There's a nearly universal experience of workplace trauma where Autistics experience exactly this:
hired for your attention to detail
praised for being thorough
resented for your nitpicking
admonished for not letting something go
& leave because burnout
rinse. repeat. variations on a theme.
hired for your attention to detail
praised for being thorough
resented for your nitpicking
admonished for not letting something go
& leave because burnout
rinse. repeat. variations on a theme.
Reposted from
Xer Shadow Tail ☄️🌺🏳️⚧️
Being very autistic in a neurotypical workplace is painful as you are both praised and penalized for your autistic qualities.
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on avg i can last about 18-24 months before burning the hell out from those sorts of jobs.
there have been some exceptions, and i’m getting better ab sustainability, but damn the NT standards for work are like poison to me
Any neurodivergence really puts us at a huge disadvantage professionally because of capitalist structures and a culture that values earning power over achieving work life balance
the idea i have to be 💯 every day is impossible to achieve for me
devoid of societial pressure, i wouldnt have seasonal depression. in nov-jan my body just needs more sleep (+14hrs sometimes) but i cant do that under capitalism. in fact, most industries speed up at the end of the year. i have been fighting burnout for a couple weeks
They mean “give it all you have where you can still enjoy your life”
I WAS UPSET TO LEARN THIS
you're so not alone
there are SO many of us
and there's hope for brighter days despite everything, I think
hang in there 🫶🏻
And let's not forget "penalized for not schmoozing with colleagues"
- Praised for consistency and working hard to make course worthwhile to students
- Given specific instructions, praised for excelling at those instructions
- Passive-aggressively told off for 'missing' something
- Checked instructions; 'missed' work was not included.
I’ve never stuck around long enough to be fired tho
Now writing a list of all the jobs I’ve had to figure it out, there have been quite a few and very varied…
Bar work
Citizens Advice Bureau
HIV centre vol
Needle exchange vol
Mortgage sales
Mortgage retention
Office admin
Grant assessor
Forestry/landscaping
Herbalist shop
Shop manager
Auditor
Accountant
Teacher
House renovation (mine)
“I am a perfectionist and like to make sure the job is finished”
Vs.
“I often want to dig a hole, line it with leaves and hibernate like a squirrel until the world moves on”.
One of these answers is “wrong”. 🤣
I had the opportunity to study it from the inside as a hyperfocus
Interview VERY comfortably
I worked remote and was in calls all day as normal part of my job
Saw problems
offered feedback & how-tos in long emails
They ridiculed me
Turns out was intentional fraud
They’re out of business now 🫠
Long email sent as per the PM training they made me take & their request
Would then be asked to explain email verbally with lg group of strangers who never read the email
Was bullied for expecting them to
Plus some of the questions ppl w prior PM experience asked re situations they’ve been in before re ethics & such were very eye-opening for me
& you can tell it didn’t land correctly
but you have no idea what it was,
how to fix it,
And immediately know that you’ll be thinking about it for the next 19 years before falling asleep.
Such toxic institutional norms.
Getting hired out of highschool to work for a major uni in a director position Information Systems.
Only to be constantly pushed to the edge of breakdown often working 90+hours a week. Make it happen deadlines.
1 st burnout 🥵
Boss: “Why are you so behind in submitting paperwork/making appointments/replying to clients?”
Me: “You told me I had to fill out the paperwork a certain way/call them in a certain order/only reply when I feel like I can take the time.”
Boss: “Yeah, so?”
Me: “This all takes time.” —>
Me: “Do you want it done fast or done right?”
Boss: “Both 😉”
Me: “How, exactly? If I’m supposed to be thorough?”
Boss: “Your coworkers can handle it.”
Me: “I’ve found numerous errors from my coworkers when I inherit their cases.”
Boss: 🤷🏻♀️ “Do better.”
Mostly kidding
But this is a well documented phenomenon that have lots of peer reviewed studies to back it up
It’s talked about heavily on LinkedIn
I’ve been in psych 9 years this month and I’ve seen it over and over and over
No shade but maybe new therapist?
where late identified pros in all fields are ANGRY about what we’ve suffered
I walked away from LI in favor of more cussing and dark humor here
But it’s a VERY interesting phenomenon
If you filter out all the “coaches”