25 Accommodations Autistic People Need in the Workplace
I recently asked my autistic TikTok viewers what accommodations they need in the workplace. Below are their responses.
- Be clear and direct with instructions and feedback
Your autistic employees are literal thinkers. This means they need clear, direct instructions and feedback. Subtle hints or vague meanings are not accessible to many autistic people.
- Avoid micromanaging your autistic employee
Many autistic people are uncomfortable with being perceived. If you’re over their shoulder throughout most of the project, they’ll have a hard time concentrating and completing their work. Instead, give them time to work through the project from start to finish and answer questions when they come up. If you want to check in, send an email.
- Allow your autistic employee to create their own systems to manage workflow
When I was in the corporate world, I always took the instructions I was given and wrote them in “my own language”, so to speak. I had to translate neurotypical instructions into autistic, and it was the only way I could do my job. Allow your autistic employees to do the same.
- Allow your autistic employee the freedom to be alone on breaks
Many autistic people get the reputation of being cold, distant, or anti-social when they take their breaks and lunchtimes alone. When in truth, they are taking that time to recover from sensory overload, social interactions, and the work itself. This is their time to decompress, not add more stress to their nervous system.
- Avoid assigning hidden motivations to your autistic employee’s words and gestures
Since neurotypical communication includes many subtleties and relies heavily on facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone, you’d be forgiven for thinking your autistic employee operates the same way. However, this is not the case. Autistic people communicate directly, with no hidden meaning behind their words or gestures.
- Offer defined meanings about office rules and terms
Since every workplace rule-book and work contract is different, it’s critical to “say the quiet parts out loud” when training your autistic employee. If anything in the company handbook could be taken too literally or out of context, explain the meaning behind the rules and how they should be followed. And if they do make a mistake, explain instead of reacting as though they broke a rule on purpose.
- Elaborate on projects and expectations instead of just saying “do this”
When you give your autistic employee a new assignment, instead of saying “do this” as if they already have all of the information, sit with them and elaborate on your expectations. Autistic people are bottom-up thinkers and processors and often need those gaps filled in before they start working.
- Allow your autistic employees to use headphones or earplugs
Certain sounds and tones give your autistic employees sensory overload. This can cause them to be distracted and uncomfortable while working. To circumvent this, allow your autistic employees to use headphones or earplugs, so they can achieve hyperfocus and complete the project.
- Give instructions in writing
For many autistic people, verbal instructions, especially those with multiple steps, can get jumbled and confusing. Instead, give your instructions in writing over email, so they can refer back to them as many times as they need to while working.
- Offer quieter options for your autistic employee’s workstation
In addition to allowing the use of headphones and earplugs, if your office has a quieter space, allow your autistic employee to work there.
- Give your autistic employee their own designated workstation instead of giving them a different space to work in each time
Your autistic employees thrive on sameness and routine. Being asked to switch to a different desk or cubicle can cause anxiety, decision paralysis, and a feeling that something is unbearably ‘off’. Autistic people need a desk or cubicle that’s all their own so they can arrange it in a way that feels comfortable and makes sense for them.
- Avoid adding extra work to the pre-established workload without warning and, if necessary, training
Sometimes, adding extra work is inevitable. That’s just part of being on the job. However, you can accommodate your autistic employees by giving them a warning about the change and offering them a chance to ask questions and receive training if needed before they start work.
- Allow your autistic employee to stim as necessary
Many autistic people do something called ‘stimming’. These can be movements, sounds, repetitive phrases, and/or using a sensory aid (sometimes called a ‘stim toy’) such as squishy balls, fidget spinners, tangles, etc. Far from distracting, stimming helps them focus and concentrate while reducing anxiety. Avoid calling it out, shaming it, or asking about it. It’s just a natural part of who they are.
- Offer condensed workdays or work-from-home options
Oftentimes, your autistic employees, when accommodated, can be very efficient in their work. This means they are often able to complete projects before their deadlines. Because of this, offering condensed workdays (such as Monday through Thursday) will allow your autistic employees more time to recover from sensory overload and social expectations. Also, if work-from-home is an option, offer that.
- Make cameras optional on calls and meetings
Oftentimes, your autistic employee will feel uncomfortable being perceived. This can lead to anxiety when being in a virtual call or meeting. A large part of this is that they’ll spend so much time masking their facial expressions to avoid offending anyone that they won’t be able to process information. This is why a good accommodation for your autistic employee is to make cameras optional.
- Avoid interrupting your autistic employee in the middle of a task unless it’s urgent
Unlike your neurotypical employees who can easily get back on track with their work after being interrupted, autistic employees can’t do that as easily. They work from the bottom up and often get into what is called ‘hyperfocus’, so when someone comes up to them to chat or check progress, it can not only cause a huge startle reflex but can completely derail their ability to get back to the task. Send an email or text instead.
- Be clear on time and date expectations
Instead of saying, “Get to this when you can”, give your autistic employees a firm deadline. This can help them prioritize the order in which they do the work. Furthermore, firm deadlines are especially helpful when “Get to this when you can” actually means “Do it now” because they will take you literally.
- Share meeting agendas ahead of time
Offering meeting agendas ahead of time can help your autistic employee prepare for the meeting and anything they’d like to add or ask about during. Your autistic employee doesn’t want to fumble a response to an unforeseen question and feel embarrassed, which can happen when they don’t have that preparation.
- Give the benefit of the doubt
If your autistic employee gives you a strange look, sounds annoyed, or comes across as abrupt, avoid attaching hidden meaning to it. Your employee may have a neutral facial expression that looks off to you, but there’s no malice behind it. That’s just their face—the same with a monotone or annoyed-sounding voice and being direct. There are no hidden intentions. That’s just them being them.
- Allow clarifying questions and take them literally
In every list I write, I make sure to include how critical it is for your autistic employees to ask questions and for you to take those questions literally and respond as such. Most autistic employees do not ask questions for any reason other than gathering information. Not to be rude, not to question authority, not to be annoying or to try to get out of a task, but because they need more information. And since autistic people are bottom-up thinkers, they may require more detail than their neurotypical counterparts, hence the questions.
- Lower lighting and reduce noise
Harsh lighting and too much ambient noise (which feels more like noise pollution to your autistic employee) can cause sensory overload that interrupts their ability to concentrate and get their work done. Wherever possible, lower lighting and reduce noise in the autistic employee’s workspace. For example, you can use white noise for sound reduction and reduce harsh lighting with light covers.
- Be mindful of bullying and intervene
Very often, autistic people are disproportionately singled out and bullied at work. Their differences attract animosity, creating a hostile work environment. Yes, an autistic employee might be able to “fight their own battles”, but if more than half the office is against them, it’s going to be a lot harder. Not to mention, much of the bullying is so subtle that when the autistic person finally reacts to it, they get into trouble. If you see bullying, or your autistic employee tells you directly that they are being bullied, take it seriously and intervene.
- Allow micro-breaks
Autistic people can get overloaded and overwhelmed when sitting at a desk and working on a project for too long. Allow them to take ‘micro-breaks’ where they can walk away from their desk, get a drink of water, stretch, etc. for 5 minutes without judgment or consequence. They’ll get their work done, and it will turn out better because they were able to step away.
- Avoid touching your autistic employee without consent
Many autistic people have an easy startle reflex. If someone touches them without their knowledge or consent, they may react as though a snake just bit them. This isn’t to cause problems or seek sympathy. Their nervous systems are simply hard-wired to be more sensitive to sudden, unexpected touch. Plus, many autistic people come from a traumatic background, especially those in certain age groups where being autistic was almost unheard of, and they were just seen and treated as though they were “bad”.
- Avoid asking your autistic employee to “explain their work”
Autistic people often have a different way of translating instructions and working. As I mentioned above, they take notes in “their own language” so the instructions make sense for their brain type. This means it’s often very difficult for your autistic employees to show you how they arrived at a certain conclusion. Or, even if they did a great job on the project, explaining their process (translating autistic back to neurotypical) can be next to impossible.
The Takeaway
Autistic people need accommodations so they can stay on the same page and produce the same quality of work as their neurotypical counterparts. These are needs, not wants.
Since the accommodations each autistic employee needs will differ, go over this list with them and ask which ones will be beneficial for them.
Before You Fire Them
Learn more about how your autistic employees think, learn, and process information. Pick up a copy of my book, Before You Fire Them.
