Improving Autistic Experiences in the Workplace: Key Factors and Actionable Steps

Abstract

Autistic adults have higher rates of unemployment and underemployment than non-autistic adults with and without disabilities. While previous work has highlighted factors specific to individuals and/or job sectors that serve as barriers or facilitators to autistic employment, the question of how to modify the workplace to best support autistic people remains under-researched. The present study utilized an ecological framework to investigate what workplace factors can be modified to improve autistic experiences and how these modifications may be enacted across different levels of workplace ecosystem to promote autistic success. Autistic participants (N = 85) across employment sectors provided quantitative ratings and written descriptions of positive and negative factors related to their workplace experiences. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to examine which factors and overarching principles most impact employment. Actionable strategies to modify these factors were derived from participant responses and validated by autistic collaborators and neuroinclusion experts. On average, participants rated task training as having the most positive, and mental health as having the most negative, impact on their employment. Participants described four themes (acceptance, communication, autonomy, accommodations) that can be embedded in the work environment to improve experiences. Steps to improve autistic employment that can be enacted by stakeholders across levels of the workplace experiences are provided. Autistic adults face multifaceted barriers to employment across levels of the workplace. Modifying the workplace itself, across multiple levels and stakeholders, may serve to improve autistic employment outcomes.