Work dress code

[wanderer03]

Old school mentality. Some corporate minds sincerely believed that if you look casual, you will be perceived as being casual about your job and also may perform your duties accordingly in a casual manner. Silly rationale of a bygone era...

The more uncomfortable I am in work, the more it can become a distraction.

And the less I actually want to go to work.

 

[Robby]

Well my original question is now a mute point, as I don't work for AAA anymore by choice, don't know what I was thinking even trying a call center job, given my problems with multi tasking and not being an auditory person. They had actually changed their policy, they now allow beards for men. As it turned out, the dress code was fine. They liked my style. I did really like the people there, they were all nice, and it was a great accepting environment for me. My trainer was a lesbian, which completely relaxed me, being a somewhat effeminate gay man. She made me feel very welcome, it was just the job duties that was the only issue. I liked being able to dress up. But I just couldn't do the job, that was the only issue.

SO back to the drawing board. Jobless, and looking for a job I can actually perform without great difficulty, and hopefully when I find it, it will be in a nice environment. I've been bullied before because of my sexual orientation, and I don't tolerate it. Certainly not in the workplace. So when I meet my caseworker next week, I'll make sure not only to tell her that I do not want any job that requires major multi tasking, but a job that is visual, repetitive, and one that has a non discrimination policy towards gays lesbians and transgendered.

 

[Judge]

So when I meet my caseworker next week, I'll make sure not only to tell her that I do not want any job that requires major multi tasking, but a job that is visual, repetitive, and one that has a non discrimination policy towards gays lesbians and transgendered.

Have you ever given any thought to relocating to an area more receptive to the GLBT community in general?

Probably a third of the people I worked with in insurance were Gay, Lesbian and bisexual. It was never an issue as far as I could see. In the financial district of San Francisco, California. Discriminating against gay people there? Very bad idea.

 

[Judge]

It reminds me of the scene in "Pirates of Silicone Valley" where it shows the IBM types (the use of 'gay' is not an insult, but means joyful):

IMO it's probably best not to confuse 105-year old IBM stodgy corporate culture with that of Silicon Valley.

I worked in what was considered Silicon Valley for a few years in software entertainment. I think I could have shown up in pajamas and no one would have said a thing. They were all about creativity. I loved the environment...not to mention all the autistic people around me. I felt at home, without really understanding why.

The insurance company I once worked for...now they definitely reminded me of IBM.

 

[Judge]

That's probably why Steve Jobs looked at them as "the enemy," because he was anything but stodgy or conventional. It's hard to imagine they've been around that many years.

Steve Jobs legally acquired technology from another one of those old and stodgy New York corporate cultures which made Apple what it is today.

-Xerox

But then ultimately Steve Jobs worst enemy became Bill Gates. One of his own peers.

 

[Judge]

It's a fascinating story of how all of that came to be. What's even more fascinating is it all took place in just a few decades.

Indeed. One of my favorites....all the way back to the Altair Computer.

 

[Robby]

Have you ever given any thought to relocating to an area more receptive to the GLBT community in general?

Probably a third of the people I worked with in insurance were Gay, Lesbian and bisexual. It was never an issue as far as I could see. In the financial district of San Francisco, California. Discriminating against gay people there? Very bad idea.

Moving requires funds that I don't have, let alone somewhere like San Francisco across the country, where the cost of living there is so high that people making a ton of money struggle to pay the immense rent, let alone someone unemployed like myself. So not going to happen.

 

[Judge]

Moving requires funds that I don't have, let alone somewhere like San Francisco across the country, where the cost of living there is so high that people making a ton of money struggle to pay the immense rent, let alone someone unemployed like myself. So not going to happen.

True . Whatever you do there it has to involve a good income. But it is a more tolerant environment in general.

 

[Robby]

I need to find a job I can actually do and hold for more than 3 days first, and then maybe look for my own apartment. But that's a little down the road, will have to get a newer car first. Moving across the country to a city like San Francisco would be impossible, yea it might be more tolerant, but it's not that bad where I am now. I don't mind living in the south in most ways. Just need to find a job for my own sense of self worth and self confidence. I've learned my lesson that I absolutely hate anything to do with customer service it makes me a complete nervous wreck. So those are what I am avoiding now.

 

[ezcare]

Yea it's just that I haven't ever really had a real job before so am just totally clueless and uncertain what to expect. I don't have a reference point for what situations/settings I like or not, because I haven't tried anything much. I hope they're patient with me. Part of me thinks I'd be best in a situation where I'm working alone on my own, but I suppose answering phones is doable if I can learn how. I guess on the bright side I can get learning experience and a little understanding of what my skills are. My case worker told me to just constantly tell myself I can do this. I'll give it my best try.

One thing about the Aspie temperament: if we can overcome the fears and anxiety we generate in our own head, then we can walk through hell and not be touched by the fire. As a "support person" you are in a position to observe and analyze information patterns that might go over the heads of your co-workers and supervisor. You will likely be able to recall minute details from reading [visual exercise] and observation of customer interaction that will escape most normal people. That is rare and valuable skill/ talent. Once your managers realize this and put it to use, they will not care if you come to work in your pajamas, so long as you can give them the support information they need when they need it. Remember the old saying: The devil is in the details. Most Supervisors fear this devil more than nasty-grams about dress code violations. Dress codes do not generate income for the company. Being able to act on strategic information that has been validated by a trustworthy support person like you can give any company the competitive edge.

 

[Robby]

I'm sure the managers at AAA would have made accommodations for me, but call center work just isn't my thing. I thought the job was going to be simple dispatch but no. I can answer phones, don't get me wrong, but it has to be fairly simple and basic or I will freeze up. I just can't think very well on the spur of the moment, I am the type of person that needs more time to process information to make a response. That's the auditory processing thing. I am just not into customer service work it freaks me out and makes me freeze up. Way too stressful for me to do that type of work.

I figured out what I am good at and what I want in a job. I need it to be visual, predictable, the tasks mostly repetitive, I don't like the unexpected at all, and I don't like any job having to rely on listening or working with a ton of other people. I prefer to work independently. Plus a work environment that has a non discrimination policy/attidude towards LGBT people. So these are the characteristics of a job and work environment that I'm going to tell my case worker that I want when I meet with her next week. No more customer service!

 

[ezcare]

I'm sure the managers at AAA would have made accommodations for me, but call center work just isn't my thing. I thought the job was going to be simple dispatch but no. I can answer phones, don't get me wrong, but it has to be fairly simple and basic or I will freeze up. I just can't think very well on the spur of the moment, I am the type of person that needs more time to process information to make a response. That's the auditory processing thing. I am just not into customer service work it freaks me out and makes me freeze up. Way too stressful for me to do that type of work.

I figured out what I am good at and what I want in a job. I need it to be visual, predictable, the tasks mostly repetitive, I don't like the unexpected at all, and I don't like any job having to rely on listening or working with a ton of other people. I prefer to work independently. Plus a work environment that has a non discrimination policy/attidude towards LGBT people. So these are the characteristics of a job and work environment that I'm going to tell my case worker that I want when I meet with her next week. No more customer service!

Robby,
I think your caseworker must not know much about Asperger's. Otherwise she would NEVER have placed you in a Call Center. You described the most basic problems Aspies have in the workplace and Call Centers are notorious for those problems even among Normals. So either she threw you under the bus to meet a quota for her job or you are just using your disability to "work the system" by setting forth job acceptance criteria that would make it almost impossible to find for a skilled/experienced Normal. The workplace environment you describe does exist and you would be a very good fit if you found that job. However, you have to do some deep research and job searching on your own to get there. I don't have to see any test scores or interview you to tell that you have excellent verbal skills and analytic ability. In this age of Big Data and Global Communication folks with that ability do not belong in a Call Center, they can work alone at home hunting and gathering information that is the lifeline of every major corporation. You can have as much or as little interface with other people as you want but have to be able and willing to focus on minute bits of data for hours on end. The expected outcome of that focus is an answer to a problem that has eluded everyone else because they were not capable of seeing the pattern in the data given them. Many Aspies have a unique ability to do that. You may be one of them but no caseworker can help you discover that or lead you to people who can. You have to put yourself out there like a lure in a pond where only a few big fish reside.

 

[Robby]

She doesn't know much. But after telling her about my experience, she understood it more from my point of view. She's a super nice lady, but yea she doesn't know much about autism I think most of her clients are severely disabled like from down's syndrome and stuff like that. I hadn't thought of your theory of her throwing me under the bus, but I suppose it could be true. She seemed legitimately interested in helping me find something. We spoke at length, and in her defense, at the time, I still thought I could handle answering calls given my verbal ability, but I did not take into account my auditory processing problems. She she could have felt that a call center would work for me, since my autism is fairly mild.

But anyway, I'm meeting her again Tuesday and will lay out clearly this time the types of things I know I'm good at and what I'm not good at. No more call centers!

What I'm wondering now is what kind of tangible job I can get with my skills, of verbal, visual, non auditory, analytical abilities. I don't like Temp Agencies but what about those? I have practically no work experience at all. Hoping Voc Rehab can help me, but what I am struggling with is I know what my skills ARE, I just don't know what tangible, actual job I'd be good at.

My caseworker said she thinks a production environment where the tasks are repetitive and predictable would be a good fit for me, and I'm willing to give that a try if the pay is decent enough wherever it is.

I'll definitely avoid any customer service jobs in future. Lesson learned.

 

[ezcare]

She doesn't know much. But after telling her about my experience, she understood it more from my point of view. She's a super nice lady, but yea she doesn't know much about autism I think most of her clients are severely disabled like from down's syndrome and stuff like that. I hadn't thought of your theory of her throwing me under the bus, but I suppose it could be true. She seemed legitimately interested in helping me find something. We spoke at length, and in her defense, at the time, I still thought I could handle answering calls given my verbal ability, but I did not take into account my auditory processing problems. She she could have felt that a call center would work for me, since my autism is fairly mild.

But anyway, I'm meeting her again Tuesday and will lay out clearly this time the types of things I know I'm good at and what I'm not good at. No more call centers!

What I'm wondering now is what kind of tangible job I can get with my skills, of verbal, visual, non auditory, analytical abilities. I don't like Temp Agencies but what about those? I have practically no work experience at all. Hoping Voc Rehab can help me, but what I am struggling with is I know what my skills ARE, I just don't know what tangible, actual job I'd be good at.

My caseworker said she thinks a production environment where the tasks are repetitive and predictable would be a good fit for me, and I'm willing to give that a try if the pay is decent enough wherever it is.

I'll definitely avoid any customer service jobs in future. Lesson learned.

Robby,
Learning "what to avoid" is a zero sum game, especially when your coach "thinks a production environment...would be a good fit." You need a coach who not only understands High Functioning Autism, but has assessment tools available to help you find the best fit for your unique skills and the coaching experience to help you land the right job and keep it. I found that person through LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/comfortcareerconnector]. If you can't get to him using this URL then go to Linkedin.com and search for Rich Davis,CESP.

 

[Robby]

Robby,
Learning "what to avoid" is a zero sum game, especially when your coach "thinks a production environment...would be a good fit." You need a coach who not only understands High Functioning Autism, but has assessment tools available to help you find the best fit for your unique skills and the coaching experience to help you land the right job and keep it. I found that person through LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/comfortcareerconnector]. If you can't get to him using this URL then go to Linkedin.com and search for Rich Davis,CESP.

Right but I was referred to this agency by the local branch of the state Voc Rehab program, and they supposedly help people with all kinds of disabilities. I will try and be a better advocate for myself. Many just don't understand invisible disabilities like high functioning autism. Now that I know what my strengths and weaknesses are more, I will verbalize them clearly and concisely to my job coach. And write down what I am good at and not good at. I live in the Lexington, Ky area. The job coaches here have been working with me since late last year. They don't seem to get a good grasp on what I am looking for it seems they only are looking at menial jobs for people with major disabilities. I'm not stupid, I just need the right job for me.

Not sure where else to turn except hope my job coach can help. I'm also continuing to apply on my own. They already have told me they think I am so capable that I don't need a coach to actually chaperon me to my job like they do many of their majorly disabled clients.

I've sat down and talked with my case worker and she I believe really does want to help me, although they aren't quite as proactive as I'd like. I've been a model client, frequently checking in with them, expressing fervent interest in finding employment, and showing drive and motivation, I just feel like they might not quite get me. Hopefully now that I know call centers and customer service aren't for me, they can help me hone in on something. Because in my area there isn't anyone that specifically helps autistic people find employment, at least to my knowledge.

 

[Hidden_1]

Just a comment - not a suggestion. Going against your personal beliefs, practices, traits can be stress-causing. It is also one component of "passing" where you keep your true self hidden behind a facade. Being clean-shaven would be very difficult to fake. I hope your beard is accepted and the job works out but I see your predicament.

 

[wanderer03]

One would think that an employer would want you to come to work comfortable. The old stodginess of suits and ties is so antiquated. A comfortable employee is happy and productive. I guess employers don't care about your comfort.