Examining the gender role in workplace experiences among employed adults with autism: Evidence from an online community

2.1 Researching inline forums

Adults with autism are described as “some of the most excluded and least heard people in society” (Kanfiszer et al., 2017, p. 663). This research intends to enable the ‘voice’ of people with autism to be heard through researching naturally occurring discourse in an online autism forum. Individuals with autism have increasingly turned to social media such as online forums to share personal experiences, disclose their challenges, and seek support and advice from their peers (Biyaniet al., 2012; Davidson, 2008). The relative anonymity of the internet, the absence of anxiety associated with face-to-face interaction, encourage individuals with autism to express personal opinions, recount difficult experiences, and discuss sensitive issues more freely than in traditional qualitative research settings (Holtz et al., 2012). Therefore, discussion forums represent a unique source of data that allows researchers to learn from individuals with autism themselves, without the risk of influencing participant responses.

Employing online forums as a source of information is increasingly used in a wide range of ASD studies (Jordan & Caldwell-Harris, 2012). Textual data from online sources has been used, for example, to explore women’s experiences with diagnosis, employment, and relationships (Haney & Cullen, 2017), the experiences of students with ASD in academic libraries (Anderson, 2017), religious belief systems of persons with ASD (Caldwell-Harris et al., 2011), the attitudes of ASD community members toward changing diagnostic criteria (Parsloe & Babrow, 2014), the difference between neurotypical and ASD special interests (Jordan & Caldwell-Harris, 2012), and types and topics of support sought by members of the ASD community (Hong et al., 2015).

The validity and trustworthiness of online date have been assessed in a number of studies. Sussman and Sproull (1999) found that people are more straight-forward and honest when delivering bad news via online communities compared to face-to-face interviews. In a recent review, Pfeil and Zaphiris (2010) examined honesty in online support communities and concluded that forum members typically build an environment of honesty and trust and that cases of dishonesty are rare. In another study of online forum user-profiles, Back et al. (2010) reported that most users accurately describe themselves online. Significantly, Caldwell et al. (2011) compared the results of content analysis of ASD forum postings (covering 192 unique posters) and a survey completed by 61 forum participants and found consistency between the two data sets. Jamison et al. (2017) provided evidence that data from online forums may provide additional insights compared to traditional data sources.

2.2 Data collection

Data was collected from WrongPlanet.net, a popular online forum used by individuals with ASD. Created in 2004, WrongPlanet currently has more than 80,000 members, who have contributed over 7 million posts, making it one of the largest and most active ASD online communities and the most frequently identified in related research (Anderson 2016; Parsloe & Babrow 2016; Jordan & Harris 2012; and Jordan 2010). WrongPlanet is also a public forum that does not require passwords to be accessed.

The study relied on threads posted on employment specific sub-board titled “Work and Finding a Job”. When the data were collected, this sub-board hosted 6,104 threads containing over 56,000 posts, offering a rich domain for examining the employment experiences of individuals with autism. For most posts, the poster’s profile, including gender, age, diagnosis, and sometimes the location, is provided. Typically, a new thread is created by the individual who initiates the first post to seek social support and advice about one or more employment-related concerns. To capture the spectrum of posted employment experiences, the study focused on the initial posts of each thread. A sample of 714 threads was randomly selected, equal to 12%of all posted threads. This offers a representative sample size similar to other research of this type (Hong et al., 2015). Collection criteria required that autism diagnosis and gender of the poster be disclosed either explicitly in his/her public profile or implicitly within the posted text. The initial post should also address employment-related difficulties and should contain a question identifying the issue of concern. The threads have been checked to ensure both genders contributed equal numbers of threads. The process of data collection produced a data set of employment-related threads initiated by an almost equal number of women (n = 255) and men (n = 252) addressing various employment-related concerns for individuals who are self-identified as being on the autism spectrum. The majority of posters (81%of women and 78%of men) contributed only one post each. The others posted more than once. While almost 60%of male posters were under the age of 30, only 41%of women posters were under 30. This could be attributed to the fact that women tend to be diagnosed at a later stage of their lives (Bargiela et al., 2016).

2.3 Ethical consideration

As the study did not involve any direct interaction between the researchers and online users, it was exempt from a review by the McMaster University Research Ethics Board. To avoid violating individuals’ privacy, the study followed recommendations by Hanna and Gough (2017) and Jordan and Harris (2012) to only analyze public and open access forum that receives a high volume of traffic and do not refer to usernames or other identifying information.

2.4 Data analysis

Qualitative content analysis was applied to capture employment challenges addressed by posters and to analyze gender differences in workplace experience. As Vaismoradi et al. (2013) noted, content analysis can be used in exploratory studies with a large amount of mediated text to identify universal codes and to find significant meaning through counting and to interpret their frequency. The data were analyzed following a multiple levels process. First, a deductive approach to data analysis was applied with an initial coding framework derived from a highly cited systematic review of the literature addressing employment challenges for individuals with autism (Müller et al., 2003). The framework identified five common barriers to employment success. The initial framework was continuously revised to accommodate new codes that emerged through the coding process. The recording of codes was independent of the length of the forum posting. For example, a long post could qualify for only one code while a short one might qualify for multiple codes. Second, the frequency and percentages of occurrence of each code were recorded as a proxy for the prevalence of particular experiences among the online community members. The aim was not to achieve a statistically significant result but to gain insight into the broad differences of experiences identified by each gender. This approach is frequently applied in exploratory studies with the goal of depicting the ‘big picture’ of a given subject (White & Marsh, 2006). Finally, the themes developed by males’ and females’ posts were compared and contrasted using a constant comparative method (Boeije, 2002). Credibility was achieved through (a) verification using an initial literature review to establish validity and (b) triangulation by multiple researchers. Around 10%of the threads were randomly selected for double coding and agreement between the two authors. Transferability was achieved by providing a thick description of the experiences of the online community members, supported by representative quotes, and discussing how the findings relate to other adults with ASD.

Verbatim quotations were included not only to illustrate themes but, more importantly, to enable the voice of women and men with autism to give their own views about vocational challenges, policies, and practices that affect them directly. According to Corden and Sainsbury (2006), using participants’ own spoken words made more impact than the researcher’s narrative in conveying life experiences to readers. It is also a way of demonstrating the value of what they said.

2.5 Software

The study used Nvivo 11 for Windows to facilitate capturing, organizing, and analyzing data. The sample threads were collected using the NCapture facility. The initial posts have been organized as ‘cases’ where the posters’ profiles (age, gender, occupation) were stored. After entering the codes as nodes, data query functions were used to facilitate the analysis.

Almost a quarter of the identified codes discussed the experiences of workplace anxiety and stress and its enormous physical and mental cost with a higher rate among women (27.7%) than men (20.8%). Two subthemes emerged: the triggers of anxiety and the experience of workplace anxiety.

The workplace factors that are associated with stress and health risk can be categorized as those specific to the job and those linked to the social and organizational context of work. Both genders reported being stressed due to factors intrinsic to the job such as work overload or under load, long working hours, lack of routine, and sensory-stimulating physical environment. A male member described the stressful working context in a nursing home: “You do not get a break all day. There are people everywhere. The distractions can easily cause you to make a med error. Your workload is heavy...I don’t feel this occupation is conducive to my mental health”. Difficult or complex tasks and time pressure were also cited. A female member posted: “I am so stressed . . . I find that because I am quite rubbish at this, I have to come home and work in the evening to catch up so that I can hit my deadlines”. Management style also contributed to workplace stress. Both genders reported incidences of over-supervision as sources of stress. A female member described: “I have always had a very hard time at work because of my anxiety; I feel as if I am being stared at and analyzed constantly its as if I’m on stage”. A male member criticized, “They micromanage everything I do. Pretty bad choice for someone with Aspergers, eh?” Organizational cultures with little attention to employees’ wellbeing exacerbated the risk as expressed by a female member “I’d like some support from anyone but all people say is “aahh jobs are stressful sometimes, you just gotta get through it, it’ll pass. I feel I’m on the very edge of breaking down”. Organizational restructuring without adequate consultation was also cited as a source of stress, “With this new change, all the things that help me to cope in everyday life would not be accessible”. Fear was identified as a major source of stress. Posts from both genders cited “fear and panic about the day ahead . . . .what if today’s going to be a bad day?, what if I get yelled at?, what if we’re short-staffed, and I have to do twice as much work?, what if I get overwhelmed and have a panic attack?”. Expectations of job loss either for not been up to the required skills or for no apparent reason, were noted. A male member posted, “My therapist told me that’s a fear many of her Aspie clients share, whether or not it has any basis in reality.”

Female members more commonly reported stress linked to interpersonal relationships with co-workers, supervisors, and clients: “I got in a fight with a supervisor over a rather petty issue . . . I was called into the office to talk to her with another manager, and I lost all my words. I couldn’t talk”. Female members identified a lack of compatibility between job and personality traits as a major source of stress: “I’m really scared that I will have to become a full-on woman for work . . . I can’t help who I am and feel screwed up because of my inner mentality. I’m going to be working with little kids and will have to become all womanly and girly”. Stress associated with work-interests balance was also more noted among female members, “And these are huge books. I will stay up late reading them and then be tired of work, which doesn’t help my burnout”.

Members revealed rich accounts of their personal experiences of workplace stress and its impact on their lives. Some members described the experience of stress as circumstantial and unavoidable: “I was asked to give a presentation to 30 people - something which stressed me greatly”. Other members from both genders reported incidents of “waking up with fear and panic” even before going to work. A female member reported experiencing cycles of a panic attack and inquired, “how do I manage to stop this cycle from repeating?”. Workplace stress manifested itself in changes in behavior such as being withdrawn, aggressive, and unmotivated. Members also reported physical symptoms, “I start to suffer from physical pain. My stomach starts hurting badly, I get these horrible headaches that take a day to go away”, and cognitive symptoms “I’ve hit the point where my body is switching off, and I can’t concentrate”. Members also reported a range of psychological impacts of workplace stress including experiencing a panic attack, meltdown, and crying.

3.2 Workplace social interaction

About 23%of the communicated codes revealed members’ concerns with issues related to the social environment and interpersonal relationships in the workplace, with a much higher rate among women posters (27.3%) than men (16.7%). Three themes emerged: interpersonal relationships, social demands of the job, and coping mechanism.

The analysis revealed a recurring theme of “experiencing a great deal of difficulty interacting with colleagues”. ASD-related social and communication deficiencies were misunderstood by co-workers, as one female member noted, “I’m known by my co-workers as being in my own little world. Some even accuse me of ignoring them and being only focused on my patients. I don’t purposely try to do this”. Members repeatedly experienced incidences of bullying and harassment by co-workers and supervisors: “Some co-workers boss me around, talk to me like I’m a child, or even yell at me. Some laugh at my awkwardness”; “I am been bullied at work by my line manager and the people manager. Who do I tell I am been bullied?” Consequently, members poignantly described immense feelings of being lonely, hated, excluded, and being in a hostile work environment that frequently led them to lose their jobs. In the words of a female member, “just the fact that my co-workers disliked me, and this is what’s happened at most of the jobs I’ve had. After a couple of months, my co-workers decide I’m the scum of the earth and either sabotage my work or badmouth me or both, and I get fired”. Female members often reported feeling insecure in female-dominated workplace while being able to “fit in” better in male environment. They found female co-workers to be more critical and judgmental toward their inability to meet gender role expectations or to share traditional “feminine interests”. Female members frequently identified themselves as “mentally androgynous”, “woman of both genders”, or even “masculine” and not being able to team up with other women in performing what is expected from women in social gathering and workplace events. A woman describes “I just don’t understand how the other women naturally know all this stuff!”

Some members reported experiencing significantly more difficulties in socializing with friendly co-workers whose communication style was hard to be followed (e.g. too many facial expressions, gestures, variations in tones). Many members expressed disappointment and frustration from what they saw as the unfair weight placed on social relationships in work environments: “Recently, I’ve realized how my lack of involvement in office politics has hindered me in some ways. Sadly, it’s not always how good you are at your job but how well-liked you are”; “I am quite certain I would get a negative review. This is so frustrating and upsetting. Why can’t I be normal and have normal work relationships?”

Members revealed concerns that their disability would get in the way of their being able to perform well in jobs with high social demands. A female member working in the service sector noted: “I do not want to deal with all the things like answering phones, meeting clients, acting formal, long hours, etc. that are so hard to deal with because of my Asperger’s”. Clients often took advantage of them, “I have trouble understanding people’s intentions and emotions and my client has found my weakness”. Other members reported being drained by workplace parties, conferences, and public events, “But at work, it is going to be at least 15 people if not 30! That’s way too many people and too much noise for me. I HATE HATE parties”. While some members complained of being denied the opportunity to shift to less social roles, others insisted on overcoming their social difficulties, “To me, it seems like my boss is unreasonable, but I do understand that customer service is important... I want to succeed at this job”. Females felt trapped by the society in stereotypical female jobs, which are often socially demanding, in the words of one, “I ALWAYS seem to get stuck on customer service, because I am female. I am convinced this is the case. I’ve tried to specify that I DON’T want to work with the public, but they never listen”. They frequently provide reviews of such jobs to alert other members, “I wouldn’t recommend nursing to someone with Aspergers. This job relies too much on interacting with others”.

Members shared their experiences in coping with workplace social challenges. Female members frequently sought conformity with neurotypical co-workers, utilizing their cognitive skills to conceal or compensate for their social deficiencies. In the words of a member, “I’m so accustomed to hiding my Asperger’s by passing it off as me just being painfully shy & introverted—which works splendidly in most social situations”. However, they expressed potential risks associated with having to “put on a mask daily”. As one member noted, “it would be too stressful. You lose your sense of self and finally crack under the pressure and cry and have your normal depression stress anxiety”. Others sought to cut or reschedule working hours to reduce the social demands. On deciding between “solitary and social environments,” some members chose to counter their social challenges. A female member expressed, “I feel that if I “lock myself up” in an office all day with nobody to talk to, I’ll just be encouraging my introverted behavior, and maybe surrounding myself with others is a better idea”. While some members worked hard to fix their relationships with co-workers, “I have discovered a way to get co-workers to think the best of you, and to forget their perceived slights from you: bring food for everyone and put it in the break room. I have done this with great success”. Others decided to follow corporate rules and “to elevate the situation to the next level of management”.

3.3 Executive function deficiency

About 15.6%of the identified codes highlighted members’ concerns with issues related to the deficiency in the cognitive processes that help regulate, control, and manage thoughts and actions; with more than a three-fold higher rate of occurrence among male posters (26.2%) compared to women (8.4%). Three subthemes emerged: challenges with various processes of executive function, consequences of deficiencies in executive function, and coping strategies.

Members talked about their struggles with deficiencies in executive functions encompassing: attention, problem-solving, verbal reasoning, cognitive flexibility, initiation of actions, and working memory. They complained about their inability to concentrate, do things on time or block out distractions “I find it hard to focus on one thing for a lengthy period or for a productive period of time and the slightest distraction will send me off doing something else. I keep getting distracted, by one thing or another, and completely lose sight of what I started”. Members also encountered issues with following verbal instructions, paraphrasing, and analyzing texts or speech; one male member said: “I had trouble constructing thoughts and sentences after hearing it”. Many members also reported difficulties arising from having cognitive inflexibility. They discussed hardship associated with coping with changes, adapting to new rules, or stopping an activity to begin another “. . . there is just the problem of task switching from when I was doing something during the idle time”. A female member found that

“Keeping up with the pace of meetings, especially constant mind-changing or course-changing, is one of the challenging aspects of work that I can think of, with my having Aspergers”.

Members also struggled with the “getting started” phase of an activity “Sometimes, I can’t seem to begin the next thing. I know the steps, but there seems to be an impenetrable barrier between me and just starting. I can lose half a day to this ghastly state”. They also complained about their inability to multitask, follow multi-step verbal instructions and perform some tasks without help “I struggled with multitasking because I was expected to do desserts, and although they were easy, I used to get overwhelmed with multiple orders”.

Some members were devastated to share the consequences of lacking some of the cognitive processes. They believed that such challenges were barriers to not only doing “well” but to successfully maintaining their jobs. A male member said: “Poor executive functioning make working more difficult because it requires more mental effort to be responsible and keep track of multiple things at once”. A female member stated: “I was fired because they said I was going too slow and couldn’t keep up with the pace”.

Some members refused to give up and decided to deploy strategies to try overcoming this ASD associated barrier. For example, to cope with the inability to focus, some members advised on the use of schedules, whiteboards, planners and note programs “I’ve got Microsoft Outlook to remind me of meetings and deadlines, and note programs for a list of things to do”. For dealing with issues related to verbal reasoning, a male member suggested:

“One tip/trick I found that has worked well, and this has diminished the issue somewhat (but it still persists now and then) is to provide the boss/manager with a sample of what you’ve done, or a “shell” of the document with a brief explanation of what you intend to put in each main section, and describe how you intend to relate the sections based on the objective of the project or business case (that way, it conveys that you’re a big-picture thinker who “gets it”)”.

Others questioned: “Should I get some kind of doctor’s note explaining my needs due to my autism?” However, these strategies didn’t always work “despite my use of notes and a whiteboard to compensate for lack of executive function, I can’t very well tell my audience to “slow down” if the rest of them are otherwise keeping pace amongst themselves”.

3.4 Workplace communication

About 9.4%of the identified codes revealed members’ struggles with communication in the workplace, with a higher rate of occurrence among women posters (10%) than men (8.3%). Two subthemes arose: types of communication difficulties and consequences of communication difficulties. Both genders discussed challenges with various types of communication. However, difficulties with verbal communication were more noted among females: “I always manage to say something wrong, or something I’m not supposed to say.” Another female member sought advice on references to help translate the meaning of catchphrases: “I’m having trouble understanding my co-workers because they use a language I am unfamiliar with”. A male member complained about having to work 12 + shifts because “I kind of have an issue saying no to someone (aspie issues)”. Written communication was cited as a “preferred” method for some members; a male member said: “besides communicating through email at work, I also tend to prefer to communicate with friends through email as well”. However, some members recounted receiving many comments on their written communication skills; a female member said: “I was told by my last manager that I was “too direct”. Some members, particularly those with auditory processing problems, reported on difficulties communicating through some devices; a female member said: “When talking over phones and that type of speaker mediums, I can’t always hear clearly what people are saying, I just hear noise”

Members believed that lacking communication skills has inhibited their careers tremendously and also their social lives. A male member complained about how people think of him as stupid “They haven’t seen what I can do . . . but I have to take the time to arrange their words and understand what they are saying”. Another male member was ridiculed for having troubles in processing instructions: “I often have to ask people to repeat themselves or elaborate . . . some people will literally write you off as dumb/slow because of this”. A female member discussed how she felt seriously offended by her manager: “she thinks I’m mentally challenged. She thinks I can’t read a clipboard, excuse me I do calculus”. Members also expressed concerns about getting misinterpreted all the time “I am so sick of people misinterpreting me”. A female who has difficulty modulating her tone of voice said: “I accidentally ‘snapped’ at two of my co-workers. I really, honestly didn’t mean to be rude or mean. I was trying to communicate something quickly, and when I do that, (I have been told) I sound harsh”. On the other hand, some members believed that it is not only their fault: “the person training me keeps giving me vague instructions and not thoroughly explaining how things work” and “my boss..... She takes everything personally. Doesn’t communicate directly”. Members also revealed some of their strategies to try to overcome communication difficulties. A female member noted that “I role-played with my partner about how to talk to someone in a nice tone of voice when I am trying to say something urgently”. Another decided that “the best way I have been able to manage this is to just keep everything 100%professional all the time. I never talk about anything with anybody that isn’t business-related”.

3.5 Workplace accommodation

Workplace accommodation accounted for 8.4%of the identified codes with a slightly higher rate among women posters (8.8%) than men (7.7%). Four subthemes arose: reasons for accommodation, types of the accommodations requested, employers’ attitudes toward accommodation, and the consequences of lack of accommodation.

In a bid to highlight the significance of being formally or informally accommodated in the workplace, members discussed the various struggles they have experienced on “a near-constant basis”, particularly due to executive function deficiency: “I have been criticized at work for everything from lack of eye contact to stiff posture to atypical speech to verbal volume modulation to overly formal and verbose writing style ”.

Also, members reported problems with time management, multitasking, attention, adjusting to changes, and understanding instructions. Other members believed that their struggles stemmed from the surrounding environment, “Residents are constantly screaming, yelling and wheeling their chairs . . . call-bells and lights are constantly buzzing”. Another member expressed how “furniture is positioned so I have to sit with my back to the door . . . I can’t concentrate because I’m always looking over my shoulder”.

Members looked for advice on the types of accommodation that might benefit them or have benefited others, including “work habits, techniques, and software” to help improve “productivity or work relationships”. A male member requested two adjustments “one to my location in the office, and the second for written instructions”. In trying to cope with changes, another member discussed the need for a “prep period before shifts . . . I would have time to prepare little things to some degree, get comfortable with changes . . . give myself a little space from being with employees as well”. Another questioned if there would be any value in “. . . bringing in a volunteer to help me due to a job where my workload can on occasion be overloaded”. Others focused on the significance of being accommodated at a more basic level: “I need understanding, patience, and forgiveness”. Achieving conditional success was cited by a female member: “If it’s a friendly/patient colleague, sometimes I’m able to say ‘can you just give me a second’ and I try making a quick note of what I’m doing”.

Despite a long list of needs and requests, many members were still negotiating whether to seek accommodation or not. There are multiple reasons for this including, “people assume you’re retarded” and “[people] thinking my condition is nothing but an excuse”. Others reported employers’ criticisms and attitudes either because they don’t care or don’t know much about ASD: “I was told that my psychological problems are my own and that I am already heavily accommodated”. A female member complained: “I feel that they dismiss me as not having a problem. Maybe this is because I appear ‘normal’”. Another complained that “my manager claims that until she has the accommodation paperwork, there’s nothing she can do to help”. On the other hand, some fortunate members reflected on experiencing positive employers’ attitudes “I struggled with multi-tasking, but the team grew to like me and started playing to my strengths. This was accompanied by much appreciation “and “I’ve never had anyone really offer me accommodations . . . I was so overwhelmed with the consideration he put into it, I nearly cried”.

Some members who were denied accommodation expressed that “when I leave at the end of the day, I’m so drained and tired; I just want to go home and sleep. I don’t feel this occupation is conducive to my mental health”. Other dissatisfied members had “some serious concerns about their support”. While some members decided to quit, “I asked for changes in my pay and transportation, but both have been ignored . . . another reason why I’m leaving”, few others decided to take a step further and “comment on this in the tribunal (it added to the stress)”. While employers and service providers were tagged with blame, some members felt that “it’s my job to make myself fit their world” and “I would like to inform my manager on the positive traits as well as disadvantages that we commonly face. What websites/information can I show him that would help him understand more about the spectrum?”

3.6 Disclosure

Challenges related to disclosing ASD diagnosis in the workplace were found in 7%of the analyzed posts with an almost double rate of occurrence among men (9.5%) compared to women (5.2%). Two subthemes emerged: disclosure decision and disclosure process.

Members discussed the difficulties associated with disclosure, and many were contemplating whether to disclose or not. Some felt uneasy about identifying as “someone who would need accommodations for their disability, “especially that “a lot of AS individuals report flat-out discrimination when they come clean about the condition”. Many worried about “getting fired or being treated like less than normal”. One man complained: ”[I am] living life as an imposter, forever and every minute worried about being caught as if I different neurology was a crime to hide”. Some members were firmly against the idea; why bother if “normal people will never understand”. A female member stated: “people assume you are retarded and don’t understand ASD”. On the other hand, others believed that disclosure was inevitable in their case; they mentioned reasons such as needing the help and accommodation and being “bad at hiding it”. One woman was obliged to disclose because “one of the ladies has noted there’s something wrong” with her. As a consequence, members shared various experiences; “this situation ended positively- I wasn’t fired after all”. Others highlighted responses that were “not the most validating”: “if it begins to affect your work, we can talk more about it“. A member uncovered his struggle “to hide it” after he was advised by his employer to “not talk about those sorts of things”. Another successful member reported that he was advised by his employer to “keep it to self” in fear of “losing the businesses if people found out you aren’t able to do the job”.

Members questioned to whom to disclose: “Did you disclose only to HR and your supervisor, or to everybody?” While some members were unsure about what to disclose and the best way to do so; a member said: “I just don’t know what to physically say and how to bring it up. I don’t know how much to say and what to cover”, others believed that it’s all about deciding on when to disclose. A member said: “I have taken the decision that I do not tell employers about my diagnosis as I have no trouble at the stages leading up to a job. But Iam having second thoughts as to whether it would be beneficial to tell them when I get the job or during the role”.

3.7 Workplace physical and sensory environment

Physical and sensory environments are connected to employees’ motivation, performance, satisfaction, and engagement in the workplace. This is particularly challenging for those with ASD, due to sensory-processing disorders. About 6.7%of the identified codes reflected concerns about physical and sensory environments, with an almost equal rate among women posters (6.8%) and men (6.5%). Two subthemes were derived: environment limitations and consequences of inadequate environments.

Members discussed how various aspects of the physical and sensory environments have a powerful influence not only on how they perform but also how they perceive and remember experiences at the workplace. Most of them targeted explicitly space designs, particularly the open- space concept, improper furniture positioning, bright lighting, particularly fluorescent; different noise sources, such as from co-workers and telephones, in addition to heat and odors. A female member revealed: “they decided to pull out a couple more walls, so I have even more background noise and insane conversations to try and block out”. Another member mentioned: “The lights bother me, the odors bother me and the sounds bother me–and it’s hard to work”.

As a result, members encountered various challenges, which they describe as “unbearable”, “distressing”, “annoying” and “unnecessary”. The open-space design “left me feeling very vulnerable and exposed”. In a bid to escape noise overload, a member questioned how “to come up with a good excuse to leave early or not come in at all . . . That’s way too many people and too much noise for me”. Members also reported on how over-stimulation from the environment made them react in a way that was not really understood by others in the workplace, “I just sat there and stimmed [performed repetitive actions, such as flapping the hands, wiggling the knees, spinning in a chair, etc] and couldn’t look at anyone because I was so overloaded by everything . . . I’ve been drug into supervisor’s office and told that my behavior is unacceptable”. A member reported on how he couldn’t cope and “became a functional alcoholic to numb sensory overload from the noise and the heat . . . I left because I wanted out of the industry”. On the other hand, few members appraised their current workplace environments and acknowledged the potential positive outcomes “I feared the open-plan office layout and interactions with other people, but those aspects don’t seem overly bad. In fact, I kind of figure that had I been provided with my own isolated office, or a desk next to a window, I’d probably spend more time absorbed in myself/staring out the window”.

3.8 Corporate cultures

Corporate rules, policies, actions, and expectations reflect the values of the business and define its strategies, including clarifying job expectations, providing training and monitoring, making sure instructions are concise and specific, ensuring a well-structured work environment, instituting a code of conduct policies to be followed and supporting employees to prepare for changes. About 5%of the identified codes revealed members’ battles with various corporate rules and behaviors with a slightly higher rate among women posters (5.6%) than men (4.2%). Two subthemes emerged: Challenges with written rules and challenges with unwritten rules.

Members often expressed how working in disorganized corporations could be challenging, ”I always seem to be hired by mickey mouse organizations who seem to muddle through hand to mouth, and it is frustrating. No one ever seems to know what they are doing”. Members also voiced that less structured systems such as “matrix organizations caused unnecessary stress for workers on the autism spectrum because there are too much social time and not enough structure.” Members often reported negative experiences with less communicative management systems where physical, technological or, organizational changes were applied without enough preparations or consultation with them, “Before the change, I was always a top-rated employee. After the change,I have oscillated between top ratings, very low ratings, and even the lowest possible rating ”. They also complained from an exhausting work environment where the value of training and skill development did not empathize, “I put in [extra hours] to try and get up to speed in a job where I was given minimal training”.

Members often expressed their inability to pick up corporate unwritten rules. For them, rules are “something your boss must give you in print if you request it. Otherwise, it just does not exist”. Their common belief was that “unless you are a vapid, status-obsessed social parasite, you cannot win the game of office politics. This is one major reason why so many aspies trouble staying employed”. They attempted to cope by being “diplomat, rational, and conciliatory”. However, others believed that “doing the job well and keeping yourself professional by not getting involved with office politics isn’t always enough.” Some women members reported a problem dealing with offices’ expectations of female appearance and dress code. A woman complained of being thought “androgynous”. She questioned, “What does dressing like a woman mean to you? To me, well, I’m a woman, so however I dress, I am dressed like a woman.” Another woman argued that “if you have a good job in which the employer values your real skills, you could ignore other people’s social games and wear jeans and a t-shirt”.

5.1 Limitations

There are some limitations to this study. First, there is no way to verify the diagnosis or posters’ profiles reported on the forum. However, recent research on internet forum user-profiles concluded that most users accurately describe themselves online (Back et al. 2010). Second, forum members were most likely on the high-functioning end of the spectrum. The findings are thus primarily generalizable only to this group rather than the entire ASD community. Also, as noted by Finfgeld (2000), some populations may have little or no access to forums due to a lack of equipment and skills. Third, the majority of the posters, especially males, were relatively young. Thus the findings may emphasize the workplace experiences and needs of younger age groups. The interface between gender variance and the workplace experience of people with ASD requires further investigation.