AUTISM-FRIENDLY: HOW ORGANIZATIONS CAN TRULY SUPPORT AUTISTIC EMPLOYEES?

Reading time: 4 min

Many employers today are looking for ways that they can better support autistic employees. Autism is very prevalent, with an estimated 980,000 autistic individuals between the ages of 3 and 21 in the year 2022-2023. It’s also worth noting that there are likely thousands of undiagnosed adults, since even now, getting a diagnosis can be very challenging. Autism is also pretty poorly understood, despite how widespread it is, and many organizations struggle to support their autistic employees effectively.

There are a lot of barriers for autistic individuals trying to enter the workplace, despite the fact that many have a huge amount to offer. In the UK, only around 3 in 10 autistic individuals are in employment. That’s a great loss to both employers, who are missing out on valuable skills, and autistic individuals, who are missing out on the fulfillment and enjoyment of working.

So, what can organizations do to turn this situation around and better support autistic individuals at work? Let’s look at some top strategies!

Ask them!

This is a key lesson when working with anybody who is disabled: ask what they need. Indeed, there was even a campaign around “Ask, don’t assume” in the UK in 2023. While it drew some criticism, the core message has a lot going for it. When done sensitively, asking what you can do to support someone is often the best way to be an ally and make a disabled individual’s life better.

That means that rather than assuming you know how to help your autistic employees, you should talk to them. Find out if there are things they would like to change about their work environment. Encourage them to identify problems. You will gain valuable information about how you can be more supportive.

Indeed, autism is one of the disabilities where it’s particularly important to ask because it differs so much between individuals. What helps one autistic person might not help another, or might even make the situation worse. By giving them space and encouragement to voice their needs, you can improve their experience enormously.

It’s a good idea to check in from time to time if you manage someone who is autistic. You can do it informally as part of 1-1 meetings. Don’t frame the question around the disability, but instead, just find out if there’s anything you can do that would make the workplace better for them.

Finally, remember that what you learn from working with one autistic individual shouldn’t be applied automatically to another. The accommodations that help one person might be totally useless to the next - so treat your employees as the individuals they are and support them in whatever way they need.

Think about sound minimization

For many autistic people, sound can be overstimulating and distracting. Many able-bodied people also find it difficult to work in loud environments, but it might be even trickier for those who are autistic.

It’s thought that almost 90% of autistic people experience hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity when it comes to touch, smell, and hearing. Between 50 and 70% of autistic people experience decreased tolerance for sound.

Because the percentages are so high, it’s a fairly safe bet that noise could be a problem for autistic employees, especially if you work in a chaotic, loud environment. Things like ringing phones, overlapping conversations, and the sound of equipment can make a workplace intolerable for someone who is sensitive to noise.

You should therefore spend a bit of time thinking about how you can minimize sound or provide quiet workspaces for employees who need them. This could make your able-bodied employees more productive too, since anyone can find it hard to focus when there’s a lot going on. For autistic employees, it might mean the difference between being able to work and not.

Not all workplaces will find it easy to reduce sound, but think creatively. If you can’t get rid of noisy equipment, could you relocate it? Alternatively, would providing your employee with a white noise machine or noise-cancelling headphones be a workable solution? Get creative and include your employees in troubleshooting the problem!

You can also tackle overstimulation in other ways. Providing screen filters can make it easier for the employee to work at a laptop/desktop, and adjustable lighting may help too. Try to locate the employee’s desk away from the main thoroughfare so they don’t have to deal with a lot of movement and talking near where they’re trying to work.

Many of these are minor changes, but they can make the workplace far more pleasant and accessible for an autistic individual!

Create a quiet space

As you might guess from the above tip, one of the challenges that many autistic individuals grapple with is overstimulation. This tends to occur in environments where there is a lot going on, especially if that’s combined with noise and bright lights. It’s common for workplaces to be overstimulating, even if the employer makes efforts to reduce stimulation.

The best way to combat this is to create a quiet space where autistic employees can go to be alone for a while. This will let them relax and help them process the stimulation. Ideally, this space should be private, with dimmable lighting, comfortable seating, and minimal distractions.

One of the great advantages of creating a couple of spaces like this is that they can help your other employees too! People who suffer from migraines, nausea, anxiety, and many other health conditions may find that a cool-down space lets them take a breather and come back to work more refreshed. It’s important for all kinds of conditions. Even someone who is just feeling over-tired and unable to focus might use one of these spaces to briefly recharge. This is great because it can help destigmatize using the room and remind everyone that we all benefit from accommodations at times.

Do make sure you have enough of these rooms, though! If you’ve got lots of employees, you’ll likely find that many of them want to make use of the spaces and it’s important to make sure there’s an open room for your disabled employees.

Time to get hands-on!

Ask an autistic friend or employee about the most meaningful thing an employer has ever done for them, and take some time to think about it from their perspective. Why would that change have been so significant and could you provide that in your own workplace?