This week marks World Autism Acceptance Week so our People and Culture Partner, Emily Randall, wanted to share some more information about Autism, including what Outsource UK can do to support employees who are on the Autistic spectrum and what employees can also do to support their colleagues.
What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people communicate and interact with the world. It is a spectrum condition and affects people in different ways. Like all people, Autistic people have their own strengths and weaknesses. They can experience a lot of difficulties, some Autistic individuals can have multiple difficulties whereas others may experience only one, which is why the Autism spectrum is so complex and individual to everyone.
Autistic people also bring a range of great strengths to the workplace too, including learning and memorising information very quickly, as well as thinking and learning in a more visual way, just to name a few.
What can we do to support colleagues in the workplace?
Autism is such a broad spectrum that here at Outsource UK, we will tailor the support required to each individual need. The symptoms that one person experiences can be completely different from somebody else who is also on the spectrum.
Autism can be hard to diagnose, and this can mean that the disorder can go undiagnosed for years. Here at Outsource, we don’t require medical proof of a diagnosis, if an employee lets us know that they’re experiencing symptoms of Autism, then we will make reasonable adjustments around their symptoms.
Examples of adjustments we have made, and can make, are:
- Dimming lights in the office.
- Ensuring there are quiet rooms for an employee to use as and when required.
- Individual support where schedules are unavoidable.
- Pre-record larger meetings to avoid big social interactions.
Want to find out more?
We're proud to be an inclusive employer - a place where employees can be themselves and succeed on merit. We've adapted our recruitment processes to ensure they're inclusive as possible but we're also happy to make any specific adjustments to help you with your application.
If you’d like to discuss any specific adjustments to help you with your application, to learn more about how we can support you through your application or the ongoing suport we can offer internally, please don’t hesitate in contacting our People Team by emailing hrmailbox@outsource-uk.co.uk or calling 01793 430021.
