Why Your Business Can Benefit from Autistic-led Consulting
Autism consultants can help businesses to become more confident and effective at understanding autism and supporting Autistic individuals in their organisation. Engaging a consultant that is Autistic themselves brings in valuable lived experience perspectives about autism. Autistic-led consulting therefore avoids incorrect assumptions about autism, offering tailored advice about creating a workplace that’s truly inclusive to Autistic employees.
You might be wondering at this point what, exactly, do Autistic autism consultants do? Consulting services can be tailored to unique organisational needs. Common consultancy tasks might include, but are certainly not limited, to:
- Running autism workshops for staff to create a more inclusive workplace culture
- Creation of training manuals or programs as part of staff induction training and professional development
- Consulting with management teams about how to get more Autistic adults into meaningful employment roles or support existing Autistic staff
- Conducting environmental audits that ensure offices or other workspaces are sensory friendly and comfortable from the Autistic perspective
Why do businesses often need consulting about autism?
Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for Autistic individuals is almost eight times that of the general population in Australia (1). This is despite Autistic job seekers often possessing the skills, qualifications, and motivation to join the workforce (2). Of those that are employed, estimates of around 45% of Autistic employees report having skills exceeding what is required for their current position (2), and an overwhelming number feel misunderstood and discriminated against at work (3). Evidently, many businesses can be doing more to recruit, retain, and support Autistic employees to thrive at work. This is where Autistic-led consulting comes in!
What are the benefits of Autistic-led consulting for businesses?
There are a range of benefits that Autistic-led consulting can have for businesses and organisations. Firstly, Autistic-led consulting can help businesses to attract and recruit Autistic talent. For example, a consultant can examine and improve a company’s hiring practises. This may include advice on making job advertisements more inclusive to Autistic candidates. It could also involve consultation about how to conduct interviews or create other hiring practises that are autism friendly, considering Autistic people’s sensory, social, and cognitive differences.
A second benefit is that consultants can provide advice about management practises that help Autistic employees thrive. This is beneficial to businesses because when Autistic people are matched to meaningful and supportive work roles, they can offer valuable strengths and unique perspectives to the workplace (3, 4). Furthermore, research shows that businesses that are successful at retaining and encouraging neurodiverse teams (including Autistic employees) can show greater productivity and creativity than less diverse workplaces (5). Taken altogether, retaining Autistic employees and providing an autism-friendly work environment is not only good for Autistic individuals; it’s also good for businesses that want a competitive advantage compared to other companies.
Another benefit to Autistic-led consulting is that it can encourage managers to think more deeply about leveraging the talents of all their employees through greater sensitivity to individual needs in general (5). Consulting, particularly regarding workplace accommodations and creating inclusive environments, can thus encourage healthy workplace cultures that meet the needs of all employees. In turn, this might increase the loyalty, commitment, and retention of not only Autistic employees, but other employees too.
There are so many more benefits that businesses can reap by seeking the advice of an Autistic autism consultant. For instance, businesses can avoid potential legal issues resulting from discrimination against Autistic/disabled employees by learning their obligations around appropriately supporting Autistic workers.
Key takeaway
Autistic autism consultants can be extremely beneficial to businesses. Through their consultancy service, they can offer lived experience perspectives about how to attract, recruit, retain, and support Autistic employees. This is not only beneficial to the Autistic community. Indeed, businesses also benefit broadly through increased workplace diversity, productivity, employee retention, avoidance of legal issues, and much more. Encouraging workplace inclusion and diversity is worth it and there’s no better way to do so than through the advice of an autism consultant that is Autistic themselves.
Reach out to us today to discuss ways we can support your business.
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Reference List
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2018). Autism in Australia. Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers. Available at: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latestrelease#autism-in-australia
- Amaze. (2018). Autism and Employment in Australia. Available at: Autism and employment in Australia – Amaze
- Praslova. (2021). Autism Doesn’t Hold People Back, Discrimination Does. Available at: https://hbr.org/2021/12/autism-doesnt-hold-people-back-at-work-discrimination-does
- News Hook. (2021). Autism Hiring Makes Good Business Sense. Available at: https://newzhook.com/story/neurodiversity-inclusive-hiring-autism-auticon-it-consultancy-jobs-employment-disability/
- Austin & Pisano. (2017). Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage. Available at: https://hbr.org/2017/05/neurodiversity-as-a-competitive-advantage
Article written by our highly talented researcher and writer Amy Adams.
