Good Grief!

[zenemu]

My Partner works for a charity (well none profit making organisation), I won't say which one for obvious reasons. Her office has somewhere in the region of 200 staff, so a reasonably busy place, and it is the sort of place that prides themselves on modern open magement techniques, open door polices and personal career development, you know the kind of thing?

 

Anyway, yesterday she was telling me that a chap with Aspergers had just gotten a job there working for one of the directors. I want to make it clear, I don't know this chap and have no idea how severe his AS is, and neither does my partner.

 

Anyway, the Director who hired him, thought it would be a good idea to send out an email to all 200 or so members of staff pointing out htat this chap has AS, and not to be offended if he doesn't talk to them or if he ignores them when they talk to him. He advised the staff not to aproach this chap to converse with him as it may make him feel uncomfortable. He went on to add that he was good with databases and it is hoped that one day he will work in the IT department.

 

If I was that poor chap I would be absoutely mortified on all accounts. I couldn't believe it when I heard.

 

Zen

[matzoball]

My Partner works for a charity (well none profit making organisation), I won't say which one for obvious reasons. Her office has somewhere in the region of 200 staff, so a reasonably busy place, and it is the sort of place that prides themselves on modern open magement techniques, open door polices and personal career development, you know the kind of thing?

 

Anyway, yesterday she was telling me that a chap with Aspergers had just gotten a job there working for one of the directors. I want to make it clear, I don't know this chap and have no idea how severe his AS is, and neither does my partner.

 

Anyway, the Director who hired him, thought it would be a good idea to send out an email to all 200 or so members of staff pointing out htat this chap has AS, and not to be offended if he doesn't talk to them or if he ignores them when they talk to him. He advised the staff not to aproach this chap to converse with him as it may make him feel uncomfortable. He went on to add that he was good with databases and it is hoped that one day he will work in the IT department.

 

If I was that poor chap I would be absoutely mortified on all accounts. I couldn't believe it when I heard.

 

Zen

 

 

That sounds awful, I didnt know whether to tell people at my work about my ds - but had to due to a meltdown in the middle of the office. He may actually have grounds to sue his work as he's been publicly humiliated and singled out due to his AS? It might be a good idea for your partner to perhaps approach him in a friendly way and let him know there is someone on his side there?

 

[lucyemma]

Hi, just wondering but is there a chance that maybe the guy with AS asked the director to do this? It could be the case, if he gets anxious about people approaching him then at least it will make it clear to the other workers what the problem is rather then the poor guy getting a reputation for being odd etc. Just a thought.

[zenemu]

Hi, just wondering but is there a chance that maybe the guy with AS asked the director to do this? It could be the case, if he gets anxious about people approaching him then at least it will make it clear to the other workers what the problem is rather then the poor guy getting a reputation for being odd etc. Just a thought.

 

It is entirely possible I suppose.

 

Personally, if I was in the chaps place (not that I would be - office environment - <shudder>) I think I would have sent an email out from myself personally, explaining that I am new to the company, this is what I am here to do, and, oh by the way I have AS - here is a clicky link if you would like to know more.

 

Actively sending out an email asking people not to talk to the guy just seems a little much to me.

 

Zen

[cmuir]

Hi

 

I actually think the Director has acted responsibly and with the best of intentions for his new employee. I would hope that this strategy was discussed and agreed between them. Certainly if I had a new member of staff come into my office and ignore me, it probably wouldn't cross my mind that s/he may have AS and I think I'd be put out if someone new ignored me.

 

Caroline.

[Sally44]

It depends on what info the director had and whether he was working with the knowledge of this chap, or whether there was someone else involved ie. from the job centre or one of the centres that finds work for people with disabilities. This might have been agreed as a reasonable adjustment. Obviously not everyone with AS would like this approach, and it may have been better to have said something like "don't be offended if I don't acknowledge you etc .... that doesn't mean I don't want to interact, just that I have difficulties in this area." In a strange way, if expectations have been lowered to such a degree, this chap may find it easier to interact because the pressure is totally off him. But then I'm not on the spectrum and i'm sure others on this forum will post on this one.

[Kathryn]

It sounds a bit patronising - the man is an adult and can surely send his own emails? Perhaps though, as others say, it may have been something the boss and employee agreed between them.

 

However well intentioned, it may do more harm than good: the directive makes him sound like a dangerous animal to be avoided at all costs. The boss has virtually guaranteed that this man will spend his working day in complete isolation. None of his colleagues will want to take the risk of getting it wrong, and he won't learn how to interact with them.

 

K x