Niamh Grennan, Employment Officer at Ireland’s leading autism charity, AsIAm, talks about the importance of providing autistic people with the same chance as everyone else to enter the workplace, how she works with employers to create autism-friendly workplaces, and the partnership between IrishJobs and AsIAm to open up the world of work to autistic talent.
AsIAm and IrishJobs work together in partnership to support employers, employees, and autistic job seekers to open up the world of work to autistic talent. It’s estimated that up to 85% of autistic adults in Ireland are either underemployed or unemployed, while our most recent report with IrishJobs revealed that almost 6 in 10 autistic people believe being open about the diagnosis would hinder their career prospects. This is in a country that is experiencing the highest rates of employment since records began.
There are many barriers in place for autistic individuals accessing employment, including outdated stigmas and stereotypes, differences in communication styles, pressure to mask, the recruitment process and more. Myself and the team at AsIAm work closely with employers to remove those barriers so autistic people can have the same chance to thrive in the workplace as everybody else. I always stress to employers that making changes to your recruitment process to ensure that it is inclusive and welcoming is not only good for the autistic community, but it is good for everyone.
There are some quick, easy ways to make your recruitment process more accessible. For example, we would encourage employers to ask candidates if they require any reasonable accommodations at every stage of the recruitment process. When you ask this simple question, you are giving candidates the opportunity for disclosure if they feel comfortable doing so.
Another example of how to make your hiring more accessible to autistic people is during interviews, letting the candidate know that it is ok to take a break, ask for a question to be rephrased or make changes to the sensory environment. Small changes like these can make a big difference.
I remember when I was going through the recruitment process for AsIAm. I really saw how small changes can make a big difference in making the process easier and reducing my own anxiety. In advance of the interview, I was given the structure of the interview process and what was going to happen at each stage. I was also sent a picture of the front door of the building, the picture of the room I was to have my interview in and the headshots of the interviewers. When arriving for the interview, I knew exactly which door it was; walking into a room I had already seen and to have already seen the pictures of the interviewers made such a difference to my overall interview experience. It’s about preparation and taking away the unknown, which allows the candidates to focus on the interview or task itself.
We recognise that breaking down stigma and changing the culture within a workplace to ensure autistic individuals can bring their whole selves to work are long-term goals.
It’s where AsIAm can help. We offer a range of training and supports to help your business become an autism-friendly employer, including our employer accreditation scheme. In collaboration with IrishJobs, we have also produced our Same Chance Tool Kit, which offers a step-by-step guide for businesses to create autism-friendly workplaces, including advice to help you recruit, support, maintain and develop the untapped potential of the autistic talent pool ready and available to work.
If you are interested in starting your journey to becoming an autism-friendly employer, then I’d be delighted to talk to you. Please get in touch.
About the author
Niamh Grennan is the Employment Officer on the Adult and Well-being team at AsIAm. Niamh’s role involves supporting autistic candidates to gain employment while also supporting the business community to successfully recruit and employ autistic individuals. Before AsIAm, Niamh worked as a WAM Project Officer for AHEAD. Supporting graduates with disabilities into employment.