Autistic Employees Need Forethought, Not Fixing
Rethinking communication, expectations, and team norms can create a better workplace for autistic employees… and everyone else, too.
A few days before drafting this, I read a LinkedIn post by Ellie Middleton about assumptions that often get made about her as an autistic person.
They were:
1. I’m being “difficult” when I want things done a certain way or need information in advance.
2. I’m challenging your authority when I ask “why?”
3. I’m rude because I communicate directly.
4. I’m cold or unapproachable (my face is neutral most of the time).
5. I need more alone time to decompress, so I don’t get lonely/need support from people around me.
As a neurotypical manager (well… there’s a chance of undiagnosed ADHD in there but let’s just ignore that for now), this naturally leads me to think about my own behaviour, and how I can make the workplace a better place for my autistic employees.
To take it one step further, I like to think about ‘The Curbcut Effect’, which is the effect wherein improving accessibility tends to make things better for everyone.
It’s best illustrated by this simple graphic from Sketchplanations:
So let’s break it down according to each of these five assumptions, and see what we as leaders can offer.
1. Needing Information in Advance
Include information on a meeting’s agenda in advance, along with any documentation that would be helpful. Additionally, when getting to know your employees, ask if they have specific ways they like things done. You can’t always do things exactly how everyone prefers, but at least you can be aware and do your best to adapt so that your team members can do their best work.
Additionally, I’ve heard of a “communication profile” being made about each employee, where they specify how they like to be addressed, how they prefer communication (e.g. email for this, Slack for that, phone call for the other thing). I haven’t personally tried this, but I do try to ask these kinds of questions in early 1-on-1s.
2. Employees Asking ‘Why?’
When someone asks “Why?”, view it as an opportunity to demonstrate transparency and ownership. If you’ve made a decision for a specific reason, clarify that. The employee might disagree, but short of confidentiality reasons, there’s no purpose to hiding the ‘why’ of your decisions. Take it one step further by involving the team more in decision making and by documenting your decisions, so that people can see how you derived at your decision, and the tradeoffs you know are taking place.
3. Super Directness
Direct communication is a gift. Sometimes it can hurt, or come off as rude, but it’s your job as a manager to know your people and their intentions. You can also say directly “Are you saying that because you disagree? Or are you saying that because you want clarification?” or something similar. Remember that you can also express your own communication desires, for example by saying “I’m happy to answer your questions, but do you mind if we do a quick debrief of the week first before we jump in?”.
4. Neutral Facial Expressions
Similarly to 3, try not to assume intent. If someone looks neutral or even pissed off, you can just say to them “I’m having trouble reading your expression right now. What are you thinking?” and let them tell you (or get back to you later if they need time to process).
5. Needing Alone Time
Leave space (both physical and time-wise) at team events, half- or full-day workshops, etc. for people to disappear, and try to avoid making comments like “Where did you go?” or “I haven’t seen you for a while”. Start with the assumption that people need alone time, and then if they want to be sociable during those breaks then that’s fine too; rather than starting from the assumption that people will be sociable.
Furthermore, as Ellie outlined in her post: don’t make assumptions about those who use this time to be alone. Many people know me as a massive extrovert, but I often spend many hours alone playing logic puzzles or writing to recharge my batteries. Similarly, autistic employees who want alone time aren’t less sociable, or less interested in friendship or support.
Conclusion
None of the above is revolutionary, but all of it is based around a single facet: Do not assume you know what someone is thinking, feeling, or needing.
Provide the space to be adaptable, to answer questions honestly and transparently, and to give your employees room to think and respond in their own, unique ways. If you do that, then just like the Curb Cut Effect, you will find that all of your employees benefit.
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