How to Create a Productive Environment for an Autistic Employee

Once an autistic person makes it past the interview process, they may still struggle.

A lot of people on the spectrum report that they were hired to a job and fired without really knowing why. They must have made a big mistake somewhere, but they don’t know what it was.

Changing the way that companies accommodate their neurodiverse employees will go a long way in reducing these kinds of problems.

Companies like SAP and Microsoft who have intentionally added people on the spectrum to their workforce and have included new accommodations for their ASD employees have seen very high retention rates -- sometimes as high as 90%.

Quinn, an autistic man who was diagnosed in his teenage years, created a video series called Autistamatic to help people with autism. In a video entitled Autism & Society -- Accommodations at Work, he states,

Understanding and meeting the basic needs of neurodivergent people goes a long way towards making our lives more comfortable and carries the jewel business benefits of increasing our productivity and reducing downtime.

When a neurodivergent person works in a field they find stimulating and matched to their skill set they can often outperform their neurotypical colleagues.

So ensuring they’re given the opportunity to flourish helps both the employee and the employer.

In this section, we’ll explore the different ways that companies can accommodate their autistic employees and establish a more productive workplace.

American Disability Act

In many countries in the world, there are already laws in place that support people with disabilities. In America, this law is called the American Disability Act (ADA), and many people with ASD are included in its protections.

The ADA was established in 1990 and it prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.

It guarantees that people in the US with disabilities have equal opportunities in areas like public accommodations, transportation, and employment.

So long as a potential employee can perform the essential tasks of a job, they must be considered for the position, and they can’t be turned away simply because they have a disability.

What are Reasonable Accommodations?

You may have heard the term “reasonable accommodations” when referring to individuals with disabilities in the workforce. But what exactly does that mean?

The ADA defines it like this:

A reasonable accommodation is any change to the application or hiring process, to the job, to the way the job is done, or the work environment that allows a person with a disability who is qualified for the job to perform the essential functions of that job and enjoy equal employment opportunities.

Accommodations are considered “reasonable” if they do not create an undue hardship or a direct threat.

Some of those accommodations might include:

● A change in job tasks
● Improving accessibility to work (providing a wheelchair ramp, for example)
● Allowing a flexible work schedule
● Change presentation methods for tests or training materials

According to Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a group that helps guide businesses to accommodate people with disabilities, 58% of accommodations cost nothing for employers.

Of the remaining 42% of costs, 37% said the accommodation was a one-time cost.

For companies spending money to help their employees with disabilities, tax incentives may be available to help offset any costs.

JAN also reported, “Employers who had implemented accommodations...were asked to rank the effectiveness of the accommodations on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being extremely effective. Of the 877 responding, the majority (74%) reported the accommodations were either very effective or extremely effective.”

Related reading: What is Autism?