How can the work environment be redesigned to enhance the well-being of individuals with autism?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-12-2021-0535 |
| Published date | 27 June 2022 |
| Date | 27 June 2022 |
| Pages | 1467-1484 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Michał T. Tomczak |
How can the work environment be
redesigned to enhance the
well-being of individuals
with autism?
MichałT. Tomczak
Faculty of Management and Economics, Gda
nsk University of Technology,
Gda
nsk, Poland
Abstract
Purpose –This article examines the opportunities to create optimal conditions for individuals with autism, to
work successfully within the contemporary workplace and improve their well-being. These opportunities arise
from digital technology (DT) development, enabling the work environment to be remodeled by providing new
possibilities and ways of working. The author discusses both technology-based as well as non-technological
accommodations supporting overcoming the workplace challenges faced by employees with autism.
Design/methodology/approach –A qualitative research was conducted with the use of in-depth interviews
with 21 individuals with expertise in the field.
Findings –Possible technology-based work environment modifications and non-technological managerial
practices facilitating work integration and the long-term well-being of individuals with autism were proposed.
These solutions address four main problems: (1) effective communication; (2) time management, task
prioritizing, and organization of work; (3) stress management and emotion control; and (4) sensory sensitivity.
Practical implications –Proposed solutions include primarily the wide usage of electronic mediated forms
of communicating based on non-direct and non-verbal contact; a flexible approach towards work organization;
accurate stress monitoring systems; and an individualized approach toward office space arrangements limiting
external stimuli.
Originality/value –All this could lead not only to an increase in employment in individuals on the autism
spectrum but also influence the improvement of the job performance of already employed. Modifications
introduced could improve the long-term well-being of all employees, both with autism and neurotypical ones.
Keywords Neurodiversity, Autism, Digital technology, Work environment, Well-being
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Neurodiversity refers to the diversity in human cognition, which is a natural phenomenon
(Singer, 1999). It can be defined as any kind of cognitive processing or way of making sense of
the world that deviates from “typical”ways of thinking and being (Hendrickx, 2010). Initially,
this term only referred to autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and now is perceived much more
broadly and includes i.a. individuals with dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), dyspraxia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, Tourette’s
syndrome, as well as autism(McGee, 2012). Some estimations suggest that up to 20% of the
population might have a neurodivergent condition (Honeybourne, 2019).
The number of peoplediagnosed with autism is constantlygrowing. Nowadays, 1 in every
54 childrenaged eight in the United Statesmay have this disorder (Maenneret al., 2020), and it is
Work
environment
and autism
1467
© MichałT.Tomczak. Published by Emera ld Publishing Limited. This artic le is published under the
Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and
create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to
full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at
http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
The research has been financially supported by the National ScienceCentre, Poland (NCN), Project
No. 2019/03/X/H S4/00304.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 8 December 2021
Revised 1 March 2022
15 May 2022
10 June 2022
Accepted 10 June 2022
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 44 No. 6, 2022
pp. 1467-1484
Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-12-2021-0535
estimated that approximately 1 in 100 people in the United Kingdom are on the autism
spectrum (NationalAutistic Society, 2021). Autismis characterized by i.a. persistentdeficits in
social communication and social interaction in multiple contexts and restricted, repetitive
patterns of behavior, interests, or activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). High
vulnerability to stressors (Bishop-Fitzpatrick et al., 2017), and sensory sensitivity (Tomczak,
2021) faced by individuals with autism lead to significant underrepresentation in the labor
market (Anderson et al., 2017). According to estimations in the United States, the
unemployment/underemployment rate for individuals on the autism spectrum is greater
than 90% (Gerhardtand Lainer, 2011), and just one in fiveautistic individuals in theUK are in
any form of emplo yment (Brown, 2021).However, some persons on the autism spectrumwith
lower support needs, represent high professional competence and can work efficiently when
they areprovided with conditions to overcomeworkplace challenges(Austin and Pisano, 2017).
Academic literature still lacks contextualized, practical advice for employers and
neurodiverse employees, and the science-practitioner gap is growing (Doyle and McDowall,
2022). Thus, this article examines the technology-based as well as non-technological
opportunities to create optimal conditions for individuals with autism (with low support
needs), to successfully work in the contemporary workplace and improve their well-being.
These modifications are aimed at overcoming barriers according to a social model of
disability perspective (Oliver, 1983,1990), what constitutes an original contribution to the
theory within the topic.
Research on autism and work
Over the years, more attention has been devoted to the issues of integration of neurodiverse
individuals, including primarily those with autism, into the labor market (Doyle, 2020). This
translates into a growing body of research on interventions directed at vocational
rehabilitation, promoting employment, or workplace accommodations. Most of these
studies were practically-oriented and did not have a broad theoretical reference. For
example, some authors focused on interventions targeted to promote employment (Hayward
et al., 2019), long-term employment success (Brooke et al., 2018), employment programs and
practices (Hedley et al., 2017), or vocational skill enhancement (Seaman and Canella-Malone,
2016). Others analyzed trends in employment for individuals with autism (Chen et al., 2015),
success factors enabling employment (Dreaver et al., 2020), and predictors for work
participation, work performance and successful employment outcomes (Waisman-Nitzan
et al., 2020). Researchers emphasized workplace accessibility (Waisman-Nitzan et al., 2021)
and identified barriers to employment together with sources and impact of occupational
demands for employees with autism (Mai, 2019). Other studies were dedicated to workplace
accommodations (Khalifa et al., 2020) or focused on technology-aided interventions for
employment skills (Walsh et al., 2017), and presented future perspectives for employees on the
autism spectrum in the digitized work environment (Tomczak, 2021). It should be noted that
interventions tailored to improve the situation of employees with autism in the workplace are
increasingly based on various technological solutions.
Technology aimed to support well-being in the workplace
The effect of technological changes on labor relations has been discussed for years (Cornfield,
2013). Due to the dissemination of digital technology (DT), its importance constantly
increases and contemporary advanced technology exerts a more powerful effect on the labor
environment than in the past (Min et al., 2019).
Digital technology covers both hardware (personal computers or mobile devices) and
software (web applications, social networking spaces, chat sites, etc.). It combines a wide
range of resources and tools that people might access inside and outside the workplace
ER
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