The Uncanny Valley: How Autistic Adults Navigate Workplace Networks

• In Event: Disability and Social Connections

Abstract

Autistic adults often report problems maintaining employment and avoiding burnout. This piece investigates how autistic adults’ workplace social dynamics and perceived social networks contribute to these difficulties. Using 25 qualitative interviews with autistic adults in conjunction with egocentric network mapping, I seek to identify what workplace features create barriers for the career development of autistic adults. Participants describe the people they work with, the nature of their relationships, and the interactions that typically occur during work. These interviews focus on identifying how colleagues, managers, employees, and customers can either contribute to the onset of burnout and the occupational outcomes of autistic employees or act as buffers against work-related stressors. Results demonstrate that autistic workers often perceive themselves to be on the fringes of their workplace social networks, a position that is exacerbated by the presence of an informal gossip culture. Interviewees also cite challenges in interactions with managers or other authority figures, who they feel misunderstand requests for clarity on rules or expectations as challenges to their authority and competence. Some participants exhibit a strong sense of justice or “black and white thinking,” which contributes to both interpersonal and internal conflicts. During periods of increased stress and burnout, participants find it more difficult to mask autistic symptoms and to perform emotion work, often leading to emotional outbursts that are viewed by colleagues as inappropriate or concerning. Workplaces with less gossip, more horizontal leadership structures, more opportunities for advocacy, and more neurodivergent colleagues may improve the work satisfaction and social integration of autistic employees. The findings contribute to the available literature on autism and work by explaining how social dynamics and “interaction failures” can contribute to burnout and job dissatisfaction.

Author

• Philip Tostado, University of Iowa