Managing autism in the workplace

Headnote

Employers increasingly need to assess and address autism issues in the workplace without discrimination. Lucy Kenyon explains.

We live in a world where many organisations are struggling to understand and fulfil their legal obligations to people with disabilities. Fitness for work poses significant professional challenges for occupational physicians in a litigious society keen to point the finger when something goes wrong.

Equally challenging are the pressures felt by employers to implement advice at any cost or to let an employee go on the grounds that it is not reasonably practicable to make adjustments for them.

A consequence of a poorly managed case is reluctance to risk a similar situation in future, which can potentially lead to discriminatory practices.

Autism-spectrum conditions are among those that represent a particular challenge to employers that want to embrace the diversity and skills that autistic employees could bring to the workplace.

This article reflects on the author's experience and aims to identify useful tools that employers can refer to when confronted by a challenging case.

Prevalence of autism

Approximately four boys and one girl in every 1,000 are likely to have an autismspectrum condition (Taylor et al, 2013). Recognition and diagnosis of the condition have increased dramatically since the 1970s, when many cases were diagnosed as a learning difficulty.

In recent decades, workplace environments have increasingly become open-plan offices, with more distractions and the demand for emotional intelligence, flexibility and adaptability. New demands for flexibility have also affected employers with a shift from prescriptive legislation to framework regulations and guidance (Health and Safety at Work Act 1974).

This brings specific challenges for people with autism, including distraction, unpredictability and uncertainty. It is also likely that if you have employees born before 1990 that a significant number of them will not have received a diagnosis of autismspectrum disorder (ASD), but could display behaviours and emotions that affect their ability to cope with the work environment.

Employer adjustments

The key argument in this article is that incorporating arrangements for people with ASD reduces the impact of stress at work and subsequent performance and absence problems. A range of services is available, the most common being OH, case management (CM) and vocational rehabilitation (VR).

OH nurses and case managers "collaborate with clients...