EmpIntro

Employment

Employment as factor of QoL

Employment is one of the key factors underlying autistic wellbeing and quality of life, yet the employment gap for autistic people is one of the highest compared to other disabilities and there was no progress in the last decade.

Positive autism identity, being employed, autism acceptance and recognition of the role of autistic people in society are significant factors of autistic wellbeing and quality of life [1,2,3,4].. Being employed encapsulates all these important factors.

Only 16% of autistic people are in full time employment while 77% want to work [5].

According to the NAS, ‘The UK Government promised to halve the disability employment gap by the end of this Parliament, meaning they have to increase the disability employment rate from 47% to 64%. So, to make sure that autistic people aren’t left behind, the Government needs to commit to doubling the number of autistic people in work [6].’

Autism unemployment rate is higher than that for other disabilities and even for example compared to partially sighted and blind people [7].

The government has recently committed to monitor autism employment gap, which is a significant first step [8].

The general disability employment gap has not changed in last decade and is as high as 30%, according to Scope [9]. Government drive to reduce the employment gap did not make an impact for autistic people.

NAS survey found that ‘when we asked about the single biggest thing that needed to change to help autistic people get into work, over 50% said support, understanding or acceptance.

60% of employers NAS polled told that they are worried about getting support wrong and they don’t know where to go to get information about supporting autistic employees [8].

Lived experience

Experiences of autistic people in employment are surprisingly similar.

Managerial attitudes and prejudices to autism in society, discriminatory HR provisions, criteria and practices, as well as pervasive bullying are the key barriers autistic people experience.

Often autistic people report not being taken seriously and listened to after disclosure.

Research highlighted subconscious unfavourable attitudes to autistic people in ‘blind’ observation tests [10], which might underpin some of the bullying. However, the causal relationships and mechanisms of these unfavourable attitudes require further research.

Autistic researcher Brett Heasman uncovered a similar understanding and attitude gap due to common stereotypes about autism even within family relationships: “Perspective taking is two sided”

This and other studies provide evidence for to the Double Empathy problem theory that proposes that the understanding gap is two sided [12, 13].

Nevertheless, in terms of experience in employment,  some people report positive experience with Access To Work. [link to Train Spotter}

Disclosure is often a tricky time and more often than not triggers the managerial and HR machinery that may result in pushing the autistic employee out

Equality Act

The Equality Act 2010 [link to https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/equality-act-2010]  protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.

It is against the law to treat any person unfairly or less favourably because of a ‘protected characteristic’ such as a disability.

ACAS and other organisations provide good guidance on legal aspects in employment.

https://www.acas.org.uk/disability

The Act also puts a duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments and a Disability Equality Duty on public service employers to take proactive reasonable steps to treat disabled employees equally.

The Act protects people at all stages of employment, including recruitment, employment terms and conditions, training, pay and benefits, promotion and transfer opportunities, dismissal or redundancy [14].

You must be able to prove that your condition is a disability and that with or without reasonable adjustments you are qualified for the essential duties of the job.

In general terms the Act protects a qualified employee from being treated less favourably

  • For the reason of disability – just because they are disabled, this is direct discrimination,
    • including discrimination  by association with a disabled person;
    • due to perceived disability.
  • For the reason arising from disability – for example when people have prejudices against a disability and treat less favourable because of that, rather than because of specific circumstances of the individual
  • By indirectly by applying a criterion, provision or practice that applies to everyone, but puts a disabled person at a disadvantage that could not be justified;
  • By failing to make reasonable adjustments to mitigate the disadvantage.
  • By victimisation
  • Harassment 

Specific application of the equality act is intricate and based on an individual case.

See ACAS,  Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance and archives of Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC).

https://www.acas.org.uk/disability

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/equality-act-2010

The Equality Act

Disclosure of disability

Understanding the Equality Act is crucial for a successful disclosure.

Often people assume that their employment is protected by the Act and the disclosure will trigger a range of positive changes, and some people do.

Unfortunately, in practice it is not always the case due to a range of factors that can relate to discrimination, but also due to the specific circumstances of the disclosure. Understanding what the Act does and doesn’t say is crucial.

You should be qualified for the job to be protected. The Act protects employees whose disability does not prevent them from performing essential aspects of their job.

The definition of disability in the Equality Act is doing things differently or requiring longer time.

So for disclosure it is important to articulate why and how autism doesn’t prevent you from performing the role and achieving results, but requires Reasonable Adjustment to accommodate the different way or longer time you may require due to a disability.

The definition of disability in the Equality Act

You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal day to day activities.

Communication is a normal day to day activity

‘Substantial’ is more than minor or trivial, eg you do it in a different way or it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task …

‘Long-term’ means 12 months or more, e.g, a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection

Source: https://www.gov.uk/definition-of-disability-under-equality-act-2010

Autism as a disability

The Equality Act  2010 includes in the definition the difference in the way an activity is performed and the requirement for more time.

Autism should not necessarily be seen as a ‘deficiency’, but a difference in the way the activity in performed, which then requires reasonable adjustments.

Questions should be asked whether the criterion, provision or practice that puts the autistic person at a disadvantage by interacting with the way the autistic person functions

Reasonable adjustments should be made to accommodate the different, autistic way of doing the activity.

See page 15, paragraphs B2, B3, B7 and C17 on page 40 of this government guidance:

See also this ACAS guidance and resources on disability discrimination in employment: https://www.acas.org.uk/disability

These government resources page might be helpful: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-guidance

Equality Act guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission available at :  https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/disability-discrimination

Guidance from the government: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance

Neurodiversity as talent

Increasingly employers opened to the opportunities of employing neurodivergent people with publications and research undertaken by influential business organisations.

CIPD produced an excellent paper ‘Neurodiversity at work’:

Other high profile sources:

  • Neurodiversity as a competitive advantage. Austin, R.D. Pisano, G.P., 2017.  Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2017/05/neurodiversity-as-a-competitiveadvantage

Other neurodivergent conditions

  • Adult ADHD: how to succeed as a hunter in a farmer’s world. Haertmann, T., 2016,  Vermont: Park Street Press.
  • The ADHD advantage: what you thought was a diagnosis may be your greatest strength. Archer, D. , 2015,  New York: Hudson Street Press.
  • The dyslexic advantage: unlocking the hidden potential of the dyslexic brain. Eide, B.L. Eide, F.F. 2012).New York: Penguin Putnam Inc.
  • The power of neurodiversity: unleashing the advantages of your differently wired brain. Armstrong, T., 2011,  Boston: Da Capo Lifelong Books.

Good resources

Further reading

  • The way I see it: a personal look at autism and Asperger’s. Grandin, T. , 2015, Updated edition. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.
  • What Is Important in Measuring Quality of Life? Reflections by Autistic Adults in Four Countries. Helen McConachie, Colin Wilson, David Mason, Deborah Garland, Jeremy R. Parr, Alexia Rattazzi, Jacqui Rodgers, Suzanne Skevington, Mirko Uljarevic, and Iliana Magiati. Published Online:9 Oct 2019 https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0008  Autism in Adulthood Ahead of Print
  • www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/why-firms-are-embracing-neurodiversity

References

  1. What Is Important in Measuring Quality of Life? Reflections by Autistic Adults in Four Countries. Helen McConachie, Colin Wilson, David Mason, Deborah Garland, Jeremy R. Parr, Alexia Rattazzi, Jacqui Rodgers, Suzanne Skevington, Mirko Uljarevic, and Iliana Magiati. Published Online:9 Oct 2019 https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0008   Autism in Adulthood Ahead of Print
  2. David Zimmerman, Tamara Ownsworth, Analise O’Donovan, Jacqueline Roberts & Matthew J. Gullo (2018) High-functioning autism spectrum disorder in adulthood: A systematic review of factors related to psychosocial outcomes, Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 43:1, 2-19, DOI: 10.3109/13668250.2016.1262010
  3. David Mason, Helen McConachie, Deborah Garland, Alex Petrou, Jacqui Rodgers, and Jeremy R. Parr. Predictors of quality of life for autistic adults. Autism Research. 2018 Aug; 11(8): 1138–1147. published online 2018 May 7. doi: 10.1002/aur.1965. PMCID: PMC6220831, PMID: 29734506 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6220831/
  4. Milton, Damian (2017) How is a sense of wellbeing and belonging constructed in the accounts of autistic adults? In: 3rd International Disability Studies Conference ‘The Art of Belonging’, 31 Nov – 2 Dec 2018, Amsterdam
  5. NAS employment campaign https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/employment.aspx
  6. Government must tackle the autism employment gap (27 October 2016)  https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/media-centre/news/2016-10-27-employment-gap.aspx
  7. https://www.rnib.org.uk/sites/default/files/Employment%20status%20and%20sight%20loss%202017.pdf
  8. NAS:  Government commits to monitoring Autism Employment Gap (3 July 2019) https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/media-centre/news/2019-07-03-monitoring-employment.aspx
  9. Scope: Disability employment gap has barely changed in a decade https://www.scope.org.uk/media/press-releases/disability-employment-gap-barely-changed/
  1. Rabi Samil AlkhaldiElizabeth SheppardEmail authorPeter Mitchell. Is There a Link Between Autistic People Being Perceived Unfavorably and Having a Mind That Is Difficult to Read? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. October 2019, Volume 49, Issue 10, pp 3973–3982| https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-019-04101-1
  2. Perspective-taking is two-sided: Misunderstandings between people with Asperger’s syndrome and their family members. B. Heasman, A. Gillespie Autism, July 7, 2017 https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317708287
  3. https://network.autism.org.uk/knowledge/insight-opinion/double-empathy-problem
  4. Milton, D. (2012) On the Ontological Status of Autism: the ‘Double Empathy Problem’. Disability and Society.  Vol. 27(6): 883-887. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62639/
  5. EOC  https://www.eoc.org.uk/the-equality-act/