Comments on: Work, Aspergers and Getting Fired

By: Leann

Leann — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:30:11 +0000

I’d tell them what you have, but depending how much you know, I would try to not make it sound like a excuse.
I have apbergers as well, but to what degree has never been clear.
And because of that I have mentioned a bit of what asbergers does and how it affects me which changes from one day to the next.
Don’t be afraid of it, I was and that made working worse than it was.
There will be days that you will hate having it, but you see things differently that could be of help.
We see the world differently than other people, and in work, that can actually be a good thing.
I hope everything goes well for you.

By: Ildana

Ildana — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:09:05 +0000

It’s interesting reading other people’s experiences. I’m working for a construction company and, although it was great to start with, it’s gone downhill rapidly since I’ve ahd to work 7-day weeks and long hours. It doesn’t help that on this project I was put with some very selfish people who had their favourites and made it very clear I wasn’t one of them. I’ve been with them just over a year now and am exhausted, slip into involuntary mutism quite frequently and dislike the way that banter is expected from me. I enjoy overhearing the banter, but I am rubbish at participating!
I have no answers; I have had many different types of job over the years – admin, teaching, even security, now engineer – and none of those have gone too well. My self-diagnosis of AS a couple of years ago helped me explain myself to myself, but ingrained habits die hard. I does help me, at least, to read how other people deal with these things. “At least I’m not the only one” springs to mind.

By: Timothy

Timothy — Fri, 06 May 2011 19:48:03 +0000

I’ve been wrestling with something similar – based on my negative work experiences, I’m grappling with whether to seek disability or not. I can’t get jobs easily, and when I do, they do not keep me long. Eventually they either fire me for undisclosed “performance” reasons (odd, because I am a hard worker, and always commended for this initially). In all the jobs I’ve had, the only ones that keep me longer-term were the ones for which I never mentioned anything about my Asperger’s. I have taken the “up front” approach in some interviews, but those prospects never hired me. So I stopped doing that, and eventually places started hiring me. One time I mentioned my disability after being hired, and the employer gave me the impression I was being “dishonest.” I was fired a few months later. Still, most of these people I work for (and with), always notice I am “off” in many ways, and even so I am still covering even more oddness they don’t even see. I’m able to obfuscate and blend to a fair extent by using a memorization-based catalog of “if, then” social equations derived from past experience. My last firing experience took me so much by surprise, I had gotten comfortable in a routine I thought was working for me and my employer, and I thought I was going to be OK. I had been working 12 months at a “health food” store, and I had even earned a paid ‘vacation week.’ Then, an isolated incident occurred when I was under too-many-customers stress while working by myself. A customer asked “can I pay for all this tomorrow?” and because the manager had allowed them credit in the past, I granted it too without even thinking of the whole context of the idea. The customer assured me it was OK, and I fell for it out of my own social illiteracy. The following day I was interrogated, insulted, chewed out and then fired. This was an experience I never want to have again. It hits me hard because they had this impression of me as a good employee, and when this perception changed suddenly, people get angry, suspicious and said all these blunt and accusatory things. Almost as if some latent paranoia about my weirdness came gushing out “I always knew there was something odd about you” – “How could you do that?” – “How could you possibly think that was OK?” – “We’re so ashamed of you” … It’s really abrupt, and even scary. They made me feel not only wrong, but also dishonest in my own skin ::::: These are all retail jobs – that whole “team player” “socially capable” kind of work at which I gather that most ‘Aspies’ find very difficult. I would have sought higher education to get out of retail, but education and I never agreed. So, I don’t really know what to do. The economy is terrible, and I am now self-employed, but I cannot remain independent in this manner as the price of everything is increasing. I am reliant on others and feel like a burden to them, but have been quite independent for 5 years. I can’t imagine going back to live with the parents at my age (28). Yet, I don’t feel like it would be honest for me to go on disability since I do not really feel disabled, and there are jobs I could work at theoretically. So you know, hypothetical ideal employment does not pay the bills in the real world. I don’t know what to do. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

By: Meg

Meg — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:53:50 +0000

Also Umpatan, please you need to know your place, step aside, and don’t judge before you get yourself & everyone else hurt for not only your sake, but other people sake so they doesn’t lose you. Show some love. I know that the bad emcomy and finding a job sucks, but we should encuroge each other, not putting each other down.

By: Meg

Meg — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:31:27 +0000

Dear Umpatan,
If you adivice to keep someelse mouth shut, do you forgot that we too have a freedon of speech? I hate when someone assuming that some with a disability, can’t do everything and lables is define who you are. Also, I hate when someone asuming that said,” if you/ she/he/they do this and that, you/she/he/they, don’t have autism/Asperger Ssyndrome/PDD/whatever/”. It is wrong that you attacking someone that you telling them omeone step aside. Why don’t step aside and quit hatin’?

By: Stephanie Mayberry

Stephanie Mayberry — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:58:20 +0000

I know this is really old, but it is still timely. I created a website specifically for people with Asperger’s and their employers. It has a section for the employee, one for the employer and one for the people who advocate and support the person with Asperger’s.

I know it won’t change anything overnight, and it probably won’t change my nightmarish work situation right now, but hopefully it will help someone.

I wish you the very best.

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:23:58 +0000

Well I am currently awaiting diagnosis and find myself in almost an identical position but you cant just tell him to do that, I feel like crying because of my stress and frustration at my failed attempts to intergrate myself into the working environment but I just think screw those people that dont take time to get to understand you dude, if they dont know you and they talk to you badly they’re obviously bad people, grit it out until you find a job you like and find a hobby that lets off steam, i chose muay thai. Chin up.

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:18:14 +0000

Think about the big picture. If your boss fires you or not, you won’t be able to do this job long-term. Acknowledge this to yourself and to your wife. Then give your boss the note and acknowledge this to him. If you are a good worker, perhaps reasonable accomodations can be made or he can use you in a different way. At the least, ask if he will keep you on while you evaluate your life and start looking for (or training for) a more appropriate job. Good Luck to you!!

By: debelf24

debelf24 — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:10:12 +0000

I got canned this past Friday for basically being “an unquantifiable brand of weirdness”. Since the whole matter sprung from a series of (very minor) unfortunate events, I thought briefly about explaining myself. However it was break room chatter that got the ball rolling, and I was confident that by the end of the discussion (and possibly with my job still on the line) my private business would become public knowledge. I could easily imagine the round of discussions to soon follow…….”i knew something must have been wrong with her”"…. “thought she was just crazy”…some sort of psycho…schizo….weirdo….don’t want to work with her anyway. So much for embracing diversity and individual differences.

By: John

John — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:40:50 +0000

umpatan
Normal people?
Are blacks and gays `normal`.
Space cadet?
Competent workers-yes Nts are very competent -I observe them neglecting their work while they go for a chat while getting paid to WORK.
Special needs-we don`t have the special need to talk **** instead of getting on with the job.
Know your place?-our place is the same place as any other citizen you bigot.
We are better and more consciencous workers than NTs and legal protection for us against your type of bigotry is increasing.In my current employment it will be the NTs laid off first.
1.Because I am a better worker and spend less time chatting and skiving-no time in fact.
2.Because I have the extra protection of the Disability Discrimination Act.
We are equal and we intend to assert our Rights -live with it bigot.