Adults with autism may face significant challenges in business. Recent research shows that 20percent of adults with autism are unemployed.
However, companies increasingly understand the value of building a diverse team and embracing individuals with autism for diverse perspective contributions. Companies such as SAP and Microsoft, which actively recruit and support individuals with autism, have begun to grow. Companies in this approach reveal the possibility of turning the natural interests and abilities of people with autism into marketable skills.
What challenges do adults with autism face in business?
Many adults with autism face unemployment and underemployment throughout their lives. In interviews, they may struggle with making eye contact with the recruiter, asserting a bold personality, or forming a bond. After entering a new job, individuals with autism may not be able to manage the social dynamics associated with a workplace’s duties, clients, or office policies, and may eventually lose their jobs.
What are the best job options for adults with autism?
The hallmark of autism are passions and obsessions. These traits can translate into valuable skills in the workforce. People with an interest in patterns or puzzles may be successful in software testing, quality control, or other roles in the technology industry. Other positions at autism-friendly companies include warehouse operations, production lines, data entry, and accounting. Individuals with autism may discover how their natural interests and abilities overlap with the needs of specific positions in the job market.
What are the benefits to companies of hiring employees with autism?
As autism becomes increasingly common, companies can provide support by identifying what jobs employees with autism are able to do uniquely and what jobs they are suited to. They can start the change by accepting that individuals with autism can be reliable and hardworking. Including adults with autism in the team greatly contributes to a company’s “talent-centered” approach as a culture.
Should individuals with autism tell their employers that they have autism?
The decision to tell a person’s diagnosis to their employer or anyone in their life is a personal choice. It’s personal to choose when and how you want to have this conversation.
It is valuable to share the decision with an expert or loved one beforehand. For convenience in the workplace, if he/she wants to meet with a human resources representative, it is very important that he/she clearly explains his/her needs.
How can companies support employees with autism?
1. Being clear with employees is key to creating an autism-friendly workplace.
2. Managers can give clear guidelines and deadlines to their employees with autism.
3. Managers and team leaders can help remove all the elements that prevent the implementation of the guidelines given to employees with autism without affecting them.
4. They can value open, honest, creative and different ways of thinking.
5. If the office is noisy, they can provide a quiet place to work and ensure that the lights do not flicker to relieve the sensory symptoms of autism.
6. Instead of the traditional interview process, they can conduct a skill-based interview with aptitude tests. Thus, companies create an area where individuals with autism can turn into employees where they can showcase their talents.
Author: Psychologist Sadiye Akbulut Kılınç
Source: www.psychologytoday.com
