Supporting Staff with Autism: How Employers Can Foster an Inclusive Workplace

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder, is a neurological condition which is categorised from a wide range of symptoms commonly around communication, repetitive behaviours and sensory processing.

Autism is a spectrum, with each autistic person experiencing different characteristics.

An autistic person will qualify as disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if their diagnosis has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

This focuses on the impact of a person’s condition rather than a formal medical diagnosis.  

The Equality Act 2010 defines ‘substantial’ to be ‘more than minor or trivial’, which means most people with autism will likely qualify as disabled unless their autism is mild and does not impact their day-to-day activities.

If an autistic person is classed as disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against them.

This includes treating someone less favourably because of their disability; having policies or practices in place which indirectly discriminate against an autistic person and cannot be objectively justified; treating someone less favourably because of something arising out of their disability (without objective justification); subjecting them to harassment; failing to comply with the duty to make reasonable adjustments and victimising them for raising concerns about disability discrimination.

Create an inclusive recruitment process.

Ensure your recruitment process is adjusted to be accessible to autistic candidates to ensure you comply with your duty to put in place reasonable adjustments to reduce or remove any specific disadvantage.

This might include offering alternative job application formats, such as video or telephone interviews instead of written responses, and allowing additional time for tasks.

Engage in an open dialogue with autistic staff.

A conversation to understand their medical needs and what reasonable adjustments would be helpful to reduce or minimise any disadvantage they may have in the workplace.

You should engage with occupational health to better understand their condition and identify any adjustments to consider. We recommend keeping a record of the adjustments considered and implemented and the business reasons, if any that are refused. What is ‘reasonable’ is an objective test that depends on the size, resources, and practicality of the adjustment.

Common reasonable adjustments include adapting the workplace environment, such as creating a quiet workplace or offering noise-cancelling headphones, flexible working arrangements and adaptations to any performance management process.

Follow up with staff if there are any clues or signs that a person may be struggling

Autism is often an ‘invisible’ condition, and you cannot be held liable for certain types of discrimination or failure to make reasonable adjustments unless you know or should have reasonably known that a person has autism.

If an employee discloses any signs of struggling or has disclosed that they have autism, then it is important to follow up and make enquiries to better understand the nature of their condition.

Provide training and guidance to staff.

Particularly managers, to ensure they understand autism and other neurodivergent conditions and can better support colleagues and their needs.