A neurodivergent experience: Pen’s story

My name is Pen. I’m 36 years old, and was diagnosed with autism in my early teens, and then later with obsessive compulsive disorder and depression.

I believe this resource is important because I have encountered workplaces that have said they were supportive of hiring people with disabilities, but then obviously had a very narrow image of what that meant and a similarly narrow understanding of how a disability could present. I have also worked for people who did truly support hiring people with disabilities, where neurodivergent individuals were treated with respect, allowances were made, and all while making it seem like it wasn’t a strain on the company or the other people who work there. I would love for this resource to make more workplaces feel and operate like the later. The workplace and employer can mean the difference between poor verses good performance, anxiety and depression verses good mental health and can affect creativity and innovation.

Barriers

Some of the barriers I have encountered in the workplace are around the employment agencies and incentives for employers. For instance, workplaces approached by my employment agency sometimes were willing to give me an experience day. The language from the agency was very encouraging around the possibility of getting a position there, which lead me to get my hope up and do my very best on the day, only to find out they weren’t hiring and were using this as an experience day only. The fault here wasn’t with the workplace or employer, it was with the agency setting expectations that were obviously not realistic. I know that the employer may have met me and didn’t like me, but I did my utmost that day to show my usefulness. I guess in retrospect the fact that it was a bookstore, and most were closing down in my little town, should have been a clue that perhaps no more staff were needed. The other instance was when I was actually hired by a gardener, as the subsidy from the government made me affordable labour. This position was good for me and I was enjoying it until my subsidy was ending and it looked like I would be let go. Luckily, it wasn’t, but the experience still opened my eyes to how I was viewed from a number’s perspective: cheap labour. 

Summary

These experiences made the need for clear communication and expectations to be laid out at the start. I didn’t have the capacity to find work myself at the time, while I believed disclosing about my autism could make me off-putting for employers. I hope this resource will show more employers that neurodivergent employees aren’t a liability, or a diversity box to tick off, we can be exactly what they are looking for.

The image used in this blog is sourced from Unsplash.

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“As an employer I believe and have seen that supporting neurodiversity isn’t just about being inclusive, it’s good for business. It attracts a wider talent pool, boosts innovation, improves employee well-being, and reduces costs. In short, it strengthens your employer brand and builds a successful work environment.”

“As a small business we create policies and procedures collaboratively with staff, making sure that the policies are designed for them by them”.

“When you’re in an inclusive workplace people identify and understand the strengths you bring and accommodate work to focus on your strength areas”

“In an inclusive workplace neurodivergent employees should feel that they are understood by staff.”

“Inclusive onboarding for me really enhanced the comfort. Your first day can be really scary as you don’t know what to do, who to meet. At one place started at they told me what the plan was, who I was to meet and gave me clear instructions of where to go which helped me have a plan until the person who was collecting me arrived which made the whole thing a little bit less stressful.”

“I found work tours really helpful when they are part of the interview. It helped me sell myself during the interview as you can look at the types of equipment you will be using and get a better idea of what they want from you and the employer gets to see how you react to the environment”

“Feeling understood by my manager meant that I felt valued by the workplace, and that my unique perspective was valuable. When managers have understood me and my strengths, I have definitely felt more motivated to do my best for the business or company as a result.”

“I’ve noticed that in workplaces I’ve been in positive changes have been really successful when they come from the top down.”

“In the business I work in, to show job seekers that we are inclusive we have inclusivity statements on our website and our job ads. We also offer adjustments and accommodations as part of the recruitment process”

“The advice that I would give to businesses wanting to be inclusive is you have to start somewhere, even with something small. Be open to new ways of thinking and get input from staff to start making inclusive changes. Get it going, get it moving and let’s start doing something.”

“Your workforce needs to reflect your customer base. It really allows your customer base to feel more welcome and like they belong. I have found also that diversity of thought, skills background and knowledge also reduces bias and group think within an organisation, that’s one of the key things I have found”.

‘In an organisational setting, inclusion is seen as a means to improve performance and employee satisfaction. It improves employee loyalty, creative problem solving and teamwork.

“In my previous role I did not disclose this information because I was already having difficulties with colleagues. In my current role I have disclosed to team members I am comfortable with.”

Autism SA completed a National Survey in 2023, where 72 neurodivergent people were asked if they had disclosed during the recruitment process or in a workplace. 33% shared that they had not disclosed, 40% said that they had disclosed their diagnosis, while 26% partly disclosed.

“I love sharing my experience of being on the spectrum with people. It’s all about awareness”

“The number one thing that neurodivergent jobseekers look for when determining if an organisation is inclusive, is inclusive statements and language”

“Inclusive workplaces enhance teamwork and collaboration by valuing diverse contributions and perspectives.”

“Neurodiverse workplaces better reflect and understand the needs and preferences of diverse groups of people. This helps to expand the market and customer base and provide a wider range of products and services.”

“A diverse workforce is able to tackle a wide range of work challenges, thereby increasing overall efficiency and productivity.”

“This diversity can promote innovation and creativity, as different ways of thinking can lead to different perspectives and approaches to problem solving.”

“As an autistic employee, feeling valued motivates me to do my best”

“Inclusive recruitment has allowed us to build a diverse talent pipeline, ensuring our organisation’s long-term success.”