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Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

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Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#81

Post by pmiller2 »

thesperg wrote: post #78

As someone with many Aspergers tendencies, I can tell you that most work, school and social environments are not great for us. While I think it is annoying to have Aspergers and be expected to act “normally,” I can see it would have many downsides for people to claim Aspergers status and bring this into regular office environments rather than develop coping strategies. It takes very, very little time for normal peopl…

What do you mean by “make it very, very costly for people to bully me?” That sounds to me like a strategy that can easily and frequently backfire.

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#82

Post by notyourday »

callesgg wrote: post #64
notyourday wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclosing anything not directly related to the work (i.e. health/future plans/dreams/difficulties/struggles) at work is a terrible idea. Every single person who thinks or advocates otherwise lives in a bubble -- betting on a correct outcome is no difficult than betting on rationality of the market. Remember, market can be irrational for longer than you can remain solvent.

That really depends on what you want out of your workplace. If all you want is money to fuel the rest of your life then i think you are on point. Personally i think life is to short/demanding, one needs to find an appropriate balance between work and personal life. I would rather have the people at work be friends than foes.

> That really depends on what you want out of your workplace.

In order for it to be a workplace, one needs not to be fired/let go/reorganized out of the workplace.

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#83

Post by will_brown »

astura wrote: post #30
will_brown wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Under the law...one gender, while not a minority , is a protected class. Protected classes are qualified for special treatment in law and policy, particularly in the context of employment law.

False, all genders (including male) are protected classes. "We didn't hire you because we think women make better caregivers" is just as illegal as "We didn't hire you because we think men make better middle managers." http://www1.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/5-2-18.cfm >The Children's Home, Inc., a Tampa nonprofit child care organization also known as the Children's Home Network, will pay $18,000 and provide train…

You are correct, and I intended to reflect just the point gender is a protected class whether or not it is the/a minority gender in the context of the employers work place, industry as a whole and society at large. I suppose my comment was poorly worded and open to interpretation based on use of “one gender”.

Of course there are exceptions to gender discrimination that does allow an employer to hire on the basis of sex (I.e. bonafide occupational qualification).

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#84

Post by EpicEng »

callesgg wrote: post #64
notyourday wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclosing anything not directly related to the work (i.e. health/future plans/dreams/difficulties/struggles) at work is a terrible idea. Every single person who thinks or advocates otherwise lives in a bubble -- betting on a correct outcome is no difficult than betting on rationality of the market. Remember, market can be irrational for longer than you can remain solvent.

That really depends on what you want out of your workplace. If all you want is money to fuel the rest of your life then i think you are on point. Personally i think life is to short/demanding, one needs to find an appropriate balance between work and personal life. I would rather have the people at work be friends than foes.

>I would rather have the people at work be friends than foes

Sure, but for how many of us is that going to be a reality? You have to protect yourself, and the vast majority of people work for a paycheck because there is no other option.

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#85

Post by ultraforce »

michaelt wrote: post #67
ultraforce wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you work somewhere where that is the situation I would highly recommend trying to find a job that isn't as messed up. In the province of Ontario, employers are specifically needed to allow you to take your sick days for if you are feeling overwhelmed or something else is going on that is bad for your mental health. Asperger's Syndrome isn't considered a mental illness it's considered a neurodevelopmental disorder.…

I'm not sure I understand your analogy to drinking alcohol and insulting people? I mean, you show up drunk to work and insult people, you get fired - right? What's the analogy to someone on the autistic spectrum?

Oh, I was thinking of the fact that someone who gets drunk at a gathering that is work adjacent who insults people and you don't get fired some of your co-workers might not like you but you can still move up the corporate ladder if it's just a not too often of a thing.

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#86

Post by pmiller2 »

sjg007 wrote: post #61

Just as an FYI, autism is considered a disability so your employer has to make reasonable accommodations.

It’s not really that simple. As another commenter says, you have to disclose before you can formally request accommodation. And, given the disadvantages of doing so, it’s often not a good idea to disclose until there are problems. By that point, the employer might not be very cooperative, and, even if they are, the process of requesting accommodation need not be made easy or explained well. And, if things still go south despite disclosure and attempts to request accommodation, the options for dealing with that are limited. Basically, you can make an EEOC complaint, and that’s it. You will not win any friends by doing so, either.

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#87

Post by pmiller2 »

chimeracoder wrote: post #77
coldtea wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The modern discussion whether it's a mental illness or not is just tiptoeing around the issue for non-medical concerns. Mental illness doesn't mean "crazy person", there's a huge number of such cases, and half the population or more is affected by one or more (20% on any given year). There's nothing insulting or damaging to call someone as mentally ill (except for types who think it means "crazy person" or some such)…

> The modern discussion whether it's a mental illness or not is just tiptoeing around the issue for non-medical concerns. It's not; there's actually a medical difference between "mental illness" and "disability".

In the sense that they’re different things that can overlap, sure. A disability is any condition (including mental or neurological disorders) that causes significant impairment in one or more activities of daily living. A mental illness is simply a condition that is best dealt with by psychotherapy or other psychiatric treatments. One can be significantly disabled by a mental illness or not.

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#88

Post by nugga »

Be aware that not every person has your best interest at heart and occasionally you may come across people who will abuse your weakness if you put yourself into a vulnerable position or paint yourself as an easy target. This may be a fringe issue but if you declare yourself to be socially inept/awkward, the sharks may come.

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#89

Post by mattrices »

thesperg wrote: post #78

As someone with many Aspergers tendencies, I can tell you that most work, school and social environments are not great for us. While I think it is annoying to have Aspergers and be expected to act “normally,” I can see it would have many downsides for people to claim Aspergers status and bring this into regular office environments rather than develop coping strategies. It takes very, very little time for normal peopl…

I'm having similar issues though luckily have less responsiblity and can avoid them for now.

Is there a book on coping strategies you would recommended?

Re: Disclosure of autism at work holds risks and benefits

#90

Post by draw_down »

callesgg wrote: post #64
notyourday wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclosing anything not directly related to the work (i.e. health/future plans/dreams/difficulties/struggles) at work is a terrible idea. Every single person who thinks or advocates otherwise lives in a bubble -- betting on a correct outcome is no difficult than betting on rationality of the market. Remember, market can be irrational for longer than you can remain solvent.

That really depends on what you want out of your workplace. If all you want is money to fuel the rest of your life then i think you are on point. Personally i think life is to short/demanding, one needs to find an appropriate balance between work and personal life. I would rather have the people at work be friends than foes.

I don't think this issue of disclosure is about being friends at work, not really. In different venues, I've come across this idea of "bringing your whole self to work", and I think this issue of disclosure falls along these lines. It seems to be the new mantra.

I don't want to bring my whole self to work, I don't want to identify with my job or my company or see myself as part of a tribe. As far as my job is concerned I just want to do good work. And so I really don't identify with this notion.

I would say that at this point, the relationship between employee and employer is generally rather adversarial. I accept the situation such as it is, but I don't relish that. I don't want to bring my whole self to that. I want to wall my real self off from that. I have a job because I need money to do the things I actually want to do. So in that sense, sure "all I want is money". That is a normal reaction to how things are.

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