Autistically me – Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025
This Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Family Fund Risk and Compliance Manager Chris reflects on his experience of autism at work.
“I hope fewer and fewer people will have a similar experience to the start of my autism and work story. And that everyone who is autistic will get the opportunity to experience how it’s going now!”
Navigating the workplace pre-diagnosis
“My diagnosis came just before my 39th birthday – not long before the first COVID lockdown. I’d been in the diagnostic pathway for around five years though, so I mentioned it during my Family Fund interview.”
“Having a late diagnosis means that I have over a decade of being undiagnosed in the workplace and the negative effect this can have.”
“Previous employers have been reluctant to provide the flexibility and agency I need to work to the best of my ability. I felt like they didn’t listen to my needs and I didn’t have the mental strength to challenge it further at the time.”
Working at Family Fund – a culture of flexibility and support
Tailored adjustments and flexible working
“Even before my diagnosis there was space made for accommodating my preferences. With COVID came the ability to work from home. When it was discovered how beneficial this was to me, I was assured that I wouldn’t have to return to the office. This was even before Family Fund decided to keep hybrid working in place more widely.
“I also have a formal reasonable adjustment in place. Family Fund makes adjustments to support employees, depending on the needs of each individual. The aim is to enable colleagues to work in a way that lets them thrive. My job can come with a lot of meetings, and this requires an increased form of masking. Sometimes four or five meetings end up back-to-back in a chain and I don’t have a chance to take a break or mentally prepare for the next one. This can take a toll.
“One day, I made it to the end of my last meeting and wasn’t able to work the afternoon – it was too much. Now, instead of using annual leave, I can use flexi to cover these periods. I can clock time on an evening or weekend if I need to, to preserve my mental health and avoid burnout.”
Challenging myths and pushing for visibility
There are still a lot of common misconceptions about autism. By being a visible autistic person, it can help challenge the unrealistic portrayals you may see on TV. I hope that by being an effective manager I can disprove the idea that autistic people can’t succeed at work or manage staff. I also hope to promote a more inclusive workplace to help people from all backgrounds succeed.
“I’ve made a conscious effort since diagnosis to be visible and to advocate. I often refer to this as ‘sticking my elbows out to make room for other people’.”
“In 2021 I was one of Family Fund’s first Inclusion Champions. We support the delivery and embedding of our inclusion statement. We lead and support challenging conversations and encourage all colleagues to be heard. I worked on things like the mental health training Family Fund now provides and on providing questions to applicants ahead of interviews.”
The power of knowing myself
“The most important part of all of this for me is the strength that has come from knowing myself, both strengths and weaknesses, and knowing that there is a reason for that situation. It’s the first step in forgiving my younger self for what I’d always classed as personal failures, and the first step in being stronger in what I do in the future.
“It lets me know what I need to ask for to enable myself to succeed and gives me the confidence to do so.”
“Family Fund is great at making adjustments to make you comfortable and to help you succeed, there’s even training for line managers on supporting requests. I’ve always felt really well supported and happy to be my authentic self at work.”