1. Create a safe and supportive environment - create safe space for all employees to feel comfortable to raise concerns or ask for support. It’s all well and good having resources and processes available, but people need to feel safe to actually access these in the first place. Employee Resource Groups and networks can offer safe spaces for people to ask questions they may not be comfortable going to a line manager with.
  2. Provide reasonable adjustments - this is actually your legal obligation anyway, but ensure you have a clear, simple and well communicated process for requesting reasonable adjustments to ensure your employees’ needs are supported and they are set up for success.
  3. Train all staff on autism - provide training on autism to all employees to increase knowledge and understanding, reduce damaging stereotypes or misinformation and to demonstrate to autistic employees that you are genuinely keen to support them.
  4. Minimise uncertainty - lack of clarity can often cause anxiety and distress for autistic folk. Keep all communications clear, precise and offer easy opportunities for people to ask clarifying questions or for additional information if they need it. Seek to remove ambiguity from all processes and interactions wherever possible.
  5. Connect employees with specific resources and support - provide signposting to neuro-affirming resources and support services that specifically take into account and understand the autistic experience. Be aware that generic mental health support services may well not be useful or appropriate for autistic folk and can even lead to damaging outcomes.

And above all, if you’ve created the safe space required, ask autistic folk what they need and want. Listen to them. And believe them.

Employers: what else would / do you do to support your autistic employees?

Autistic folk: what else would you love employers to do to better support your mental health?