Workplace Adjustments for Autistic Employees: What is 'Reasonable'?
Stephanie Petty, Lydia Tunstall, Hannah Richardson and 1 others
PMID 35020116WHAT IT FOUND
Employees see autism awareness training as the most feasible workplace adjustment, yet few had observed it.
While flexible hours and clear expectations were common, staff worried that tailored support might be seen as unfair or require resources they did not have.
Key findings
01Autism awareness training was identified as the most practical and feasible adjustment to implement, but it was not among the most frequently observed adjustments in workplaces.
02Respondents defined reasonable adjustments as those that support employee wellbeing and performance without causing undue hardship or financial penalty to the organisation.
03Staff expressed concern that providing specific adjustments, such as interview questions in advance, could be perceived as unfair by colleagues unless available to everyone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was predominantly from the education sector (83%) and from organisations already committed to employee wellbeing schemes, which may not reflect wider workplace practices. The study relies on self-reported perceptions of feasibility and observation, rather than objective measures of adjustment implementation or employee outcomes. Inter-rater reliability for the qualitative coding was only 'fair' (k = 0.33), suggesting some subjectivity in theme identification. The data was collected during the pandemic, which may have influenced perceptions of flexible working and remote support needs.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that autism awareness training is currently being delivered in most workplaces. Although 83% of respondents thought it was feasible to implement, it was not listed among the most frequently observed adjustments, and 70% of participants had not completed any formal autism training.