’t you?” and he laughed. I took this as a sign of acceptance. That “despite” this difference, I was still a valued member of the team, and he could see I was happy in the new assignment and he was happy with my work. The pieces fit. So, my experience at my current employer is a good one. This isn’t the norm though. 

What Worked and What Didn’t

If you had to ask me if I would have disclosed my status upfront, perhaps at interview stage? No. For this job and anything prior that I interviewed for, I would NOT have disclosed at that initial stage. Why? Because no matter how understanding an interviewer may be, autism and social skills do not immediately associate with each other in the common person’s mind. Rudeness, bluntness, social awkwardness and other unbecoming traits are associated with us. We aren’t associated with being a “team player”. Which would rule us out. 

But the strengths we have, don’t immediately come to mind when neurotypical employers interview us. Where I had success, I attribute to the following autistic traits: 

1. Social indifference? No! Whatever you call it, it makes us impervious to the effects of office politics and the petty squabbles that often exist. We simply don’t care about these things, allowing us to focus on the goal at hand.

2. Over-analytical? No! Yes, we analyse more than the usual person and it can sometimes be a hindrance. However, wouldn’t you prefer a person who thought about a solution more rather than less? Besides, this trait allows us to connect seemingly unconnected ideas and we can come up with novel concepts this way. 

3. Not a team player? No! We CAN play in a team. Just don’t expect the quality of the results to be the same as it could have been had we tackled the task on our own. ☺ 

4. Rudeness and bluntness? No! It’s in how you frame it. The workplace isn’t high school. It’s a place to get things done. We appreciate this and as such, being clear and expecting clarity is not to be confused with rudeness. 

5. Hyperfocus? In my opinion, this can only be seen as a positive thing, if of course, it is accompanied by a guideline as to when to lay off the hyperfocus and to see the bigger picture. If the bigger picture is clear to us, hyperfocus need not be an issue at all. 

6. Poor verbal communication? No! If anything, we rely of the unique ability of humans to use language to communicate! We value what is said, not necessarily HOW it is said, or the body language employed when a thing is said. We may not speak like neurotypicals, but get us to write out our thoughts, intentions, or pretty much anything, and what you see will make sense and be helpful and clear. We highly value the use of language. Why waste that incredible area of the human brain? ☺ You will always know where you stand with us. If you listen to the words. 

The “image” of adult autistics needs to change. We aren’t just Sheldon Cooper, Dr. Greg House or Rain Man. We can be kind, gentle, loving, intelligent, independent, entertaining and funny. But these things don’t come to mind right away, and the stereotypes are hauled out instead.

How different is that from racial prejudice or sexism? 

My choice was to NOT disclose my status upfront, but rather let the evidence speak for itself once I was employed. If, however, you are an employer, I would appeal to you to consider what you think you may already know about us. Throw away the stereotypes as you would expect when it comes to gender or racial issues. You will be better for it.