Autism in the workplace

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a spectrum, and no two people are the same, just as no two neurotypical people are the same. However, traits of autism are strengths, and as a company with a focus on enabling diversity in the workplace, this guide aims to share insights and advice on autism in the workplace and offer employment opportunities to autistic adults.

What is autism?

Autism is a complex developmental disability which impacts how individuals perceive their surroundings, as well as their interactions with others. Autism is a lifelong disability, and is referred to as a spectrum, as people are affected in different severities and ways. This means that there are all kinds of different areas autistic people may require additional support or adjustments in the workplace.

Why you should recruit autistic people

Traits associated with autism are highly valuable in the workplace and beyond, something that employers may not be aware of or educated about.

Spectrum, an online magazine featuring news and expert opinion on autism research, says: “A growing number of researchers argue that many, possibly even most, autistic people show certain advantages, such as an unusual ability to pay attention to visual and auditory information, directness or a strong moral compass.”

Autistica, the UK’s national autism research charity, also lists some strengths of autistic people that are beneficial in the workplace, including:

attention to detail
visual perception
creative and artistic talents
mathematical and technical abilities
interests or expertise in ‘niche’ areas
character strengths such as honesty and loyalty

Autism.org also lists some further skills offered by autistic candidates, including:

high levels of concentration and increased productivity
detailed factual knowledge and recall
reliability, conscientiousness and persistence

Given these strengths, autistic people make fantastic employees and potentially perform even better than individuals without autism with the right support. The National Autistic Society offers guidance for employers and says:

“Many autistic people have a variety of sometimes exceptional skills that enable them to thrive.”

Offering employment opportunities for autistic adults not only benefits autistic people but also your company as it helps to demonstrate that you have a diverse and inclusive team. ClearTalents offers a valuable toolkit for businesses to use to widen their talent pool, increase their inclusivity and attract neurodivergent applicants. Find out more about our inclusive recruitment tool.

Tech companies are leading the way

Tech companies are leading the way in hiring people with autism. Microsoft, for example, launched an Autism hiring program in 2016. The company recently expanded the program, which is now the Microsoft Neurodiversity Hiring Program.

Microsoft said: “We built the Microsoft Neurodiversity Hiring Program on the belief that neurodivergent individuals strengthen a workforce with innovative thinking and creative solutions.

“Diverse teams positively impact our company culture, working environment and how we serve our customers,” Microsoft

Auticon is a UK-based company that recruits, trains, and employs autistic people to provide a neurodiverse workforce to improve their client’s IT projects. They state “our hybrid on-site and off-site teams utilise the cognitive benefits of autism to provide the sustained concentration and analytical mindset to add unique insights into complex IT solutions”

However, we should not limit employment opportunities for autistic people to the technology industry alone. The National Autistic Society references “roles ranging from sales assistant to computer programmer, and journalist to statistician, to name just a few.”

Directness, honesty, and loyalty are common autistic traits that any organisation should welcome.

Barriers to recruitment for autistic people

Despite their strengths and valuable traits, there is still an employment gap for autistic people. In 2021, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) published data showing that just 22% of adult autistic people are in any kind of employment. A key issue is the recruitment process.

A survey by Evenbreak found that 82% of people struggled to find disability-friendly employers, while the second-biggest barrier was a lack of confidence in the recruitment process.

Barriers during recruitment included a lack of reasonable adjustments, such as companies relying on CVs, work experience, and face-to-face interviews. 75% regularly experienced an obvious lack of interest from interviewers.

The National Autistic Society points to further barriers during recruitment processes that may hinder their employment opportunities, including:

understanding body language
maintaining appropriate eye contact
knowing how to start, maintain and end conversations or answers to questions
judging how much information to give – especially if questions are open
thinking in abstract ways, or considering ‘what if?’ scenarios
varying their tone of voice and finding the appropriate level of formality.

Addressing challenges: reasonable adjustments for autistic people

Making reasonable adjustments through the recruitment process and at work can enable autistic people to shine and remove any unintentional barriers that may be preventing autistic people from applying or being successful. ClearTalents can help you to zoom in on each step of the recruitment process and help you to adjust the workplace, to ensure you are expanding your talent pool and attracting a diverse workforce.

According to the British Medical Association, there are approximately 700,000 autistic people in the UK, according to the British Medical Association, or 1 in 100, says the National Autistic Society. One in four autistic people is also undiagnosed, according to research.

ClearTalents enables people to self-report challenges they face at work and helps to identify adjustments that may benefit them. It also doesn’t require a diagnosis.

Adjustments during the recruitment process include:

providing interview questions in advance
providing clear directions to the location, including photographs and maps
being clear about the interview schedule and what will happen when candidates arrive (who is collecting them, and from where)
a clear timetable of interview events (questions versus tasks), including who will be present (their names and roles)
avoiding hypothetical or general questions in interviews and instead being specific
let candidates refer to written materials during an interview if required
ensure job adverts are concise and easy to read, and avoid including general or soft skills such as ‘communication skills’ if they aren’t essential to the role, as this could provide a barrier to applying
ensure you are clear on your expectations at every stage of the process, for example, if there is a written form, you include approximate word counts or limits as a guide
offer alternatives to interviews throughout the recruitment process, for those that may struggle to present themselves well in an interview situation
ensure all interviews and assessments are carried out in a quiet, calm space
be understanding and aware that body language such as eye contact may vary and shouldn’t be used to determine suitability for the role
allowing people to bring a support person with them to an interview, who can help interpret questions and portray information
offering practical work experience or trials as well as interviews to allow the person to demonstrate their abilities

Adjustments for managing autistic people include:

provide the right kinds of training that is concise, structured and clear
ensure instructions given are detailed and provide steps for carrying them out that the person can understand and follow
put in place scheduled, regular catch-ups and reviews to discuss any questions or concerns, performance and work
provide autistic individuals with a support worker, mentor, or buddy in the office to look out for them and act as someone they can ask for help day-to-day
assess the working environment to make sure it is supportive of their difficulties and provide reasonable adjustments such as a quieter and more private desk area, natural and not harsh lighting, reduction of strong smells
inform the wider team (with permission from the autistic individual) of their disability and any adjustments that have been made, so they understand the reasoning
provide the wider team and line managers with training on neurodiversity and recognise potential skills associated
help autistic individuals to understand unwritten work rules as well, such as whether you can use utensils, coffee or tea, when lunch can be taken, etc.
provide a quiet, relaxing space for people to go at any time should they need time away from the work environment
offer additional software and tools for organisations to allow easier management of schedules and tasks

Benefit from the ClearTalents toolkit

ClearTalents offers businesses a simple digital tool that makes it straightforward for individuals to self-disclose any neurotypical needs and reasonable adjustments they require in the workplace in a structured, safe way, so they feel comfortable.

Employees can use our inclusion profiles to identify the types of support they require by identifying statements they relate to in our passports. For autism in the workplace, this can be hugely beneficial for adults with a range of difficulties to pinpoint areas that they require support, so businesses can offer reasonable adjustments accordingly.

Speak to the team to find out more about our tool, or for more workplace tips, you can also follow ClearTalents on LinkedIn.