Supporting autistic employees to fulfil their potential
This week (2 – 8 April) marks World Autism Acceptance Week. Autism is a ‘spectrum condition’ (see below) and as such individuals’ challenges and support needs vary; however, all autistic people are likely to have some degree of difficulty with aspects of communication, social interaction, and restricted and repetitive interests and activities. Autism is one of several neurodiverse conditions including ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia (a persistent and specific difficulty in understanding numbers) and may co-occur with one or more of these.
The National Autistic Society estimates that around 1 in 70 people is autistic, but it is widely believed that the true figure could be higher than this, not least since existing screening tools can miss some autistic people whose presentation does not fit with the conventional perception of autism – including many women and girls.
Less than a third of autistic people are currently in employment, although the vast majority want to work. This compares with employment rates of around five-in-ten for all disabled people and eight-in-ten for non-disabled people.
To identify the barriers to autistic people securing sustained and fulfilling employment, last April the Department for Work and Pensions launched the Buckland Review on Autism Employment, the findings from which were published in February. The review, supported by research and campaigning charity Autistica, reports that autistic people face the largest pay gap of all disability groups, earning a third less than non-disabled people on average. This gap reduces considerably when controlling for other factors such as type of employment; according to the Buckland Review, this suggests that the pay gap is largely due to autistic people being blocked from progressing into more senior, better-paid roles. (There is much that employers can do to help affected staff overcome these barriers, as we outline in more detail in the box below.) Autistic graduates are twice as likely to be unemployed after 15 months as non-disabled graduates; they are also most likely to be overqualified for the job they have, most likely to be on zero-hours contracts and least likely to be in a permanent role.
The Buckland Review reports that only around 35% of autistic employees are fully open about their autism, with one-in-ten not disclosing their condition at all in the workplace. Where they do, they most commonly do so after starting a job, which the report suggests highlights ‘a persistent and well-founded fear of discrimination during the recruitment process’. The research also finds that ‘many feel they must mask their autistic traits to succeed’ – yet trying to conform to neurotypical behaviour on a sustained basis can take a heavy toll on mental health, with the risk of autistic burnout if individuals feel they cannot ‘be themselves’ in a suitably supportive work environment.
According to the researchers, ‘employers and managers often report poor knowledge of autism and feel underprepared to identify and implement adjustments for autistic people.’ Moreover, access to adjustments is still highly variable; it is usually down to the employee to request these and of those that did so, over a quarter were refused (despite autism being recognised as a disability).
As awareness of autism grows, increasing numbers of people are identifying with the condition and seeking a diagnosis, which could help self-understanding and improve options for support. However, waiting lists for assessment on the NHS are lengthy. A handful of more enlightened employers are starting to help staff with this by appointing specialist psychological consultancies to undertake private neurological assessments.
Useful resources
See these websites for further information on supporting autistic employees:
The Buckland Review on Autism Employment
Executive functioning/dysfunctioning at work (The Autistic Girls Network)
Employing autistic people (The National Autistic Society)
Understanding autism in the workplace (The National Autistic Society)