In 2021, data from the Office of National Statistics’ Outcomes for disabled people research revealed that just 22% of autistic adults in the United Kingdom were in any kind of paid job, placing them among those disabled people with the lowest employment rate. It was the first time that respondents were asked whether they were autistic. A review of the shocking government data cited one-size-fits-all recruitment processes and lack of employer support as major contributing factors.
Given that research has found that 77% of unemployed autistic people report that they want to work, more needs to be done to support autistic adults into paid employment. But, with only 7% of companies around the world said to have a neurodiversity plan in place, a pivotal and essential component to providing inclusion in the workplace is missing.
Neurodiversity is proven to enhance the workplace in numerous ways. People with neurocognitive disabilities have unique abilities, perspectives and skills that can be distinctly beneficial in a variety of work environments and industries.
The inclusion of neurodiverse employees increases overall morale and productivity in the workplace, boosts workforce productivity, and innovation, and lowers staff absences.
5 Things All Employers Need To Know About Autism
1. Employees who are autistic and have intellectual disabilities are more likely to be highly dedicated to their job than neurotypical people.
Canadian polling and market research firm Environics Research found that 84% of employers rated employees with an intellectual disability as being the following: high productivity, dependable, engaged in their work, motivated, great attendance records and strong attention to work quality. 86% of employees with a disability rated average or better on attendance than their colleagues without a disability.
2. Autistic employees have unique skills and strengths
Clinical psychologist Dr Tony Attwood, identified in his book The Complete Guide to Aspergers Syndrome, that autistic people are likely to be reliable, in possession of a sense of social justice and integrity, attentive to detail, original in problem-solving and honest.
Not-for-profit consultancy The Specialisterne Foundation, which helps generate employment opportunities for autistic/neurodivergent people, revealed that its autistic consultants find on average 10% more bugs than their non-autistic colleagues when checking software code for errors.
Research indicates that autistic people have a greater than normal capacity for processing information and an increased ability to focus attention on certain tasks which may explain why people with autism spectrum conditions, such as Asperger’s, may excel in some careers such as IT, which can require intense and sustained concentration and the ability to process a great deal of information from a computer screen.
Research by the University of College London identified several cognitive and thinking advantages that autistic people in the workplace have, including superior creativity, focus and memory, increased efficiency, personal qualities such as honesty and dedication, and the ability to offer a unique autism-specific perspective.
Cognitive neuroscientist Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen concluded in his new book, The Pattern Seekers, that autism and invention are intimately related, that our ability to identify patterns, particularly if-and-then patterns, allows humans to be the only animals on the planet with the ability to invent things. And this cognitive engine is super-high in the minds of inventors – and autistic people share some of the same genes for “hyper-systemising” minds with those in science and engineering. In short, he argued, “the genes for autism drove the evolution of human invention”.
Creativity in the workplace can help boost business success and all businesses need employees that have the ability to come up with unique solutions to challenges instead of just being told what to do. Psychologists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Stirling which found that people with high levels of autistic traits are more likely to produce unusually creative ideas.
3. Autistic employees are a good return on investment
Businesses that embrace neurodiversity can gain a competitive advantage in many areas — productivity, innovation, culture and talent retention.
SAP, which is a multinational software corporation that develops enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations, which launched an initiative to hire employees who were autistic in 2013, has found that its productivity had increased as a result of its efforts.
SAP said it had a “high return on investment” from its autistic employees and a 94% retention rate with its Autism at Work program, which “leverages the unique abilities and perspectives of people with autism to foster innovation”.
Recognising the benefits of neurodiverse thinking and autism to employees, society and their companies, senior vice president of digital business services Silvio Bessa said, “Having people who see things differently helps offset our tendency, as a big company, to all look in the same direction.”
American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company, JP Morgan Chase reported that professionals in its Autism at Work initiative make fewer errors and are in general 90% to 140% more productive than neurotypical employees. Anthony Pacilio, head of the programme, said, “They are doing two people’s work”.
When the programme started in 2015, within the first six months, the first cohort of five employees were 48% more productive than employees not on the spectrum who had been at the same job for three to ten years.
In 2020 the program employed 200 people in eight countries and over 40 different job roles.
Other research concluded that by creating competitive employment opportunities for autistic individuals, the social capital of a society is probably strengthened. Social capital is a concept in social science that involves the potential of individuals to secure benefits and invent solutions to problems through membership in social networks. In business it allows groups of people to work together effectively to achieve a common purpose or goal.
4. Don’t assume all autistic people are the same
The term autism refers to a broad range of conditions characterised by social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication. However, the term is interpreted differently by different people. For example, Asperger’s syndrome while no longer an official diagnosis is still used by many people. For example, entrepreneur, investor, and business magnate, Elon Musk, refers to himself as an ‘Aspie’. While others have adopted the term ‘spectrumite’ to reflect the diagnostic shift or high/low functioning labels which are predominately used by non-autistic people to describe an autistic person’s ability to function in society. In reality, autism is a broad spectrum that expresses itself in people in different ways. Like all people, autistic people have their strengths and weaknesses. Some autistic people need little or no support, whereas others need help and support every day. Employers should not assume they know how autism affects an individual employee, but take time before the person starts the job, to ask them about their diagnosis, learn how it affects them, and how to best support their needs. Examples of support could be offering a quieter room as modern open-place offices are generally very noisy. Inform them in advance of any changes, such as a meeting being cancelled or rescheduled.
5. Employers should focus on strengths, not weaknesses
Motivating people is one of the most significant issues facing employers. Strength-based approaches, which focus on the positive attributes of a person or a group rather than the negative ones, are a powerful tool for increasing motivation and performance. Focusing solely on challenges could lead to stigma and limit people’s potential.
Research suggests that strength-based interventions could help autistic people improve their self-esteem, confidence, social engagement, relationships and life skills when focusing on activities aligning with autistic people’s interests and encouraging personal autonomy.
Employers need to focus on what autistic people can do rather than what they can’t.
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