Autism is far more common than most people realise. According to the National Autistic Society, more than one in 100 people are autistic, and there are at least 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. Yet autistic people remain badly underrepresented at work. ONS figures for 2020 put the employment rate for autistic disabled people at just 21.7%, against 53.6% for disabled people overall.
That gap is a loss for employers as much as for autistic people. Making your workplace work for autistic staff isn’t about ticking a CSR box. It’s about getting access to people who are capable, committed and too often overlooked.
What is autism?
Autism is a lifelong difference in how people experience and interact with the world. It shapes how someone communicates, processes information and responds to sensory input such as noise and light. Every autistic person is different, and the support people need varies widely.
At work, the barriers autistic people meet usually come from the environment rather than the person: vague instructions, unwritten social rules, noisy open plan offices and interviews that test small talk more than ability. Remove those barriers and the strengths come through. Our page on autism in the workplace explains this in more detail.
Seven benefits of employing autistic people
1. Different approaches to problem solving
Autistic people often process information differently from neurotypical colleagues. In practice that can mean questioning assumptions others take for granted, spotting the flaw in a process or approaching a problem from an unexpected angle. Teams where everyone thinks alike miss things; a different way of thinking helps catch them.
2. Talent for every kind of role
A common stereotype says autistic people are only suited to science and technology. Some are, and plenty aren’t. Autistic people work in marketing, law, care, hospitality, finance, the arts and everything in between. Our article on six autism stereotypes, written by an autistic writer, takes this myth apart.
3. Strengths that many roles need
Many autistic people describe strengths such as close attention to detail, accuracy, pattern spotting, honesty and deep knowledge of subjects they care about. Not every autistic person has all of these, and that’s the point: hire the individual, not the stereotype, and ask about their strengths at interview.
4. Focus and quality of work
When the working environment suits them, many autistic people can concentrate on a task for long stretches and produce work of a very high standard. The key phrase is “when the environment suits them”. A quiet space, clear priorities and fewer interruptions often make the difference. Read our piece on how open plan offices fail autistic employees for the other side of this.
5. Fresh perspectives and innovation
Teams that include people with different experiences and ways of thinking are better placed to question the status quo and find better ways of doing things. Autistic colleagues are often the ones who ask why a process works the way it does, which is exactly the question that leads to improvement.
6. Better practice for everyone
Changes that help autistic employees, such as clear written instructions, agendas sent before meetings, predictable schedules and direct feedback, make work easier for most people. Many employers find that becoming more autism-friendly makes them better managers across the board. Our guide to giving effective feedback to autistic employees is a good example.
7. A wider talent pool and a stronger reputation
If your recruitment process screens out autistic candidates, you are fishing in a smaller pond than your competitors. Inclusive hiring opens up a large pool of skilled people, and candidates increasingly look at how employers treat disabled and neurodivergent staff before they apply. Employers also have legal duties here; see our guide to reasonable adjustments and your legal responsibilities.
How Enna can help you hire and keep autistic talent
Enna works with employers to turn good intentions into practice. Our Supporting and Managing Neurodivergent Employees workshop gives managers the confidence to get the best from autistic team members, while our neuroinclusion audits and consultancy review your recruitment, policies and environment for hidden barriers. Not sure where you stand? Take our neuroinclusion maturity assessment, or book a call to talk it through.
