What is the workplace really like for Aspies?

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I am doing some research on employees with Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD to see what kinds of experiences they have. Available literature and laws seem to indicate that bosses should be aware that these are frequently considered disabilities covered by the ADA in the U.S. and that accommodations should readily be made to keep such employees.

I was wondering if anyone has any positive or negative experiences they would like to share?

My first job: I was told what to do and did exactly what I was told to do, and got fired for not doing things I was never told to do. The boss was a young inexperienced woman and I was her only employee.

My second job: I quit because the lady yelled at me for something I had no control over. She called an apologized and asked me back but I declined.

My third job: Again, I did everything I was told to do. I was never late, I was told I'd be trained and given an evaluation in a month. Instead I wasn't really trained, I was tasked with doing things that weren't in the job description, and given faulty equipment. I would occasionally ask if I was doing alright and told yes, but in a month I was let go because "It just isn't working out." I was never told why. I never received any complaints or reprimands. I think it was just because I was kind of quite and didn't fit with their office dynamics. I also believe they were really looking for someone with more experience but didn't want to pay the price because I discovered they had actually gone through 8 other people hired for the same position, in less than a year.

My 4th job: Quite enjoyable. Had it not been a temp position I would have had no objections to staying on longer. The boss was very friendly, I was always told exactly what I was expected to do, I got along well with everyone I worked with.

My bosses know all about my issues, but they also know my strengths, and they treat me fairly.

I liked my job, until just recently when I was promoted. I now have many new responsibilities that i am not always aware of. When i don't do something i am supposed to but didn't know about, i get yelled at because "i should know this stuff". I was pulled into my boss's office yesterday and given a verbal warning and put on probation because "i speak down to my workers and talk to them in a degrading manner". WTF? i don't think i do this at all. i was also told that i question authority by asking why i need to do things. I always want to ask why because i need to know what the outcome should be. I hate that my job is requiring me not to be myself. currently, work is awful. people hate me and don't respect me. i get glares. i used to like this job. now i hate it. but i can't quit, because i don't have another job to go to. guess i'll be looking until then.

Had 29 jobs in 35 years. Fired from 24 of them. Most in the same field, I excelled at my career, won awards for my employers for excellence in the field, got along okay with most of my peers, though I was always the easy scapegoat when they needed someone to throw under the bus to distract from their own failings, because I was naive enough and preoccupied enough with actually working while they socialized and conspired, to remain unaware of what they were up to.

Most of my problems came from middle-management anal control freaks whose limited little minds could not comprehend that some people need to use alternative methods to get to a goal - not everyone can work off the same template, because not everyone's brain is wired the same way. Never mattered that I accomplished more and was more creative than the rest of the crew combined, the fact that I kept to myself most of the time, frequently used different techniques and chose not to attend any staff meeting or party not made mandatory meant I was not 'a team player'. What always puzzled and frustrated me was, if everyone else had been as focused and dedicated to their jobs as I was, the entire team would have been exponentially more successful in every way.

What it seemed to boil down to, in every instance was: I didn't waste half my day talking and goofing off, so I was not part of the organism, even though I did more than any other single individual to keep it alive, and I did not have the innate ability to ass-kiss the boss whenever he or she walked into the room, or the ability to jump when they snapped their fingers without some advance notice. Oh - and I was bluntly honest - management types want sycophants who tell them they're right all the time. Even when they say they want honest input - they absolutely do not, especially if it improves on an idea they've already committed to. They will invariably go down with the ship before they'll admit they shot themselves in the foot.

The question posed by the OP is kinda vague. There are all sorts of different work place environments, some of which are more stressful than others. Nonetheless, I will share my experiences.


My first job was at McDonalds. I quit after 2 weeks because, quite simply, I didn't like it. I had to stand up for too long (which made my feet hurt), and I absolutely hated the food, and having to suck up to both my boss and the customers all the time. It was a supposed to be a summer job, but then I found something better. Which leads to...

My second job: I worked in an internship at a manufacturing plant. I was given much more freedom in that job, and higher pay. For the most part I had to do boring paperwork though. But my boss was pretty cool, and mostly just let me be autonomous.

My third job was a work-study position in my university, where I worked in a biology lab. I was tasked with sterilizing the dishes and preparing some of the lab apparatus that they used. I very much enjoyed that job, and being a work-study job it was rather slow paced and easy going. Most of the time I did homework while I waited for the dishes to be cleaned. Only downside was that I couldn't increase the hours I worked, I had to keep it under 10 hours a week. I was allowed to set my own schedule though.

My fourth job was also another temporary one, in the food services again; I worked at a local restaurant. As always, the food industry tends to have some of the shittiest jobs, it doesn't matter if it was McDonalds or TGIF. My job was a bus boy, and they apparently thought that it was a good idea to hire only ONE to clean up the entire restaurant. It was enormously stressful, and after a couple of months I decided to quit.

I'm now at the stage where I can finally get a job doing something I enjoy. Because I am majoring in the sciences, I don't really need to get a "real job" anymore.

I currently have a research internship in Utah, and for the summer I am working in observational astronomy. My job, really, is to use the telescope that they have nearby and study the stars. If it doesn't seem like real work, you are not mistaken; when I told my parents what I was doing they told me that it doesn't sound like I have a real job. Even better, I set my own schedule and I go to "work" pretty much when ever I feel like it. I have deadlines, no doubt, but it's quite different than working at a normal job. The workplace is also much less stressful and far less formal; the only real rules that I have is that I don't break anything. The workplace is also quite lively and social; often times a group of us and our advisor (our so-called boss) would just chat about various things, or even play games and watch YouTube videos while large volumes of data was being processed or when ever we needed to take a break.

As well, I am also a social and environmental activist, and I am at a leadership role in it too. My particular "job" is to organize meetings and take care of logistics for various events. This is something that I very much enjoy as well. We usually set our own schedule and deadlines.

So pretty much, I am currently my own boss (which means that I don't have to worry about being treated fairly), and I plan on keeping it that way. In all probability I will never have to work at a "real job", and certainly not in the food industry, ever again.

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and helpful replies. I am particularly interested in whether or not you tell your employers that you have Asperger's syndrome, why or why not, and what the results have been.

In perusing employer-oriented forums, I have noticed that there is not as much emphasis on accommodating employees as I thought there would be. I feel there is a large untapped market of talent in employees with Asperger's, ADD, and PTSD and I would like to hear your thoughts to help me frame a "call out" to employers to start educating themselves and learning the benefits of employees with these conditions.

Your posts are so helpful, please keep them coming and let me know if you have any questions I can answer to make it easier to understand where I am going with this.

P.s. your identity will never be revealed to anyone, not by name, user name or even the location of this forum online. Confidentiality is top priority.

Hard for me to say since I didn't know about AS until recently. I'd pretty much say that, with the exception of Wal-Mart, my jobs have treated me fairly (Wal-Mart is the exception because its management's average IQ is well below par, but is compensated with greed and subtle insults). Otherwise, I've worked as: Historic Site Staff (good first job, low stress most of the time), Pizza Restaurant (bit higher paced than I liked, but was manageable after a month or so), Wal-Mart (won't say much more because that will become a rant), Maintenance (was ok, but i hated being left to autopilot . . . wanted stuff specifically assigned), "Kettle Operator" (stressful hours, stressful environment, stressful expectations . . . but survived, thought not something i wish to do for years on end). The last job mentioned I knew of AS and was DXed, but I only told two people about it (both woefully ignorant of the condition, but somewhat understanding).