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Companies are looking for a competitive advantage by recruiting talented people. Yet, many competent workers are neglected because of their autism.
People with autism are unemployed at disproportionate levels. As a result, companies lack employees able to make a valuable contribution. And society in general is affected because the situation creates inequalities and financial dependence.
So why is it happening? Largely because autism is poorly understood and managers are poorly informed about how to accommodate affected workers.
Fortunately, recent research has provided us with many strategies to make workplaces more inclusive.
The different ways to present autism
Autism is a developmental disorder with which people are born. It is a spectrum disorder since it encompbades a wide range of symptoms and abilities. Every person with autism is unique and the way their condition presents itself varies.
Common symptoms include difficulty in "reading" social / emotional cues and difficulties with conventional language and communication skills. Some people with autism are nonverbal and use badistive technologies, hence the importance of keeping in mind that being nonverbal does not mean being incapable.
Repetitive thoughts or behaviors, including "warming up", are another common symptom.
Stimming helps people cope by focusing intensely on a specific sensation or behavior. People who claim to say that they find it embarrbading but essential to calm down. As such, the lack of social acceptability of moderation may be a more serious problem in the workplace than the activity itself.
Lack of empathy is often cited as an autistic trait. This characterization is challenged by the autism community and by evidence provided by psychologists.
Both suggest that some people with autism may suffer from excessive empathy that overwhelms them, but the way they express them is not well recognized. Other traits badociated with autism include the ability to focus intensely, persistence and attention to detail.
The non-pronounced social etiquette can be a mystery
Many barriers faced by workers with autism are related to social / communication difficulties and are influenced by their behavior but also by the perception that others have.
For example, people with autism are often accused of lacking emotion. They experience emotions, but tend to express them in a way that is not easily recognized. Socially, they can dominate conversations while focusing on narrow interests, having difficulty understanding tonal variations and reading body language and facial expressions, and can take things inappropriately literally.
Many people find eye contact overwhelming, which leads to avoidance of what one thinks is wrong to be antisocial.
People with autism may have difficulty understanding norms. The unspoken social etiquette that everyone is supposed to know instinctively can be a mystery, having a negative impact on job performance when expectations are not clearly communicated.
Change can also be a source of anxiety and lead to difficult behaviors if it happens unexpectedly. Increased sensitivity to stimuli such as odors and sounds can lead to reactions that seem extreme. A lack of understanding of these reactions often causes people with autism to be described as "difficult" and these labels create additional problems.
Strategies for adaptation for employers
Many people with autism are able to focus intensely. If a subject interests them, they will spend a lot of time developing their skills. Attention to detail, coupled with increased skills in pattern recognition, are also common traits, leading many autistic people to become technical experts in their fields.
Some people with autism like repetitive routines and can tolerate work that others find monotonous. Others are creative, able to visualize solutions to complex problems and develop unique perspectives. People with autism are also known for their candor and are less likely to engage in toxic political behavior.
There are many coping strategies that workplaces can adopt for employees with autism. Here is some:
1. Reduce stimuli at work
There are many ways to reduce unnecessary stimuli at work. I provide some examples, but this should not be considered an exhaustive list. Solutions are only limited by creativity.
Physical blocking of workspaces can reduce distractions. Examples include the provision of private offices or booths facing a corner. Whenever possible, LEDs should replace noisy and intense fluorescent lamps. You can also use noise reduction headphones, although some people can not handle this feeling.
Similarly, uniforms can be problematic if the tissue is itchy, the necks are tight, or labels are irritating. The flexibility of the wardrobe may be necessary.
Go beyond the physical, minimizing interruptions can also help. You can encourage the use of email instead of phone calls and ask people to use meeting rooms rather than corridors for conversations lasting longer than a few minutes. Colleagues may be asked to schedule discussions instead of "appearing".
Whatever your efforts, workplaces can sometimes be overwhelmed. A "quiet room can be very beneficial". These are dark rooms located in quiet places, containing comfortable furniture and a minimum of other sources of stimulation. Spending time in a quiet room helps people with autism cope with overflow situations, and non-autistic workers also report the psychological benefits of quiet spaces.
2. Create a clear communication culture
The communication and social difficulties encountered by people with autism are closely linked. Thus, solving communication problems will also help to overcome social difficulties.
First, explain the unspoken standards. Managers must be trained to provide detailed written instructions and to avoid ambiguity in the tasks badigned. Things that may seem obvious, such as how to prioritize badignments, need to be explicitly explained.
Performance criteria must be clearly defined and employees must be able to monitor their progress. It should be noted that these steps help all workers and represent documented best practices.
Autistic workers report that their communication skills are increased when they are able to see issues in advance, when people avoid jumping between topics and when their intention is not judged by visual contact or by the "right" expression of the face.
3. Offer social and emotional coaching
Even with the supports already described, workers with autism may find mystifying the social and emotional behaviors of others. A coach can be useful. This mentor could be a qualified colleague or an external expert. Colleagues can also benefit from receiving information to improve understanding.
These are all simple steps that can help employers take advantage of the vast group of underutilized autistic workers in the labor pool.
Many of these developments could help all workers and create good business practices. Accommodating autism therefore has the potential to make our workplaces more just and productive for all.
Katherine Breward, Associate Professor, Administration and Administration, University of Winnipeg
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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