Should I disclose my autism to my employer - last post in our serious
Regarding the question of whether autistic employees should disclose their mental health status to employers, based on my experience in two disparate jobs the answer is boiled down to an Aspie-friendly Yes or No. What is likely the hardest part, however, is deciding how to read the room and then decide to disclose it or not.
In my first job, I came home from school after leaving college rather early. Thinking I would soon return I got a full-time job working for an automobile parts store. It was not the polished sort of place most of us go to when we want to fix a car; it was an ancient building with sixty years of disorganization. Ironically, autistic traits helped me navigate the insanity of this place. I memorized the back room in two weeks’ time, at least well enough to find parts reasonably quickly.
This was a place where I was able to do a good honest job, in part because of autistic traits. However, mentioning the fact would have been very bad for my job. The owners were of the peculiar rudeness of the unlettered and arrogant; after overhearing them talk about mentally disordered people I figured it was unlikely that I could mention on-the-job difficulty and hear any more than “get over it” or “make it work.” There was (to my sense) a certain decay of etiquette and standards here, and it was quite nice to finally be out of there. They liked me, but superficially; no surprise, they were superficial about most other things and I did not want to consider them friends anyway.
After quite a long time working there I and the boss had a falling-out over lateness on a delivery, which is not surprising when not even the company knew the address of the house. I went instead to work part-time at a coffee shop. This one was different; here I mentioned to the manager & assistant that I was autistic and, thankfully, they did not care at all. The job had potential to be worse than my auto parts job; it was so in some ways as I was dealing in customer service, but in other ways, such as my trousers not falling apart from exposure to battery acid, it was far superior. And of course it was nicer to leave work smelling like delicious coffee than like sweat, oil, grime, and rust.
In conclusion, I would say from my own experience that it isn’t wise to go to work waiting for the opportunity to tell all about mental conditions. However, reading your boss’ reaction would help. Ask friends or family for etiquette tips, and if you find yourself swindled, leave. Happy working!