Employers begin looking for staff on the autism spectrum

Thursday, 17 May 2018

SAP's chief diversity and inclusion officer Anka Wittenberg says New Zealand is the 11th country to become involved in the company's autism at work programme.

A global movement to help people with autism spectrum disorder find qualified employment is finding its feet in New Zealand.

German software giant SAP is one company which has taken up the issue and brought it here in New Zealand.

SAP's German-based chief diversity and inclusion officer Anka Wittenberg said those on the autism spectrum added value the software industry with their high level of attention to detail.

The company's goal by 2020 was to have 650 people globally impacted by its autism at work programme, which embraced differences in order to spark innovation and challenge assumptions.

* Startup company succeeds at hiring autistic adults

* Worker's complaint about training Asperger's colleague

The programme would include full time employment, external workers, internships, and training programmes, including vocational training.

The autism at work programme included training and education sessions for both the prospective employees and the broader workforce, Wittenberg said.

Globally there was a wave of initiatives aimed at getting jobs for people with autism, who were often seen as an under-utilised human resource, and who would otherwise struggle to find employment, she said.

Altogether Autism national manager Catherine Trezona says employers were increasingly seeing the value in employing autistic talent.

And software is not the only industry that is looking to hire people on the autism spectrum.

Hotel chain Grand Mercure has also expressed interest in finding staff on the autism spectrum for their hotels. It has teamed up with autism spectrum experts Altogether Autism to create a survey to find potential employees.

The hotel's general manager Jade Stunden said the move was in line with its parent company Accor's diversity policy.

'We want our employees to reflect our guests, and we have people of all ages, ethnicities and abilities staying with us,' Stunden said.

Altogether Autism national manager Catherine Trezona said employers were increasingly seeing the value in employing autistic talent because of their neurodiversity, loyalty and attention to detail.

The jobs the hotels wanted to fill were as room attendants, food and beverage attendants, receptionists, concierges and chefs.

'Many people on the autism spectrum find working in the hospitality industry suits their skills,' Trezona said.

'We're particularly interested in individuals who live in Wellington or within a commutable distance to Wellington or who would be willing to relocate to the capital.'

A survey in Australia carried out by Specialisterne found nearly two thirds of people on the autism spectrum were unemployed and 89 per cent of respondents reported experiencing challenges while looking for jobs.

Autism NZ chief executive Dane Dougan said training workplaces about autism was important to ensure individuals matched the roles in the company.

'If you don't understand how to interact with our community and don't understand how to get it right, then you won't make the most of their potential,' Dougan said.

'One person with autism is just one person with autism.'

He said things like turning the music or lights down in the workplace and giving clear instructions could improve the experience of workers.

Dougan said getting more people on the autism spectrum employed would help them gain confidence, independence and improve their social participation.