Autistics Fail to Meet the Checklists for Workplace Fit

Last updated on November 30, 2024

Autistics often find themselves judged in the workplace not by their knowledge and skills, but by how well they perform “normalcy” in an office. To appear other than how they are, the Autistics must mask, as in putting on their happy worker faces and mimicking the “neurotypical” people around them, instead of revealing their membership in a neurominority.

LinkedIn is bad enough with all the faux enthusiasm for workplace jargon and silly bizspeak. The headlines and identities strike me as masking in the worst sense of the word: being an outright fake. I do not include degrees or titles in my name, nor do I use phrases such as “client-centered expert in KPI-based social media funnels.”

Yet, what annoys me most about LinkedIn (and social media posts elsewhere by self-described management gurus) is the hiring advice that is ableist and socially biased towards charming extroverts. As I read social media posts about hiring people who “fit” instead of focusing on skills, it reminds me of all the times I was told my Autistic traits made me a poor fit in the workplace.

Encountering another one of the silly lists of hiring tips that I see too frequently on LinkedIn, I found myself responding internally to each of the points with increasing frustration. These bits of faux wisdom are why Autistics like me end up struggling to maintain employment.

I do not mask well and I refuse to pretend to be someone I am not.

1. Laughs with coworkers. Who puts this at the top of a hiring or evaluation checklist? Unless you are hiring a performer, especially a stand-up comedian, this doesn’t belong on an employee checklist. I rarely laugh with coworkers, but I have been laughed at for being too literal, not getting sarcasm, and “misunderstanding jokes.”

2. Connects with coworkers. What does this even mean? There are major consulting firms asking employees if they have friendships with coworkers. Why? I don’t want my work and private lives to overlap. For me, those boundaries help prioritize my family over work. I go to work. I go home. Please, don’t ask me out for drinks or to loud social gatherings.

3. Collaborates during meetings. The emphasis on in-person meetings bothers me. Not even Zoom or Teams meetings, but physical meetings. Yuck. Please, please don’t make me attend endless meetings. I’ll try to hide from all the input. If it can be an email, send the email. If you can use a tool like Slack so I can process and save messages, that would be wonderful. I process verbal input slowly and with caution. I am no fan on synchronous online meetings — and it seems few people are after the pandemic experience.

4. Demonstrates excellent soft skills. If any phrase has been overused by the management gurus, it’s “soft skills.” As a teacher, I constantly hear that employers want soft skills. Yet, what a lot of managers want is someone charming, which is different. Also, social expectations vary by culture, even across the United States, so what matters is knowing how to be polite. Charming? Definitely not me. I have tried to learn social norms and reading people. It hasn’t worked after five decades of trying. I continue to misread faces, body language, and speech. Instead, I disclose my traits and ask for understanding.

5. Shows up every day. The same “show up every day” management approach leads to infantilizing employees. Managers who need to see everyone to know there’s work being done signal a lack of trust. Yet, work-from-home (WFH) was the best accommodation ever offered to employees who aren’t charming extroverts. I am not an eight-to-five (or nine-to-five) office worker. I need to reset and reboot after even a few hours around people. Now, if I have my own office to decompress, okay. Don’t presume that “hotel” spaces or “quiet rooms” are sufficient.

We’re not “bad employees” because we don’t align with various lists of ideal “fit” traits. We’re different. If you support Neurodiversity, you’d consider that not every employee matches an artificial list that prioritizes social skills. The Autistic at work will put in more than 40 hours, but they might not be on a strict schedule. Our minds and bodies might need breaks away from people and stress. A minority of us are skilled socializers who thrive in noisy, chatty spaces.

There’s a reason I was an Autistic Academic. But, even in academia, I wasn’t good at social skills or networking with colleagues.

My list for evaluating students or employees focuses on the work. As a student, I was the member of a team who would end up doing the work because I didn’t want a low grade. That led me to prioritize productivity and reliability. You cannot charm your way past most deadlines.

1. Demonstrates necessary knowledge and skills for the role.

Stop emphasizing academic credentials or industry certification exams. Instead, look at what someone has done. What has the individual produced?

Most of my degrees prove only that I can read and take tests. Only my MFA required projects that non-academic employers might consider relevant. The capstone project of a Master of Fine Arts is generally a completed work of art within your specialty.

2. Continues to gain knowledge and to develop skills, staying current in the role.

Every job changes. Does the employee seek to stay current? How does that individual anticipate the future? Find out how the person stays ahead of trends.

3. Collaborates effectively, regardless of the methods and tools used to manage that collaboration.

Who cares which tools are used if the person works effectively with a team? Ask how someone collaborates best and provide tools to support that approach.

4. Recognizes and embraces personality strengths that contribute to success in the role.

Don’t ask stupid questions such as, “What are your weaknesses?” That leads to the fake humble-brag, “I work too hard.” Stop playing mental games and ask plainly, “Which of your strengths help you succeed in this job and how?” If you’re going to ask about weaknesses, don’t accept the humble-brag.

5. Completes tasks on time and with attention to detail.

Once again, I don’t care where the person is working or during which hours as long as deadlines are met. Obviously, there some jobs require a physical presence, and I understand that. Still, don’t measure someone by their ability to work a rigid, traditional schedule. Offer what flexibility is possible.