With awareness and accessibility, holiday parties don’t have to be something your neurotypical employees look forward to but your autistic employees dread, they can be a place where people of all neurotypes meet in the middle and use compromise to find common ground and create a true sense of community.
When it comes to workplace bullying, be aware of it in all its forms (even the hidden ones), take it seriously, and defend your vulnerable employees against it. It’s not just about protecting your interests, it’s about elevating your leadership and creating a working environment where everyone feels safe, included, and valued–no matter how their brain is designed.
When it comes to your autistic employees, explanations are not excuses. They are a response to a literal interpretation of words combined with a desire to be respectful and considerate.
When you employ different thinking, you’re not just filling a quota, you’re taking the first step to fortifying your business for the long haul through innovative thinking, increased productivity, and out-of-the-box problem-solving skills that are the hallmark of the autistic mind.
Do you have verbiage in your job descriptions such as, “Must be a self-starter”? Do you expect all of your employees to ‘just know’ what to do with little to no instruction? If so, you may be unintentionally excluding autistic candidates.
Prevent miscommunication with regular follow-ups… One of the best “side effects” of providing accessibility for your neurodivergent employees is that what you do to improve their ability to bring their best work to the table also makes it easier for all of your employees to bring their best work and, as a result, elevates your company to the top of its game!
If you’re currently working with (or plan to work with) autistic and other neurodivergent people, it’s important to know how to be a good ally. Here are some tips to help you do just that.
More corporations are realizing the benefit of the passionate, innovative, and out-of-the-box thinking style that comes with the autistic mind, and they’re ready to employ different thinking.
Being aware that autistic people think and communicate differently and accommodating those differences are helpful first steps, but to build genuine rapport, where neurotypical and autistic employees have a good understanding of each other’s feelings, ideas, and communication style, actions are important, and consistency is key. Here is a brief rundown of the most common ways you can build rapport with your autistic employees.
