Growing up with autism, eye contact was sometimes a challenge for me. The introduction of one-day work trials in our workplaces would have been a game-changer.
Therefore, I’m asking employers who may be reading this today to consider a more inclusive approach: the one-day work trial. This method helps level the playing field while also understanding each employee’s capabilities, regardless of whether they are autistic or not.
As a professional speaker and autism self-advocate who often gives professional development talks with companies on these topics, I often see that these interview processes typically are a huge indicator of whether or not someone will get their job. These ‘unspoken rules’, like maintaining eye contact and interpreting body language, can be painfully stressful. In that, we as employees may not be able to show our true selves because we have to try to mask to act neurotypical.
So, what is a one-day work trial and what does it entail? It’s quite simple, really – you give a potential candidate the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in a practical work setting. You may give them job responsibilities they’d have on a day-to-day basis if they were to receive that position. You’d be able to evaluate their skills to pick the ideal candidate.
You may start considering a blueprint for this work trial by looking at the job description you’ve written for the job initially and then setting out specific roles and tasks that you may have a candidate do on that day. In this blueprint, you should consider objectives that are measurable, to be reviewed later in deciding whom to offer the position.
In this trial, you may also look at doing a walk-through of that workplace to familiarize them with their surroundings. A main contact that can be communicated with for any questions during the trial would make sure to avoid any misunderstandings.
For someone with autism like myself, these trials allow us to ‘walk the walk’ when ‘talking the talk’ is not our ideal surrounding. From my work with other autistic adults, they often bring strong skill sets, unique perspectives, a high degree of loyalty, and other assets to the workplace that can be beneficial. This shift typically doesn’t affect the bottom line significantly in terms of resources for companies to consider. The best thing is, while having a human resource department or strong employee resources group investing in this definitely does help, it’s not necessary to get this off the ground.
Another benefit – it shows a company’s dedication to diversity in the workplace. As individuals with disabilities constitute the largest minority group in the world, this commitment to diversity is more important than ever.
So with that, I urge all employers to consider this practice in their hiring processes. Let’s continue to advocate and make the world a more inclusive place for everyone!
What components do you consider important for a one-day work trial? If your workplace is looking for professional development on autism or neurodiversity, contact me here and let’s keep the conversation going!
