Bullying is a huge issue for autistic people and it has devastating effects on mental health. However, bullying does not stop when school ends⏤it is also endemic in the workplace where it goes unnoticed and unchallenged by neurotypical colleagues.
Most autistic people are bullied at school. A study undertaken in the US in 2012 reported that about 46% of autistic children in middle and high school told their parents they were victimised at school within the previous year, compared with just over 10% of children in the general population (Sterzing, Shattuck, and Narendorf).
Anecdotal evidence suggests to me that this figure is way too low⏤and in fact other studies have put this figure closer to 70-80%. In my personal experience, and speaking as someone who was bullied for most of my school career, I have yet to meet an autistic person who has not been the victim of bullying.
Bullying and victimisation take many forms and can be difficult to identify and own: it may involve physical violence, threats of violence, verbal attempts to humiliate and shame, or may manifest more subtley, as sniggers, teasing, being excluded from friendship groups and activities and so on.
Whatever the form, the effects of bullying are profound and can be lifelong and are now considered to be a major risk factor in adults presenting with mental health problems later in life (Wolke and Leraya, 2015). Studies have shown that ‘experiencing bullying is the strongest predictor of developing PTSD symptoms. This surpassed physical abuse, neglect, and exposure to community violence. Another literature review examining 29 relevant studies on bullying and harassment found that 57% of victims scored above the threshold for meeting PTSD criteria.’ (Matthiesen and Einarson, 2010)
As a therapist who specialises in working with autistic adults, much of my work is connected to repairing the damage done by bullying. However, for many autistic people the end of school does not mean an end to their experience of being bullied. Workplace bullying is also, frequently, an issue that autistic adults have to contend with in daily life and something that brings them into therapy.
Although there is no legal protection from bullying in the UK, bullying behaviours are prohibited in the workplace under harassment legislation (Equality Act, 2010). These behaviours include offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting speech or actions, and abuses or misuses of power that undermines, humiliates, or causes physical or emotional harm to someone; these behaviours may be isolated incidents, or a pattern of behaviour sustained over time.
A poll conducted by the National Autistic Society (2012), the largest of its kind, found that more than a third of autistic adults have been bullied or discriminated against at work. Moreover, in the same poll 43 per cent said they had left or lost a job because of autism, which may speak to the appallingly high rates of unemployment in the population of autistic people who want to undertake paid work.
One reason that this problem has seemed intractable is that workplace bullying can be difficult to identify⏤unless you are the target⏤and therefor tricky to tackle. A compounding factor is that most (although not all) perpetrators of workplace bullying of autistic colleagues do not see their behaviour as bullying. In fact, many if not most would probably be horrified at the thought they might be engaging in bullying behaviours.
So, what does bullying in the workplace look like and why are so many autistic adults targeted by their colleagues? Workplace bullying of autistic people typically takes the following forms:
- Workplace ‘banter’, cracking jokes or making ‘humorous’ comments about appearance and behaviour
- Workplace gossip about an autistic person’s affect or performance in the job, in ways which target autistic traits
- Refusal to understand or annoyance with having to make accommodations for autistic people (e.g. providing instructions in writing)
- Jealousy regarding an autistic person having accommodations (e.g. WFH)
- Leaving an autistic person out of social groups and events/ putting pressure on an autistic person to join in social events
There are many other things I could add to the list. These are just some of the most common bullying behaviours autistic people have to put up with in the workplace. From the outside they may look subtle and, as I said, would probably not be recognised as bullying by the perpetrators themselves.
It is probably worth saying that these are all things I have observed at work. A particularly choice example which comes to mind as I am writing this is hearing one colleague say of an autistic person, ‘they play on their disability to get out of things they don’t want to do. We’d all like to do that!’ This comment went unchallenged.
As to why autistic people are bullied, the simplest answer is probably that as humans we do not like difference. Many autistic people are visibly different (we may stim or tic or have a particular way of speaking) or may be thought of as idiosyncratic or quirky because we have non-standard ways of approaching tasks.
Also, autism has a very spiky profile; whilst we are frequently excellent at the core tasks of our job, particularly when they require focus or high-level cognitive skills, we may struggle with things that seem ‘simple’ (like booking leave or other basic admin) which means we get little sympathy or support with these things⏤I guess the thought is, if she can do X, she must be able to do Y.
Added to this autistic people typically (but not always) struggle with social situations, which can lead to us being labelled as stand-offish or aloof. Seeing autistic people as different is a version of the psychological phenomenon called othering which is where certain individuals or groups are defined and labelled as not fitting in within the norms of a social group. This is not a neutral observation but rather a process of judging others as undesirable and unwelcome.
Anyway, the point that I am trying to make here is that bullying of autistic people is endemic in the workplace but most neurotypical people don’t see such behaviours as bullying⏤and nor do they understand the profound and devastating effects sustained ‘low-level’ bulling has. Perhaps a question we all (and I say this as a neurodivergent person) need to ask ourselves is, am I a workplace bully?
If you think you are being bullied at work keep a detailed diary of what is done and said with the dates, times, places and colleagues involved. Approach HR with your concerns. Join a union and take a union representative who knows you are autistic with you to any meetings with HR. Visit the National Autistic Society website for further guidance.
Dr Stephanie Aspin 