Autism: Is it a weakness or a blessing in the workplace?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder within the brain that affects the way people learn, communicate and behave. As the name suggest it is a spectrum which means the symptoms and severity can vary. Due to this, I would like to state this article is completely from my perspective and experiences and may not apply to all individuals.?

I was diagnosed with Autism during my first year of university. I’d always felt different within the way I had worked and did things, so this came as no surprise to myself. Autism has affected me in so many ways in my life and being diagnosed as an adult whilst navigating university has definitely been a journey of self-discovery and learning. One major factor that my autism has affected is my social capabilities. I’ve always struggled socially growing up and ended up mimicking the mannerisms and interests of the people I?am closest too to fit in. ?

When joining university, it was very overwhelming for me as I had started a course that was heavily group work based and also placed in a flat of 12 in my student accommodation. I struggled at first as this constant interaction with new people was unfamiliar to me, but it was possibly one of the best things to have happened as once I had been diagnosed, I understood myself more and was able to harness certain traits of my autism to benefit me.?

However, one thing I noticed after receiving my diagnosis that it was a taboo topic when it?came up in conversation and I was advised to keep it under wraps especially when it comes to employment. At first, I didn’t question it as there is a common misconception about autism. However, thinking about it deeper and from personal experience I have found that as well as the negatives there are many positives that come with neurodiversity that can be useful within the workplace. I have worked within hospitality and retail and now working towards a career within the media industry and I have felt the effects of my neurodiversity throughout my employment history. ?

Social Communication and Interaction?

This is one of the most common traits people associate with when speaking about autism. Many people with autism struggle with social scenarios as the communication skills neurotypical people develop early on do not come naturally for us. This can be a range of things from lack of conversational skills to lack of eye contact. This can particularly pose a challenge in certain work-spaces where collaboration or teamwork is required or even just customer facing roles. However, growing up with autism you learn to ‘mask’. Masking is a strategy that basically builds on the idea of camouflaging as a non-autistic person to fit in. There are many techniques to masking which can include mirroring facial expressions, planning what they are going to say and changing speech and voice of tone. It takes incredible observation skills to be able to pick and change yourself for a specific environment and type of social interaction. Used in the right way I believe this is actually a very useful skill to have in the workplace especially in customer facing roles. Masking means you can mirror and become exactly what is wanted or needed for your role. ?

When I was diagnosed, I researched a lot about autism and found out about masking many things fell into place in my head. I remember my parents' mentioning that the way I was, and my personality changed depending on who I was closest to. I developed a different persona for each friend or person I talked to and lost track of who I really was, and it greatly affected my mental health.?But now I know that this was masking I have tried to become myself in day-to-day life but when needed I harness it and use those skills in a way that is beneficial to me. Currently I have a retail job and going to work feels like I’m performing in a play. I have my set clothes to wear, I have a rough script I follow in my brain, and I always have a smile on my face but once I leave, I become myself again. I find this so useful and makes life feel easier for me and takes away the stress and fear of social rejection. I believe that I have become a better employee by doing this because it gives me a solid work-life balance, I have less anxiety about going to work and I am able to mold myself into what is needed of me to please people. ?

Problem Solving?

Many people with ASD display enhanced analytical thinking. This means that we have the ability to break down information and analyze it in smaller parts. Emotion is usually taken out of the equation when making a decision. This is particularly helpful as a problem-solving skill as it enables us to recognise patterns, identify key parts and come to reasonable conclusions. This helps to look for the most practical and logical solution that can be found. This can be useful within jobs as it shows efficiency and unbiased thinking. ?

However, people with autism tend to struggle more with abstract thinking?which is more based on understanding concepts that aren’t exactly solid. This makes seeing ‘the bigger picture’ a lot harder. This does pose as a weakness in the workplace as not all problems can be solved analytically, and the bigger picture needs to be seen to make a decision. ?

In my experience, I am definitely an analytical thinker I tend to focus on problems and try solving them in the most efficient way possible for me even if it doesn’t always make sense to others. This usually comes in handy in a lot of situations as i can sort of see a scenario or problem and how it will play out and the best way to fix it. I use this a lot within my degree as a media production student as well as everyday life. Although, I do struggle with abstract thinking and bringing emotion into a decision when needed I have learnt to go against my natural instinct and try see both ways and make a decision from there. This has taken time but is a skill that is possible to have as an autistic person and can help make this not having abstract thinking naturally as a weakness.?

Routine?

People with autism tend to like to stick to routine and plans as it creates a sense of predictability, security and reduces stress. This often means that things must be on time and doing things?in certain orders. This means many autistic people have good skills when it comes to planning, punctuality and efficiency which are good qualities to have within workspaces. However, if the routines and plans are disrupted it can be difficult for someone with autism to adjust to change. ?

Within my work, I find I like to do things to the minute I plan out everything I am going to do and find the most efficient times and orders for them. But I as a person have always struggled with change and disruption of plans. I hate not being on time to things and not everything going according to plan. I will admit I am not the most spontaneous of people. Although, I am teaching myself to relax a lot more around change and have started to have less anxiety around disruption of plans.?

Conclusion?

In conclusion, I believe that autism does not hinder one's ability within the workplace and is definitely not a weakness. I have learnt to not see it as a negative thing that I have but to embrace it and make it work for me. These unique skills that individuals with ASD have can be developed and harnessed to make ourselves better in life and in the workplace. I acknowledge and have experienced first-hand that it can be difficult and there will be bad days, but autism is not a problem with the right support.?