'Autism at work'
Trust is a key building block
During the 'Week of Autism', HumanCapitalCare organised a webinar on this topic. Over 500 HR professionals attended the webinar. The host was Jorine Schoenmaker, Vocational Expert at HumanCapitalCare. The guests were Ramon Louwes, employee at ArboNed (Ramon has autism) and Jack Gulden, Occupational Physician at HumanCapitalCare.
Pictured from left to right: Jorine Schoenmaker, Ramon Louwes, Jack Gulden
Jorine Schoenmaker emphasised that autism covers a very broad spectrum, so there is a danger of making generalisations. This is why people prefer to speak of 'Autism Spectrum Disorder’ (ASD). After all, autism comes in many shapes and sizes; and of course not everyone is a 'Rain Man' with exceptional gifts. Expert Jack Gulden gave a brief theoretical review, explaining the 'Theory of Mind'. This includes the lack of empathy or reflective capacity, which means that people with autism need to learn to recognise and acknowledge emotions in others as well as in themselves.
The webinar then focused on autism at work. Viewers were given the opportunity to ask questions. One common problem is that people with autism (often) fail to keep to schedules or appointments. Golden: "Not because people are lax or forgetful, but because they are linear ('I won't come until it's finished') or they feel over-responsible. The focus is then on completing the task, more than keeping to the schedule. This often causes schoolchildren with autism to be held back and adult employees to have conflicts with their supervisors, which then often leads to job hopping”. Another characteristic is that people with autism tend to get bogged down in details, finding it difficult to distinguish main issues from side issues. They also often find it difficult to decide what kind of help to seek out. In many cases, psycho-education can help.
A lot of questions that came up during the webinar remained unanswered due to a lack of time. For this reason, we have grouped together and answered the most frequently asked questions for you. You can view them below:
Employees don’t have their diagnoses stamped on their foreheads. How can you take someone’s diagnosis into consideration if it is unknown?
As also indicated during the webinar, if autism is suspected, our advice is to engage with the employee. Here, it is important that the purpose of the conversation not be to diagnose, or to force anyone to share their diagnosis/label. Labels are not always necessary for developing a safe setting to explore what the employee in question needs in order to work in a pleasant and healthy way.
Is there the possibility of a diagnosis within HumanCapitalCare focused on neurodiversity?
No, we do not have this option.
In your view, is it necessary to involve an occupational physician in order to start a coaching programme, for example from the Autismepunt organisation?
If the employer and employee can discuss this openly with each other, it is certainly not necessary. Of course, the company doctor can make a contribution here, but it is not necessary.
Suppose an organisation has a certain way of working, only it turns out that this does not suit an employee with (a form of) autism. This employee is then absent on a regular basis. How should we deal with that?
In this case, we recommend using a vocational expert. Together we can see if it is possible to make the work more suitable without affecting the general way of working within the organisation.
Do people with autism fall into a blue colour profile (e.g. DISC, Lumina, etc.)?
No, employees with autism do not automatically fall into a blue colour profile. People with autism can also easily fit into a different colour profile.
Is difficulty with human interaction a familiar characteristic?
Yes, this can certainly be a feature. However, as with every characteristic, this is different for everyone and so it cannot be said that everyone with autism has difficulty with human interaction.
Should I pay extra attention to my employee with autism if she is pregnant?
In general, it can be helpful to schedule a preventive consultation with the company doctor in case of pregnancy. In that case, the employee concerned can check with the company doctor about what is needed to continue working in a pleasant and healthy way during pregnancy.
Can using a job coach be helpful?
Absolutely. In our experience, a job coach can act as a good 'interpreter' for an employee. For example, to assist the employee, explain what is needed to carry out the work in a pleasant and healthy way. It is good to know here that the UWV may reimburse the costs of a job coach. It is not strictly necessary for an employee to already have benefits in this case. To view all the conditions, please refer to the UWV website.
Want to know more?
Want to know more about neurodivergence in general or autism at work in particular? Then please email: diversiteit@humancapitalcare.nl. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Websites with additional information on autism: