Working for a company that specifically hires Aspies

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I was offered a job recently for a company that was founded with the purpose of hiring people with AS. Unfortunately, this offer was made at the same time as I had just committed to another job, so I didn't take it up. I keep in touch with the company and am considering working there in the future. Of course that would mean I'd have to quit my current job, and I have reservations about doing that.

So, one thing I'd like to get some more info on is: what can I expect from working for an aspie-friendly organisation?

Do you, or have you, worked for such a company? What have been your experiences in terms of accommodations, how you find the actual work, really anything that might give me an idea about the difference between working in a "regular" job and one where AS is accepted and possibly even desired.

Positives and negatives please!

Cheers

I've never heard of companies that look to hire Aspies but it sounds like heaven on earth. Of course, unless that company takes advantage of aspies anxiety and insecurity and give em low pay and no future

I recently read an article about such a company and then looked it up. I don't think I'd enjoy working there (mostly because they require you to travel a lot so you have to adjust to different people and environments all the time). Apart from that, I'd worry a bit about being pigeonholed, i.e. the he's-autistic-he-can't-do/understand-x-don't-even-ask-him type of behavior from coworkers / superiors, some / many of whom are NT (who I think receive some "training" to deal with AS people).
It seems to me that many of those companies aim to employ people who would otherwise not find a job, so I'm not sure the conditions are that great for people who can. I'm still waiting for a company that doesn't treat hiring people on the spectrum as a "social responsibility" / PR thing. As long as they do, my suspicion is that the conditions will always be worse than for regular jobs (e.g. compensation-wise).

Ultimately, it always depends on the exact offer they make you - there are good and bad companies to work for, and accommodations can make a big difference. However, just being aware of the autism spectrum doesn't automatically make someone a better employer.
I'd be wary of quitting your current job if you like it.

I have heard of a few, but what concerns me is that this new theme puts people in a box - mainly with QA and software testing - assuming that all apsies have the same innate talent of diving into a software project and not looking back up for 7 hours, all with an extreme hyper-focus ability. In that case - yes, I get it.

(Thinking of companies like Specialisterne & Aspiritech)

AS is but one diagnosis on the spectrum, and it is a spectrum within itself. Personally, I don't have the hyper focus that is required of a software tester/engineer, nor the attention to detail - but I am adept at translating business needs to spec documents for those who have the skills, so "apsie friendly" companies wouldn't be of use to me as they don't play into my core strengths.

That said, for those who do fit the mold of this - it is a great sign that at least SOME companies are recognizing that success isn't 10% ability and 90% social skills...

I applaud them for that.

Thanks for your responses so far.

I can find jobs fairly easily, however I have trouble staying in them. I don't get fired, but for various reasons I find they are not the right job for me. I'm wondering if an "aspie-friendly" job might suit me better, i.e. the benefits would outweigh the negatives.


Hmm. It is actually that type of work; I wonder if there are any other types out there? I think the companies might struggle to market their product by advertising that they hire aspies, if their product is not one that fits the cliche AS mold.


What I would hope to get out of this type of job is the ability to explain my AS issues and see if they can be accommodated, either through the working environment or the working style. When I met up with one of the managers, she asked me if I had any particular "AS issues" in the workplace and I was hesitant to respond, as in a normal interview I would try to talk myself up rather than down. But before I said anything she said "because the other staff here certainly do" and I realised she genuinely just wanted to know what they were, to be prepared for it, rather than to judge me and decide if I was employable. I would hope that that attitude might continue once I started working for them. Of course I wouldn't just blurt out every little problem I have and expect them to help me, but for the issues that can (IMO) affect the quality of my work, I'd hope that I could be open about it so that everyone benefits.

Now this is brilliant. They are asking you what your triggers are, and if you are self-aware enough to communicate them. I would LOVE to find a company where this was even a consideration. For now, my boss works with me on recommendations through Strengths Finders (a Gallup assessment on strengths and how to manage people to them - an NT concept) and it works quite well, but I would love to go to the level of understanding that you have just described. Kudos!!

I LOVE the idea behind Strength Finder...I have the book from when a previous employer trialed it. I get so fed up with companies harping on about working on fixing your weaknesses, while they ignore what I think is the most important thing: discovering, acknowledging and exploiting your strengths and passions!

So I think it's important to know what your weaknesses are, but then it's crucial to figure out whether a particular weakness is something you, as an employee, would like to work on, or whether it would actually cause more stress and ultimately less productivity to do so. When it comes to tasks, not everyone in a team has to do everything, and through discussion and planning, you may discover that your weakness is someone else's strength, and you can let them do that task if they want to! And vice versa. When it comes to things other than tasks (such as having an issue with bright lights), it just makes sense to try to eliminate or lessen the problem rather than lose a potentially awesome employee by making them suffer through it. That's what I would hope as AS-friendly employer would understand.

I work in a diverse environment. When I was hired, I was told, "People learn in all ways here". So, it is wonderful and my manager is too!

Where can I go to learn more about this company that specifically hires people with Aspergers?

Where can I learn more about this company and if they have branches or if there are AS friendly companies in my area? I recently lost my job. (It was horrible actually I was targeted because of having AS and the quirks that go with it. It was constantly going to H.R. and management was just not very helpful. They let me be verbally attacked twice by employees and fired me when I had a panic attack the last time which was today).