Only a third of autistic people employed due to workplace barriers

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Only three in ten autistic people are employed, as ‘ambiguous interview questions’ and applications are keeping them out of work, figures suggest.

The concerning numbers have come to light after the Buckland Review of Autism Employment was published today.

The report looks at the current employment landscape for people with autism, as well as making suggestions for how to break down some of the barriers stopping them from working.

Third of autistic people

Autistic people have a wide range of skills, interests, and experience but they will tend to think, communicate and act differently from neurotypical people, the report states.

However, autistic people are often prevented from using their skills, experience and different approaches by unhelpful processes and a lack of appropriate support, and this needs to change.

The report has been led by Sir Robert Buckland KC MP, supported by Autistica, with secretariat provided by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Sir Robert Buckland KC MP said:

“I have had a long-standing interest in promoting employment as an essential element in building full and meaningful lives for autistic people. At the moment only 3 in 10 autistic people of working age are in employment.

“This means that 7 in 10 of them are unable to access the independence and fulfilment that employment can bring. It also means that employers, and the wider economy, are missing out on the skills and energy that autistic people could be contributing, to the detriment of us all.”

Autistica estimates that around 1 in 70 people is autistic, so about 1 million people in the UK, but avoidable barriers such as interview techniques, workplace environments and social pressures are keeping them out of work.

Barriers in the workplace

The report states: “There is a wide range of potential barriers to work for autistic people; poor preparation by employers, unfair hiring practices, unclear processes and outdated attitudes all play a role.

“From a young age, autistic people are less likely than their peers to have the time, connections or support to seek out work-related experiences and career advisors are often poorly equipped to support autistic people. This has knock-on effects for later employment prospects.”

Recruitment process

People with autism have a ‘far more’ negative experience of interviews, group tasks and psychometric tests before they even land a job, the report suggests

Autistic jobseekers may feel they need to mask their autistic traits to succeed, after navigating vague, generic job descriptions, ambiguous interview questions and challenging sensory environments. They often feel judged based on their social skills rather than skill set in the recruitment process.

Support in the workplace

Concerns were also raised in the report around autistic people who are employed, not receiving the necessary support or adjustments to maintain long-term employment.

The report states many autistic adults are not aware of their legal rights around reasonable adjustments and only around 35% of autistic employees are fully open about being autistic, with 1 in 10 not disclosing to anyone at work. For those who do disclose, the most common time to do so is after starting a job – highlighting a persistent and well-founded fear of discrimination during the recruitment process.

Meanwhile, employers and managers often report poor knowledge of autism and feel under-prepared to identify and implement adjustments for autistic people.

How to create an autism-friendly workplace

The report has identified ways employers and employees can make workplaces more accessible for people with autism.

A positive culture within the workplace is important to ensure autistic employees feel safe at work.

According to the report, a positive work culture should look like this:

Accepting and understanding of people with autistic people without judgement and treating them as part of the workforce regardless of what support they need
Listens to autistic employees and values their input
Values the contribution that autistic people make to the organisation and celebrates this in proportionate ways
Normalises adaptations so these are part of working practice by default
Prioritises the mental health of autistic employees, both in making adaptations and in providing access to appropriate support when required
Deals immediately and sensitively with the challenges some autistic staff may be facing, taking a personalised approach to understanding an autistic person’s needs
Employers should have a good understanding of autism so they understand how to make adaptations for autistic staff
Line managers should respond to employees in a way that autistic people will feel comfortable asking questions or asking for clarification of tasks or instructions without fear of being judged.

Environment

The report explains aspects of the work environment are important for autistic people to success at work. Bright lighting, hotdesking and high noise levels can be distracting or contribute to sensory overload.

Some autistic people may find constant attendance in an office stressful, but flexibility with start and finish times, quiet spaces for “downtime” and working at home at least part of the time can reduce this. Individuals should be able to ask for these to be implemented without fear of repercussions.

Progression

The report suggests that autistic people should not be forced to progress if they are happy in their roles. But autistic people who do want to progress in their career should be supported to do so.

Autistic people are often overlooked when it comes to progression opportunities due to a lack of confidence, poor self-advocacy, wrong assumptions being made about their career goals, and established but mistaken views about what a manager or a leader is like.

The report explains that in most sectors, progression coincides with new responsibilities to manage staff. Some autistic people may find this difficult or overwhelming: but each autistic person is different.

Many autistic people want to manage or would like to do so with the appropriate support in place. In the absence of any support, many skilled autistic people will lack confidence and will not seek promotion opportunities.

Goal setting

Expectation setting is important in helping autistic people develop and progress in their careers.

For any employee, clear and structured appraisals by line managers give them the information they need to improve their performance and overcome weaknesses. Autistic staff benefit particularly from this appraisal being regular and structured. Ensure one-to-one meetings are regular and structured is important, as is the way they are handled.

Issues autistic people have faced during these meetings include:

Feedback too direct – offering no reassurance that the employee is successful in other areas of work
Negative feedback not given explicitly and left for the employee to pick up through social cues
Timings for tasks not adequately specified
Well-being checks not forming part of the discussion – solely work-based conversations that do not review the autistic person’s work/life balance, do not consider if an autistic employee needs any further adjustments or if their adjustments are currently working, and do not consider overall workloads when combined with coping with issues outside work.

Workplace Discrimination

If you feel you have faced discrimination at work due to having autism or another disability, you may be entitled to make a claim against them for Workplace discrimination.

Protected characteristics

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits employers from discriminating against employees because of the following protected characteristics.

If an employee or employer is proved to have discriminated against you because of one of the characteristics there can be serious consequences.

Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnerships
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion or belief
Sex

What does workplace discrimination look like?

Discrimination in the workplace is not necessarily obvious. Please see below the different forms of discrimination which may present themselves in the workplace:

Direct Discrimination – Treating a person less favourably because of one or more Protected Characteristics.
Indirect Discrimination – There may be a workplace provision, criterion, or practice (PCP) which is not intended to be discriminatory but which has the effect of disadvantaging employees with a particular Protected Characteristic. For example, a policy that unfair disadvantages a group of employees with one of the Protected Characteristics.
Harassment – Harassment occurs when an employee is subjected to unwanted conduct relating to one or more Protected Characteristic which has the purpose or effect of either violating the employee’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for the employee.
Victimisation – Victimisation means being ‘punished’ for reporting something at work that you believe is unfair such as being discriminated against.

Fiona Almazedi, Employment Solicitor at Oakwood Solicitors said:

“I have represented many clients with autism and a common theme in most of the cases is the lack of awareness of how Autism can affect an individual in the workplace this underpins a lot of the cases that end up in tribunal.

“Better understanding and a proactive approach would improve the outlook for employees with Autism. There can be a tendency in my experience also for employers to have policies on Autism and guidance in handbooks etc. however many of these policies are not carried through to everyday interactions in the workplace.

“We still have a long place to go however with greater awareness and understanding workplaces can unlock the full potential of autistic employees.

“We still have a long way to go but I feel that awareness has increased, and sources of help are better than they used to be.”

I have been discriminated against – what should I do?

If you believe that you are being treated unfairly at work because of one of the protected characteristics, you may have a discrimination claim.

Please contact Oakwood Solicitors Ltd as soon as possible to speak to one of our employment advisors.