GHD’s Autism at Work internship program is setting neurodivergent candidates up for success

The following content is provided by GHD. 

Different, but not difficult.

That was the sentiment and one of the key messages from the recent Autism @ Work Summit organised by Autism CRC. Autistic people may have different ways of working, such as having a desire for consistent schedule, sensory sensitivities, atypical communication or needing a quiet workspace.

But, in today’s flexible workplace, these differences aren’t difficult to accommodate. And those on the autism spectrum can bring valuable strengths to a workplace, including (but not limited to) understanding complex systems, impressive subject-matter expertise, strong focus on tasks, reliability, and loyalty.

Autism is a neurodivergent condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, interacts with others, and experiences their environment. It is estimated that one in 70 people are on the autism spectrum.

With the United Nations World Autism Day on 2 April, Summit presenters Laura Trotta, Imogen Bird and Joel Clark recently shared some insights from the sessions they were involved with at the Summit.

Imogen and Laura are members of GHD’s Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group, while Joel Clark is an autistic Engineering Intern in our South Australian Transport and Civil Engineering team.

Joel Clark

Joel is a third-year student studying engineering at Flinders University. He completed a five-month, five days a week internship with us and now continues to work one day a week in the team while he continues his studies. Joel shared his experiences together with Laura during the Summit’s higher education session.

Joel’s internship came about when an employment specialist from Flinders University contacted Untapped Group, a GHD partner. Then Untapped connected with GHD to explore opportunities for Joel. Joel was invited for an interview, and ERG member Laura attended to assist.

“During the interview, having Laura present was helpful as she had a level of understanding of my autism and helped put me at ease. Once I had a chance to start talking to my now manager about transport and technical things that I am into, I felt really excited about what was to come,” says Joel.

Joel’s BGL and team leads completed neurodiversity training hosted by Untapped Group in preparation and this was open to all BGLs and Team Leaders in SA.

“What helped me settle into the role was knowing I had the support from Laura, People team and my BGL. It was also helpful to get a feel for the workplace and not have any pressuring deadlines right at the beginning, and I had a solid contact list with who I could talk to for different things,” says Joel.

“I never thought I would have an opportunity to work with such an amazing group. I couldn’t have wished for a better placement – it has been a fantastic experience I’ve really appreciated.

Laura says, “Joel’s experience has been a great learning opportunity for us and highlighted the need for GHD to have good linkages with organisations such as Untapped, universities, and recruitment agencies to help us identify and recruit talent – and this applies to both neurodivergent and neurotypical people.

It also shows that we can’t drop the ball on accommodating and setting neurodivergent candidates up for success at GHD. We need to do at least what we did to accommodate Joel and better for every neurodivergent placement. There is such a wonderful opportunity to bring talent to GHD with unique strengths.” 

Employee Resource Group approaches

In a panel session at the Summit Imogen joined three others from Ubisoft and Oracle to explore the work and benefits of ERGs.

“It was interesting to see the different approaches other ERGs have taken. Since our inception at GHD, we’ve focused a lot on building awareness of neurodiversity across Australia, adjusting our recruitment processes and providing training for managers who are welcoming autistic people into their teams. Whereas other panel members said their ERGs have focused on connecting neurodiverse people in their business to create a safe network,” says Imogen.

“So, learning from this, I think we’re going to put some more focus into connecting neurodiverse people within GHD in the new financial year and really creating a space of safety, comfort and shared experiences.”

A need to embrace autistic traits

During the Summit, Beth Radulski from La Trobe University shared some insights on the impacts of masking.

Masking is a term used to describe people purposefully concealing autistic traits and characteristics in an attempt to pass as non-autistic, and this can often involve non-disclosure. Research indicates nearly three quarters of autistic people use masking techniques consistently, such as forcing eye contact, or deliberately altering their voice tone or body language.

“Beth emphasised how exhausting and stressful masking can be – emotionally, physically and mentally. It demands intense concentration, self-control and management of discomfort to mask, causing burn out, anxiety, depression and exhaustion,” says Laura.

“So as employers, team leads, and colleagues, we need to focus on fostering a safe space where our autistic employees can be themselves. We are all different, and a true culture of belonging welcomes, accommodates and supports all of our differences, so we can all thrive,” adds Laura.