Tackle it Tuesday: Asking For More: Part 2

October 23, 2024

Welcome to Tackle It Tuesday, a social media series where an autistic employee at AAoM (yours truly) writes workplace tips to better cope with the stresses of a working world not built for neurodiversity.

While creating the latest entry for AAoM’s social platforms, I realized that social media alone isn’t the ideal archive for all the past Tackle It Tuesday entries, as it shares space with all the other important work AAoM does. So, this blog companion was born!

This Tackle it Tuesday is on asking for more. This is part two of a set of two entries, as there’s a lot of information here to go over. This topic has so much more ground to cover even beyond that, but I wanted to condense as much information as I could.

An image with a green background. At the bottom, there is a figure with a thought cloud with an image of the dream being dashed with a poof. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 Sometimes, you have to ask for more, and higher-ups at companies can say no. And they can play games around it."

An image with a green background. At the bottom, there are two people talking in a meeting room. The one in the brown suit is speaking to the person in the light blue dress shirt. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 What do you do when you hear “no”? Gently ask why if they haven’t given you an answer already. Sometimes the answer could have nothing to do with your performance at all."

An image with a green background. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 Ask for feedback whether it has to do with your performance or not. Even if the answer has nothing to do with you, showing a willingness to learn is great. For Example: “Is there any feedback you can offer me? I’d like to improve!”"

An image with a green background. At the bottom, there is a figure with an indignant expression, thinking of a previous conversation. The previous conversation is represented with a thought cloud with an image of two people talking in a meeting room, with question marks surrounding it. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 What do you do when you hear “no” and the answer makes no sense? Sometimes, companies will be unreasonable or even ableist."

An image on a green background. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 If they make up a reason not to grant you something out of thin air, that’s cause for concern. An example is telling someone they do not wash their hands enough in a food service job when they categorically do."

An image on a green background. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 If they mention something about your accommodations or autistic traits preventing you from getting more, that’s major cause for concern. Some companies will also dress that up in obscure language."

An image on a green background. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 If that happens, there are a few things you can do. Human Resources Note down every moment of discrimination. Discuss this with an outside organization if HR does not help (Some HR departments are really there to protect the company, not the workers)"

I did not add this previously, but discussing this with a trusted point person (if you were introduced to your job via a disability employment agency) is also a great resource. Noting down instances of discrimination to show to them is also important for them.

An image with a green background. At the bottom, there is a figure with an indignant expression, pushing away the thought of a previous conversation. The previous conversation is represented with a thought cloud with an image of two people talking in a meeting room, with question marks surrounding it. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 What if the answer is always no for no good reason? Then it’s time to find another job. "

An image on a green background. On the bottom right, there is the person in the blue shirt walking away from a trio of skyscrapers representing a business. The text reads: "Tackle it Tuesday: Asking for More: Part 2 If you can, keep your current job, and keep looking for something out there that’s better in the interim. If it’s really bad, leaving is A-OK too. Good mental health is more than a paycheck, though I always like a backup plan.

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