Do I disclose being autistic to my employer?

[Beanfinity]

Recently, my department's work culture policies have shifted and there are more efforts to be more inclusive and sensitive to neurodivergent people in the workplace. However, these are just written policy and the actual social culture will take time to shift, so I am concerned about stigma/judgment/people not believing me. I have been doing 'ok' without supports for some time, but I'm afraid I am just building to another burnout. Masking just gets harder and harder. I am considering getting a diagnosis and letting my employer know so I can get some supports.

I am curious about other people's experience in disclosing their diagnosis/needs to employers. Were they very accommodating? Did you get pushback re medical proof (whether as self-diagnosed, or awaiting diagnosis)? Did colleagues start treating you differently (in a bad or good way) after hearing about your accommodation? And most importantly, how did you deal with these challenges?

Also, since I have been masking and self-accommodating for so long, I am not sure what my employer can do to make things easier. All I know is I am exhausted each day and I avoid social interaction because it exhausts me even more. I keep headphones in all day and everything on dark mode. I can't really tell the difference between an autism need, and a personal failing (ie. fear of public speaking/being called on unexpectedly in a meeting). I do my best to 'deal' with my own needs, but I don't know how to express them to my employer without sounding like I am just complaining. If you have any examples that worked for you, or suggestions, it would be great to hear.

I appreciate your responses and sharing your experiences

 

[aspieoutlaw89]

Recently, my department's work culture policies have shifted and there are more efforts to be more inclusive and sensitive to neurodivergent people in the workplace. However, these are just written policy and the actual social culture will take time to shift, so I am concerned about stigma/judgment/people not believing me. I have been doing 'ok' without supports for some time, but I'm afraid I am just building to another burnout. Masking just gets harder and harder. I am considering getting a diagnosis and letting my employer know so I can get some supports.

I am curious about other people's experience in disclosing their diagnosis/needs to employers. Were they very accommodating? Did you get pushback re medical proof (whether as self-diagnosed, or awaiting diagnosis)? Did colleagues start treating you differently (in a bad or good way) after hearing about your accommodation? And most importantly, how did you deal with these challenges?

Also, since I have been masking and self-accommodating for so long, I am not sure what my employer can do to make things easier. All I know is I am exhausted each day and I avoid social interaction because it exhausts me even more. I keep headphones in all day and everything on dark mode. I can't really tell the difference between an autism need, and a personal failing (ie. fear of public speaking/being called on unexpectedly in a meeting). I do my best to 'deal' with my own needs, but I don't know how to express them to my employer without sounding like I am just complaining. If you have any examples that worked for you, or suggestions, it would be great to hear.

I appreciate your responses and sharing your experiences

i would just keep my diagnosis hidden.

 

[Masked Man]

I think you need to be careful. I don't know what sort of work you do, but if you are now claiming you need accommodations, you probably would need to have a diagnosis from a medical professional. And then it is going to be up to the employer to determine if they can accommodate you, especially if you did not disclose this upon hire.

I am fairly open about my condition, but for the most part my symptoms don't affect my job at all.

 

[Matthias]

My advice is to consider the importance of the accommodation (is it necessary to help you to stay sane or remain employed?) and the burden it imposes on the employer (can they easily accommodate you with minimal cost or disruption to the workplace?).

The difference between a "personal failing" and a disorder is the severity level (mild fear of public speaking resulting in mild discomfort = personal failing/character flaw, moderate to severe fear of public speaking that causes significant distress = anxiety disorder). I think employer's are only required to offer accommodations if a person's problem is severe enough that it's been diagnosed as a disorder. Since you haven't been diagnosed with ASD yet, the employer probably doesn't have to offer any accommodation for it (although they may choose to do so anyway even if it's not required). As far as whether you should mention ASD, I don't know because there are too many factors involved.