Working full time

Only around 2 in every 10 Autistic people (with a diagnosis) is in employment. The world of employment can be a minefield for Neurodivergent people. It’s something I have tried to navigate for about 6 years now, and one I’ve had mixed results with.

Being Autistic and ADHD, I have this constant internal battle of “I need routine” and “I crave change”. This can come out in very difficult ways whilst working. I want something to be perfect, yet always make mistakes. I can sometimes focus on things for hours on end, whilst other days it’s impossible to stick to the task at hand.

And when ND folk aren’t supported appropriately, it can very quickly turn into burnout, overwhelm, mental illness, and someone having to leave the company. Before finding my current job, I had to quit many others where I wasn’t supported properly, put on uncertain shift patterns, or was in environments which caused me sensory overload.

Many of these things can be viewed by employers as excuses, or even reasons that Neurodivergent people aren’t suitable for employment in their organisation.

But actually, with the right support in place, Neurodivergent folk can be amazing assets to the workplace and to diverse teams.

I now work full-time and have done so for a while. This is down to complete luck with finding a manager who supports me and the needs I have. Simple things like allowing me to work flexibly, trusting me to hit deadlines and not micro-managing all means I can work with my AuDHD. Because productivity-wise, I am at least as good as others, just in a different way! My brain also works differently to many colleagues, so I can hold vast amounts of information on things I’m interested about.

But my manager also helps me with workload, being a metaphorical barrier to prevent me doing too much, and constantly checks to see I’m not saying yes to too much. This is another common theme with Autistic/ADHD people, saying yes to everything and then burning out. I’ve done that before too and it’s probably the least pleasant time of my life.

So what do I, as an Autistic and ADHD person need?

Trust, validation, support, routine (but my routine not an enforced one), changes to be planned in advance, feedback to help my Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, and – most of all – someone who allows me to feel safe not to have to mask every second of every day.

Fortunately, I have that in a kind, compassionate manager and I wish more people had that. Whilst it’s true that not every Neurodivergent person will be able to be in full-time employment (and our value does not depend on this), with the right support far more would be. And that could have huge positive impacts for the individual, their loved ones, and indeed their employers and wider society too.