Nuerodiverse colleague

[moana35]

I am having a few problems with a colleague at work. She is neurodiverse so adjustments have had to be made but these adjustments are meaning that myself and my colleagues are doing alot more than we did before she was employed.

She is very black and white about time so she will not be at her desk until her digital smart watch says the start time on her contract and again she leaves at the exact time she is supposed to finish even if in the middle of something. Lunch is an hour but due to needing to re compress for the afternoon she needs to take 75 minutes as she needs to go for a walk and eat. She has to sit in front of a window which means all our places in the office have been changed.

From Monday we are not allowed to drink coffee at our desks anymore only tea as the smell makes her gag.

Aside from this she is a very good worker and gets her work done to a good standard but it is impacting on the morale of the team. She is also exempt from training mornings if they are "small room " based as she can't sit in a room with a big group of people. She will be allowed to do her training online.

Management say as she declared her nuerodiversity at interview these adjustments have to be made for her I get reasonable adjustments and I have an autistic son but are these adjustments reasonable to the rest of the team.

If we took 15 mins extra for lunch or asked our colleague to not drink coffee I am sure we would be spoken to by management,

Has anyone else come across this in the workplace.

Because it’s one person wanting to change the status quo and inconveniencing multiple others.

Why is my need to drink coffee at my desk getting less sympathy than this person’s want not to smell it? Or am I doing ND wrong. Again.

This discussion reminds me of why I’ve left most ND forums. You are criticised and chased off if you don’t abide by the groupthink.

I say this as someone currently holding a Costa, if anyone “needs” to drink coffee, they have an addiction. Otherwise it’s a want, not a need.

I didn’t “need” a latte this morning. I wanted one, because I’m tired.

Sensory needs however are just that, needs. You sort of had that the wrong way round. Sensory needs aren’t a preference.

Needs and wants are different. You can’t always get what you want, but we should always aim to meet people’s needs. If you do “need” coffee, might I suggest help.

I'll let my friend with MS know she doesn't actually need coffee to get through her work day then. She just wants it, and the crushing fatigue she feels without it can be dealt with, or she can add to the cocktail of medications she already takes with a different stimulant I guess.

Well that’s a need, isn’t it. What I’m saying is that if you don’t have a health/sensory need, it’s just a want. Which isn’t the same thing.

Your friend with MS would also get a reasonable adjustment, btw. So this whole conversation wouldn’t even apply.

I cannot believe that people with no health requirement to inject themselves with caffeine are this bothered about just putting a lid on a drink or having a coffee at break. I’d be so disappointed if my team were this aimlessly awkward.

Why are you referring to yours as a need but the other persons as a want despite it being common knowledge that some people with disabilities have extreme sensory issues? You just want coffee at your desk.

yep, everyone would like the window seat I'm sure. The coffee thing is ridiculous as is the long lunch break. tbh most of this appears to be about preferences.

Sensory needs can be extreme smell can be overwhelming for some autistic people it's not being picky or taking the piss. I feel sorry for this neuro diverse person I can imagine she feels the atmosphere . At the end of the day the management agreed these adjustments I hope people are complaining to them not the colleague who didn't choose to be autistic.

I think the issue, for me, is that one person's needs shouldn't trump the needs of others. Some food smells make me feel sick and I would love them not to eat these foods but I would never expect others to accommodate me wants.

Yes it's clear there's little understanding of sensory processing difficulties and the affect they can have.

It’s not one person wanting to change the status quo or inconvenience anyone, she has sensory issues related to her autism, which will make her physically unwell and unable to compete her work.

Workplace adjustments are a legal obligation and nothing to do with employee preferences.

You sound like miserable and uneducated teammates. You’re upset by their accommodations, because it’s “unfair”. Living life with disabilities can be extremely challenging, and actually unfair.

You're assuming your colleague is being paid for those additional minutes, but you don’t know for certain. And, even if they are, that’s none of your business. The additional work, again a non-issue.

Starting and leaving work on time, sounds like a wise move. Pace of work - as long as they’re hitting their KPIs what is the issue? Ultimately, they'll
be performance managed if need be, that’s not your job.

Perhaps this is an opportunity for you to be curious and learn more about disabilities - and no, I don’t mean asking your colleague.

Some of the posters on here are woefully uneducated, petty, mean, and downright spiteful. Do you even understand what living with a disability entails, and what reasonable adjustments are, and why they exist?

A reminder that their colleague chose to work in the office environment. The world is full of people that have been trying to conform to a specific mould for NT people, and that’s not to say it’s the only way, or in fact the right way. Many of those ND traits would have been essential and beneficial for our survival as a species.

Believe it or not, people with disabilities are entitled to be able to live and work in society, even if you don’t like them/it. And, even, shock horror in an office! As someone ND, with a physical health disability (I acquired in my late teens) that has severely impacted every facet of my life to an extent that most people would never understand, I can tell you that everyday I wish for a miracle cure & to not have a disability. Life pre-illness was completely different, and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

Where is the empathy? You should be incredibly grateful that you don’t need any adjustments. But, it may also well be you one day. As someone else mentioned it’s about equity, not equality. Furthermore, you don’t need to try to understand or even understand something to have empathy for a person, as doing so can get in the way of empathy.

It’s not your lived experience.

The extra worked hours is something you can take up with your boss. What hours she works is irrelevant. The fact is, there’s too much work for hours, so what’s your boss going to do to sort? Pay you the extra time or give you a day off once every two months. Boss needs to sort.

the coffee issue just needs creative thinking on the ladies part. She can use smells she does like to mask the smells she doesn’t like.

Well said. My son is disabled and I’d give everything I have for him not to be