Asperger’s in The Workplace — How And Whether to Tell Your Employers
How many times have you, as an Aspie, been told, For goodness’ sake, don’t mention that you’ve got Asperger’s; If I was you, I wouldn’t mention that you’ve got Asperger’s Syndrome; No, I don’t think you need to tell anyone, just watch what you’re saying to people and you’ll be fine.
I remember the first time I ever told a manager I had Asperger’s Syndrome. It took every ounce of courage I had. We sat, in a room, together, being very pleasant to one another. I was desperate for her to know that I had this thing called Asperger’s Syndrome, which was, only then (early 2000s) coming into the public eye; for her to know how this would affect my carrying out of my duties. I waited until the end of the meeting and then told her. She asked a question that caught me off-guard.
“Is this syndrome going to get any worse?”
I didn’t say no but I forget what I did say after all that. I got to grips with the basic job description. It seemed like a job I could do. When I got (I was still very young) hold of a new idea or a new responsibility, I was full of enthusiasm. It’s funny, but seeing those words appear on a page fifteen years or more after the actual event, it feels just like yesterday.
It is important, rather than locking Asperger’s Syndrome away, you take a more sober view and ask yourself, who actually needs to know? Going by my own past experience, it is not something that can ever (nor should ever) be rushed, but it is something definitely worth doing.
I recently changed jobs. This has brought out one of my key strengths as an Aspie. I need to focus on one single thing at a time. When my mind is fully on task, I can really get to grips with it. There was a new part of my job which had just started to cause me a little difficulty. Therefore, I had been a little more apprehensive and tentative when I had approached it.
I’d also recently made some oblique references to having “learning” difficulties and I thought it only fair to follow up on those. My manager needed to know. She may well be the one left wondering, at some point, why I was not picking up on things in the way others were.
I spent a lot of time thinking about how to broach the subject with her. Should I wait and see if she says anything, about any problem or issue, since the slight change in my duties and how I had been performing them? No, I decided that would make it sound like I was defending myself. So then, I waited for the moment to present itself.
Despite what parents, siblings, guardians and carers may wish to believe, our having Asperger’s will affect the way we behave in, and cope with, the workplace.
Don’t tell anyone you’ve got Asperger Syndrome will, rather than protecting the Aspie, make them feel even more isolated and unsure of themselves. You may well think you are acting with their best interests at heart, but what you will be doing instead will be driving them further into their shell. We Aspies, and particularly myself, at the age I am writing about (I was 23), may appear confident and well-presented on the outside, but underneath we are still either teased or plagued by doubts about whether we’ve done the right thing. Have we said the right thing? Are we acting in an appropriate manner?
We will have made mistakes in the past and, no doubt, been given a “talking to” about the ways in which we have behaved. By drilling into the Aspie the message don’t tell anyone, what you will be doing, rather than making them more careful, will be to make them more conscious of their own shortcomings, which will increase tensions within them, make them more withdrawn, more antisocial and much more liable to be a target for bullying in the workplace, being passed over for promotions etc. in the workplace or, in many cases, both. If you learn how to handle telling your employers that you have Asperger’s Syndrome, as stressful and as awkward as this may make you feel, at the beginning, this will, in the long term, increase your own self-confidence and your awareness of what your own strengths and developmental needs are. This will help you present yourself better as an attractive employee to companies.
You will have doubts along the way. You will tell the wrong people along the way the wrong things and feel like, on certain days, you have gone backwards and made absolutely no progress. It’s normal to feel this way. The important thing is to recognise that this is happening and to deal with your feelings.
So, what purpose is served by telling? How could AS be perceived as a benefit? Have there been any concerns raised? The purpose served by telling is that one’s manager (or even, in certain cases, one’s colleagues) will be less likely to assume that you are just being lazy or thoughtless. You want them to get to know the real you, and Asperger’s Syndrome is part of who you are.
The decision of whether to tell or not should always be a very personal one, steered by you, the Aspie. It is therefore, I feel, worth considering, briefly, how not to do it. Remember, there are still many people out there who have never heard of Asperger’s Syndrome. They will, therefore, possibly have no idea what you are talking about.
You should not sound like you are attempting to justify or defend yourself. Do not, for example, say, “You know when I did such-and-such? That was because I have this thing called Asperger’s Syndrome”. This is likely to cause you more problems.
Maybe wait for the other person to give you an unknowing cue. My manager (in this case in my most recent one-to-one), mentioned to me she could see I liked routine and repetition. My answer to that was, yes, this is because I have a condition known as Asperger’s Syndrome, which means I learn best when I am focusing on one thing at a time. This then led on to a discussion on my strengths and how they could be used. It also led her to ask one very important question:
“So, how can I help you?”
I was able to show my manager that I had thought through clearly telling her and also what my reasons were for doing so. This has since meant that she has got me sitting with people who have strengths where I have weaknesses; I have been able to pick up several things by rote that I may have otherwise missed out on. I will, here, relay a few snippets of that conversation:
Manager: “You like routine, don’t you?”
Me: “Yes, I find that it really helps me to focus. This is because (and this is something I’ve been thinking about telling you for a while) I have a condition known as Asperger’s Syndrome — a set routine in front of me really helps, where I know, maybe not to the exact letter but at least in the basic structure, what is going to happen next and what is expected of me. That helps my confidence and helps me help the customer.”
Manager: “Ah, right, I know you’d mentioned learning difficulties in passing before. So how can I help you?”
Me: “Well, I’d find it useful to listen in again to more of the sales calls of others, take note of what works for them.”
Now, contrast the above with another experience, from just over fifteen years ago. I was 22, still trying to get on with everybody, not let anyone know I had Asperger’s Syndrome, for fear they would see it as a sign of weakness. There was some information that had been given out incorrectly. This had happened previously. I’d thought I had done everything I was supposed to do. I had followed whatever instructions I had been given. I was too frightened to ask for help, because the help I got normally came in the form of:
Manager/colleague: “What? You can’t even manage a simple task like that? (loud sigh) Look, it’s quite simple, you do this, then you do this, then you do this bit, can you not see that? Good God, you’re useless, aren’t you?”
The mistakes kept on happening. This all came to a head one day in late 2000, when my managers called me in for a meeting:
Manager: “Now, Robert, we’ve called you in because there’s been a couple of occasions recently where you’ve been asked to do one thing and done exactly the opposite.”
I had mentioned in passing to the deputy manager of the team that I had Asperger’s Syndrome. I think it came out in conversation, somehow, that his daughter had it. I must have given some sign I knew what he was talking about. He’d said something like, “How do you know about it? Have you got it?”
That was as far, then, as the conversation had gone. Then, in this meeting, the deputy manager carried on:
“You’ve also had a couple of episodes recently where you’ve not appeared to know where you are.”
I did not know, then, that those are attacks, which may be familiar to some of you, where you get so stressed out, your brain and body just shut down completely. I just believed that I had to keep my Asperger’s Syndrome to myself, because people would think I was being stupid.
Then, the decision was taken for me. The deputy manager, with (probably) all the best intentions, mentioned that I had told him I had Asperger’s Syndrome. I liked the deputy manager a lot but it took me a long time to forgive him for that, because now my manager knew. I just wish I had been given the chance to tell him.
The difference between the two scenarios is illustrative. From my own perspective, it has shown me how much I have learned and matured. In the earlier scenario, my managers had to get me to explain to them why I could not do things “properly”. This, then, put me on the back foot. I was very naïve and immature, I now realise, in the way I came across, saying sorry even when I felt, deep down, what had happened wasn’t really my fault.
So then, what have I learned from these two experiences? I have learned not to be ashamed or embarrassed about having Asperger’s Syndrome. This is important, because it means I am now more confident in myself. I know how to focus more and not make excuses for my own behaviour. I have also learned to focus on my strengths; if people can see you are sure in what you are doing, people will respect you more. You will also be less of a target for bullying.
Being careful whom you tell is completely different to not telling anyone at all. In short, spend some time weighing up your options. Who needs to know and why do they need to know? I can hear parents, friends or siblings reading this and saying, No! Just don’t tell anyone! That’s the best way! To them I say: re-read this whole article. Consider the following factors:
- How well do you know the person/s you intend on telling?
- How closely do you work with the person/s you intend on telling?
- What signals do you believe you’re getting from them?
- What intended outcome do you hope to get from telling them?
Remember, you will make mistakes along the way and that’s ok. No one should blame you for having Asperger’s Syndrome. If they do, then that is their issue, not yours. Always remember that.
What a pointless piece of work
this i say because A I would never tell any employer I have aspergers as thats immedietly disadvantaging my self B Would they actually care well in this quick fix world no they wont
C It doesnt really concern anyone other than the person with aspergers
the reasons why i have said all what has been said is because I “came out” and said I have aspergers and all i have ever had is trouble the problem is that aspergers is so complex that ONLY the person who has it understands it we live in a society that shuns any sort of disorder or condition I now NEVER will tell ppl about my aspergers ever again sorry if this is contraverscial but its how i feel I Also DONT need or WANT any reply thanks and if this reply is taken off it also doesnt matter i have said this as a rant and its because i am so frustrated with this sort of arguement or discussion at the end of the day this is a personal desision and also does it really matter I THINK NOT goodbye
Hi Robert,
To my knowledge, under the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) it is illegal for an employer to disclose your medical condition to anyone, especially fellow employees, without your consent. This included medications that you may be taking or time off to see a doctor; it is no one’s business. What your deputy manager did was both illegal and unethical.
I tired to broach the subject when I was called out for appearing distracted and not concentrating on my job when there was a lot of noise and yelling across the room and public address announcements all going on at the same time. I admitted that yes, I was having some difficulties related to having AS and outlined what was causing the issues. The reply was “we employ you to work under these conditions. This is the way we work. This is why we employ you and pay you. I suggest you go to your doctor, get some medication, and get yourself fixed up because this is going to be a problem otherwise.”
I have now been placed under more strict supervision to make sure I don’t get distracted and call my attention to it if I appear to not be focusing.
So in my case, disclosing was not a good move.
That job sounds stressful.
A well-considered essay. Whom to tell under what circumstances is important, much better than denying the existence of the condition. I discovered after years of puzzling about the behavior of my widowed, middle-aged, elementary school teacher neighbor that she had Asperger’s. She regularly trespassed in my yard, obsessively searched my existence on the internet, and often screamed at me – “now I know the rules” – when I requested that she not bother my plants. Rules? What on earth is this woman talking about? Fortunately for her and for me, she moved after a dozen years but how much better our relationship would have been if she’d just cued me in at the start. Her most bizarre behavior came when we were discussing a serious legal matter. Quite suddenly, she began to sing “If you don’t know me by now.” Huh? The advice to level with certain associations in your life might also be applied selectively to non-family, non-work situations. Hiding the obvious isn’t a satisfactory solution.
Graham, I get you completely. And yes, the world out there is largely unforgiving and ruthless. My son came out with his condition and had his employee form torn up in front of his eyes while telling him to fill out a new one without mentioning his condition. He has had jobs turned down because it was mentioned on his CV to stress his strong point of attention to detail, which he needs in photo editing. He now doesn’t want to tell others. Yet, if people were informed and knowledgable, they would know how to go about connecting and/or supervising him. Well, he hasn’t got a job now. Applying for new jobs is a nightmare. He is down and out and there seems no hope. So while I admire the writer of the article’s courage, I do believe that for most it would spell the end of a job. And it’s as if people DON’T want to know about Aspergers, and prefer viewing it as a disease. Consequently, how many of us are trying to make a go at life while caring for our adult Aspie children? It is just the hugest strain and very frightening for the future. Esp when you’re from a 3rd world country in the south of Africa where its useless to ask for help.
I am now 49, and was finally diagnosed with Asperger’s about ten years ago. I had a permanent position, but resigned from it because I had trouble working with my manager and in the last ten years or so have been contracting.
In my last several contracts I have mentioned Asperger’s in the first week or two of the job. The immediate response has always been ‘positive’, but the ongoing response has shown that people do not understand the condition or how it affects my work. In one instance, a manager said to me “You are using Asperger’s as an excuse for behaviour that would be otherwise unacceptable”. HOW DARE HE?! (I and another contractor colleague lodged complaints against him. He’s still there; we are not.)
A few days ago I had a bit of an epiphany. Theoretically, employers must not discriminate against me. If I state up-front that I have Asperger’s, then I am letting them self-select. The discriminatory employers will decide “don’t want to employ that person, he’ll be trouble”. The ones I want to work with, who are prepared to understand the condition, will say “I am prepared to have someone with Asperger’s, recognising their skills and abilities as well as their difference”. By stating on my job application that I am Asperger’s, I am forcing my potential employer to decide what kind of employer they would be.
I am an Aspie and I have 51 years old, letting others in the workplace know you have this sindrome make them feel unconfortable and ackward at you, then my recommendation is to keep this as in secret and try to work on effective communication skills (on your own) this is the only important thing Aspies have to develop to be effective at work environments, forget about socializing, this will never be a strenght, even you really try hard. Fortunately for young Aspies, millenial guys have similar communication and sociliazing behaviors as ours, then it is easier to mimetize with them. Good luck you all.
Robert, thank you for publishing your story. It was a breathe of fresh air to be honest. I’ve struggled my whole adult life with relationships in both the workplace and my personal life. I don’t know if I have Aspergers Syndrome but I know that I am not the same as everyone else. The highs are really high and the lows are really low. I am highly intelligent logically but am an emotional cripple. My mum has always said that I am too sensitive. I wish I could be like ‘normal’ people but I’m not. It’s taken 51 years to reach this point but I’m tired and weary now.
Thank you for this… but I just tell everyone.
I never really find it that hard and I say it with pride, because I am called a Gem and a Treasure and for that I really do appreciate my Aspergers. IS it common for people with my syndrome to feel this way? Cause i never do, sometimes it’s even a sentence starter.
There are some jobs/careers in which you have to disclose your condition or you could be disqualified or fired for withholding information. Such as the military or police. The problem is they likely won’t hire you when they find out you have Asperger’s. It doesn’t matter if it does not affect your ability to perform the job.