Does my employee have Asperger?

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In reading your description, I don't think your employee has Asperger's alone, and maybe not at all. It sounds more to me like a case of borderline personality disorder. In particular, the poor response to criticism, and the ease in social situations, and above all, the "I'm right, and I know it" attitude. Those are very consistent with BPD, and not much (if at all) with the Autism/Asperger's scenario. And although I have been debated on this, I don't think Asperger's people have a lying problem. Usually we tell too much of the truth, and get ourselves into trouble by hurting someone's feelings where a white lie would have been suitable (as in a wife asking "do you think I got fat?"), etc.

The bottom line is that with or without Asperger's or BPD or any other label, an employee either is or is not a good asset to a company. That's what I'd use to decide whether to keep or dismiss that person. If it's a legal issue, and you're fearful that firing them will result in an Americans with Disabilities lawsuit, I'd say check with a lawyer, but it sounds like you have plenty of cause to let that person go, if they're lying, and if they're disrupting company progress. I would be singing a different tune for you if you were saying that the employee is complaining about weird lighting in the office causing nervousness, or that the bathroom is smelly, or that there is a repetitive noise which is causing the employee to do poorly. THOSE would be legitimate Asperger's employee concerns.

Charles

After being on this forum for years, I have been seeing here and elsewhere that aspies do tend to think they are right and not wrong and even some have admitted they are always right and other people are wrong. Is that a BPD trait they have?

Tony Attwood's book "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" addresses denial, arrogance and coping with mistakes on pages 26, 27 and 238, 23 of the hardcover edition.

Asking if someone has Aspergers on an internet forum is rather like people who look up symptoms they have on the web and then are convinced they have cancer or something.

People can be difficult to deal with, have know-it-all personalities, or even be complete dick-heads without having Aspergers. It seems too easy today for people to say, "This person is rather difficult to deal with, perhaps they have Aspergers." Yes, your employee has some symptoms of AS, but so do most of the general population. Coming to terms with an AS diagnosis is much deeper than just looking at surface symptoms.

The opposite can also be true, with a person having complete, full blown AS, yet being able to function at a normal job because they can mask their AS and mirror their workmates behavior.

Nothing is ever as simple as it may seem. Truth is a sliding floor…

I feel some of this. I have patchy skills. And so, when someone criticizes me on a deficiency, it can feel very unfair. What about my good points, I want to say. Many of my good points precisely come from what can be viewed as deficiencies, that it is very much two sides of one coin.

Okay, in a business setting, the company hierarchy can preach the important of customer service. But when it comes down to it, they just treat customers blandly as if they're counters (all the same). They don't really engage with customers. They don't really spend the energy and acknowledge what's involved. More like they want the reports on time and don't really care about the rest, as if they're burned out, no longer interested in the business, just going through the motions.

I realize that's somewhat unfair and inaccurate. And the reports are important, too. But it's acceptable for a report to occasionally be late in a way that disengaged and sloppy customer service is not, or this latter is more costly but harder to measure.

Yes, it can be hurt to be criticized. It can feel like someone is trying to put me into a small box. Or someone is trying to get me to say that I am a defective human being.

In baseball, maybe the pitcher does not have his 98 mph fastball. So, he finds a way to win with his 90 mph offspeed pitch with movement.

In business, maybe I'm tired, so I act a little bit more deliberately on tasks, and when I get a customer I stay a little bit more in the here and now with my customer (and thus, in a sense, may be better). When I have a lot of energy, I'm a good planner and multi-tasker.

As a way of going at it obliquely, maybe Myer-Briggs? I don't know a great deal about it, but some of our members here have reported scoring INTJ, and I think one or two people have reported scoring something else. What I like about Myer-Briggs is that 'normal' is expanded to sixteen types, none of which is a majority! Of course, she or anyone else might have the same objection, of not wishing to be put into a box.

Do you think this employee might respond to a management technique of shorter, more frequent feedback? Might be less total time on your part but more frequent interruptions and you'd have to decide whether it's worth it.

I see your point, but at the same time, I actually do see it as my business to get the most out of the company's human resources. She is at times an exceptional seller, and she is very dedicated to her work. It would thus be a shame to let her go. At the same time, things cannot continue the way they do. With a diagnosis I am hoping to accomplish the following:
1. Make her aware of her own shortcomings and need for guidance
2. Make her coworkers more tolerant. They are already well acquainted with the symptoms, imagine how it might lessen their frustration
3. Give her the possibility to work part time if she wants to, with minimal reduction of her income, thus hopefully see a reduction in her stress level and fewer meltdowns. (Since she would be able to get a disability allowance for the other percentage.)
4. It is actually my legal duty as a supervisor to facilitate my employees' work situation. Had I suspected a visual or auditory impairment, it would have been unlawful for me not to help my employee get tested if she had not thought about this herself, thus being able to adjust her work situation according to her situation. Here, the social interaction is the problem, and I am trying to see if there is any way this can be ameliorated.

As a fellow human being, I also think it is sad to see her struggle, knowing that the same issues we have with her at work, negatively affects her personal life as well.

Just downloaded the book, and this is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thank you so much!

"Denial and arrogance" can even be found in
the Amazon-preview (close to the end)

This is a very good description of how I perceive my employee.

And page 238 gives some good advice on how to help.

I will reply to the other posts this evening, as for now, I need to spend some quality time with my Kindle

Great. Except ... YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO DIAGNOSE HER.