AIBU to think dismissal during probation was unfair given autism adjustments?

Agreed. Unfortunately, I think universities and schools lead some people into a false sense of security re adjustments and what is realistic in the workplace.

I don’t think your list of adjustments is reasonable. It sounds like you needed extensive daily management and coaching support to do your job. You’d be expected to be much more independent in a graduate role.

Op I’ve given you lots of advice but you’ve been rude in return to me. Why is that? What is it about what I’ve said that makes you reply in such a defensive and rude way?

OP if you’re still reading, I think the advice to find a role more suited to your skills and preferred ways of working is correct.

Good for you, for trying consultancy. It’s really, really hard and there is no shame in acknowledging that it isn’t for you. You have also told us you are good at the analysis part of the job. Can you look at roles, where there is more certainty built in? We all need some soft skills, but consultants are at the extreme end of this and it sounds like that will never be your comfort zone.

FWIW, I have a lot of Autistic traits, although not formally diagnosed. I find people exhausting and have limited patience with endless meetings. I have a senior job that allows me to work from home part of the week so that I only need to “people” and mask twice a week. I’m well paid because of my experience and knowledge. I would be a terrible consultant, but I have found my place and there is somewhere for you too.

The problem is that Partners/Directors choose the team they need for each assignment - you are required to build your reputation within the firm - it's quite cut throat in that respect - people often find this hard and whilst you can develop a reputation for brilliance, the opposite can easily happen too and you will spend long periods without meaningful work.
Beyond the Grad programme - someone like the OP will just not be chosen for a project/assignment because she creates more unnecessary work for a team that will already be under time pressure, that might be accepted if it was balanced out with exceptional skills elsewhere that helped take the pressure off the team to make up the time - but I don't get the feeling that is the case - she would be a very difficult resource to allocate and her utilisation would fall below acceptable (profitable) levels - there is no way out of this and that is why they would let her go, of course they'd try to minimise the risk of tribunal but they wouldn't keep her on for fear of it.

OP - in answer to your question - I don't know if it was unfair. Readers can't know it was unfair. We don't know the full story.

What I do know: there is nothing you can do about it now. You need to take what you can from the experience. You built valuable work experience, you also learned what doesn't work for you, and what you learned what elementary mistakes to avoid in future.

Rather than arguing on Mumsnet, you need to turn your attention back to the jobmarket, which is a bloodbath for graduates.

You need a clear story about why you have moved on - something like a very corporate world not being for you, not playing to your strengths.

There are freelance job platforms for discrete pieces of analysis you can do to keep busy. You can also do some pieces of analysis using open data to evidence your skills - build a portfolio of projects.

If you go into a future interview emotionally-tethered to the old job, it will show. You need to do a reflection exercise, then disengage.

You may be able to go back to your university careers service, and also sign up for NHS IAPTs-type therapy to process your experience.

For people with ASD, one of the challenges is not only that 'bad things happen' (they happen to us all). The further challenge is that adapting to/responding to/growing from the experience is more difficult.

The challenge for you now isn't simply that your job ended, but that you are not moving forward. Think of it as a problem to solve rather than a campaign to fight.

I did warn you 14 pages ago.

Oh dear you come across as belligerent and unable to accept a hierarchy where you are at the bottom and have to do what you are told, not decide for yourself if something was ok or not. You seem to think that if you feel you have a valid reason for doing something you don't have to do what others ask you to do. If you are told you are not allowed to do something then you should immediately apologise and correct the behaviour. Also you need to get along with people. You have asked people on here to give advice but then you are rude to them and don't give them the information they need to help you. You seem to be completely unaware of how others may see you or what they might be thinking or feeling. You are never going to fit into an organisation so you should focus on a different career.

If your behaviour in the workplace is anything like it is online I can see why you keep having issues. I work with many autistic people and none of them would be as rude as you have been

I think that clicking "see all" on the OP illustrates why she's being let go.
First post = comprehensive, lucid, written by AI

All other posts = no u M8

What is the matter with you? I’m autistic and I’m not in a high powered job. You know why? Because I can’t do it. I don’t even know if it’s because of my personality or autism. I used to think it was my personality back before I knew I was autistic. I know for a fact that no amount of training or adjustments could make me a brilliant sales person. So I don’t work in sales. I also don’t like tons of responsibility. So I don’t work as a manager to people or in a job where everything falls on me. Now I’m thinking about everything you’ve said maybe I should start applying for sales jobs where I don’t need to sell anything or a managers job where someone else does the managing part as an adjustment. I could get loads more money!

@Organgrinder I think you’ve nailed part of the problem. Op needs a job with a regular structure and format, but the job she was employed to do was more spontaneous.

Also, Op felt that ‘reasonable adjustment’ meant that she could dictate her needs, and the company had to capitulate with this which isn’t the case.

Op also seems to fail to realise that the company’s priorities are the company, not an individual person they’ve only employed for a few months. They don’t owe her anything, especially during the probationary period.

Going to ACAS thinking that the op will be able to go to tribunal is pie in the sky. She committed a misconduct - where I am it would be gross misconduct and god knows what else she’s done.

You keep repeating this. Do you actually mean ACAS?

I think the Op's adjustments just don't work in consultancy - every day is different in this job - there is very little that is standard or usual and it seems that is what the OP needs - and that's ok to need that but it isn't what consultancy is all about - clients rarely ask for specialists for support on every day tasks.
Did the company offer support on finding other employment - a session with a careers coach? If they did the OP should take it, they are certainly qualified to work in the energy industry, their technical skills in Economics will be of use to the regulator, Desnz or the energy companies, just not consulting, it's too fast moving, too unpredictable, requires flexible/on your feet thinking - move to the customer side OP (I'd recommend the regulator)...everything will be that bit more predictable and the pace will suit you better.

I think you need to reflect on the reasonableness of the adjustments you were expecting. Certain jobs don’t suit everyone. I wouldn’t have time to handhold someone to the degree you were expecting.

I don't think this is an isolated example. It comes up when I speak with those supporting graduates into employment. They've been told they have a right to adjustments e.g. in education, but were not supported in recognising that not all roles or settings are a good fit for them and that they need to adjust too.

Op, this is the most honest and sensible post on the whole thread, read it and read it again.

To those advising the OP takes her employer to tribunal, to win this case they need only to (truthfully) state that after she committed misconduct be recording a call that they decided to let her go.

It will quite possibly come up in future web searches by prospective employers and so reduce her chances of getting a professional position in the future.

I think one lesson you need to take from this is that much as there is obligation on the employer legally to make adjustments for your autism, there is more obligation on you to make adjustments within yourself so you can live a successful life and fit in. I say this as an autistic person myself who had a hideous time in life until I learned, through life experience and huge self-discipline, to be what my employer wants me to be. You are expecting a lot of sensitivity from others when frankly, why should they when there are more straightforward but equally efficient employees out there? They are running a business and time is money for them.

What else would you expect of them?! You are an employee there to do work. ‘Reasonable adjustments’ doesn’t mean do what you want; there are many reasons why adjustments would not be reasonable. Some people may never be able to do a particular job (and I’m sure you can come up with your own examples of such jobs). Unfortunately because students have become university’s customers, even very bright students may have the wrong idea about how employment works.

As to the rest, in a non-employment context, people don’t have to adapt for you or the OP. Sure it would be nice if people didn’t express exasperation with the way you process things, but there is no obligation on them to listen to you bang on so that you can process. And this isn’t unique to you or autism; everybody experiences this type of thing. The world, other people don’t work the way any of us would like. I’m not saying it’s not more extreme for you, but sometimes at least you are just experiencing what we all do. It might also be true that the OP might not be able to do the job with or without adjustments and should move on and accept that. I don’t know but I think she needs to examine that possibility.

I'm pretty sure employers have no obligation to give in to any and all demands for reasonable adjustments. That's not how they work.