A US survey has found that eight in 10 autistic employees experience masking and emotional exhaustion at work, highlighting the hidden toll workplace expectations and environments can place on neurodiverse staff.
The study, conducted by nonprofit NEXT for AUTISM, found that 80% of autistic employees report masking and emotional exhaustion as a workplace challenge, highlighting the hidden strain many workers experience while adapting to workplace expectations, communication norms and environments not designed for different ways of thinking and processing information.
The survey suggests many autistic employees are succeeding at work despite workplace systems, not because of them. The findings come as employers worldwide face growing pressure to improve workforce retention, employee wellbeing and workplace inclusion amid rising awareness around burnout, neurodiversity and psychological safety at work.
Recent reports on Fair Play Talks, highlighted growing concern that many employers still misunderstand neurodiversity and rely too heavily on performative inclusion efforts rather than practical workplace changes that improve communication, flexibility and support.
Based on responses from more than 400 currently or recently employed autistic adults across industries ranging from healthcare and technology to retail and hospitality, the report from NEXT for AUTISM offers one of the first comprehensive looks at workplace experience from the perspective of autistic employees themselves. The data indicates many workplace barriers are not rooted in formal policy failures, but in everyday management practices, communication styles and organisational culture.
MANAGERS SHAPE WORKPLACE SUCCESS
The study found that direct managers play a more important role in shaping workplace experience for autistic employees than HR departments or formal inclusion policies. Nearly half of respondents – 49% – said they disclosed their autism diagnosis to a manager or supervisor, compared with 44% who disclosed to HR. At the same time, almost eight in 10 respondents said their manager trusts them, with that relationship strongly influencing whether employees feel safe asking for support, communicating their needs and contributing fully at work.
The findings challenge long-standing assumptions that workplace inclusion is primarily driven through formal HR systems rather than direct leadership relationships. “Managers are the difference between success that’s sustainable and success that quietly drains,” said Gillian Leek, Chief Executive of NEXT for AUTISM. “Autistic employees are already contributing across the workforce, but too often they’re doing it while managing challenges that go unseen. When managers build trust and make it easier for employees to communicate how they work, that’s when organisations get the full value of the talent they’ve hired.”
HIDDEN STRAINS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE
While many autistic employees reported positive workplace outcomes, the data reveals a significant disconnect between external performance and internal wellbeing. According to the survey:
- 72% said they feel fairly compensated.
- 70% said their role matches their abilities.
- 73% said they feel supported and respected at work.
At the same time:
- 80% reported masking and emotional exhaustion as a challenge.
- More than half cited sensory demands and communication overload as highly challenging at work.
Respondents also reported struggling with:
- unclear expectations and inconsistent communication.
- constant meetings and navigating unwritten workplace social norms.
- lack of flexibility around how work gets done.
- uncertainty around disclosure and requesting accommodations.
- managing sensory overload in workplace environments.
- fear of being stereotyped, misunderstood or underestimated.
The findings suggest many autistic employees are sustaining workplace performance through substantial invisible labor, including suppressing natural responses, scripting conversations, closely monitoring social interactions and adapting constantly to workplace environments that may not align with different communication and processing styles.
That tension reflects broader concerns across corporate workplaces around burnout, psychological safety and employee wellbeing as organisations increasingly focus on productivity, retention and workforce resilience. Previous studies found that neurodivergent employees continue to experience widespread discrimination and workplace bias, reinforcing concerns that many organisations still lack effective support structures for neurodiverse talent.
BUSINESS CASE FOR NEUROINCLUSION
The report argues that neuroinclusion is no longer simply an HR or diversity initiative, but an increasingly important workforce and business issue. Autism is one form of neurodiversity – an umbrella term that includes differences in how people think, process information, communicate and experience the world, including conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.
The workforce itself is shifting in ways employers cannot afford to ignore:
- 1 in 31 children in the United States have been identified with autism.
- More than half of Generation Z identifies as neurodivergent.
The findings suggest organisations that fail to adapt workplace structures, management practices and communication styles risk losing access to a rapidly growing segment of the workforce. The report also found autistic employees associate effective workplaces with many of the same conditions linked to stronger retention and performance across the broader workforce: clear communication, flexibility, psychological safety, trust and predictable structures.
The findings reinforce growing evidence that workplaces designed to support neurodivergent employees may also improve employee experience more broadly by reducing unnecessary friction, burnout and communication barriers. Calls for stronger workplace neurodiversity support are not new. Earlier reports highlighted growing concern among both employees and experts that many organisations still fail to provide adequate support, flexibility and understanding for neurodivergent workers.
MEANINGFUL INCLUSION SUPPORT AT WORK
The findings also come as awareness around autism and neurodiversity continues to grow globally. Earlier coverage from Fair Play Talks highlighted increasing calls from advocates to move beyond awareness campaigns toward meaningful workplace inclusion and long-term systemic support.
The findings also come as many employers rethink communication, productivity and workplace structures amid rapid technological change and the growing use of AI-driven workflows across the global workforce. The report suggests organisations failing to build neuroinclusive workplaces risk not only higher turnover and disengagement, but also losing access to a growing pool of skilled talent in an increasingly competitive labor market.
HIDDEN GAPS IN WORKPLACE SUPPORT
The survey also identified a major disconnect between the availability of workplace accommodations and employees’ ability to access them. According to the findings:
- 41% said they do not know what workplace supports are available without disclosing their diagnosis.
- 36% said they are unfamiliar with workplace accommodations available after hiring.
- 31% said they are unfamiliar with their legal rights to reasonable accommodations.
As a result, many employees said they manage workplace challenges independently even when support systems technically exist. Nearly seven in 10 respondents reported relying on support outside of work – including therapists, peer communities and social media – to navigate workplace expectations and sustain employment.
The findings raise broader questions about whether many workplace inclusion initiatives remain too dependent on employees self-advocating for support rather than organisations proactively designing more accessible and sustainable systems.
DIFFICULT WORKPLACE EXPERIENCES
The report found autistic women consistently reported more difficult workplace experiences and greater uncertainty around disclosure and psychological safety. Among autistic women surveyed:
- 54% said they were unsure how or when to disclose their diagnosis, compared with 32% of men.
- 53% said they feel safe being themselves at work, versus 73% of men.
- 48% said they fear being labeled or stereotyped, compared with 35% of men.
The findings suggest workplace inclusion challenges may intersect with broader gender dynamics around communication, bias and workplace expectations.
GUIDANCE FOR EMPLOYERS
The report argues that the most impactful investment organisations can make is not a new policy or inclusion initiative, but equipping managers to lead effectively.
1. Train managers to lead neuroinclusive teams
Researchers recommend employers start by training managers to give clear feedback, adapt communication styles and run meetings that work for different processing styles. The findings suggest managers often determine whether autistic employees feel safe asking for support, communicating openly and sustaining long-term success at work.
2. Treat employee feedback as operational intelligence
The report urges organizations to treat autistic employee feedback as operational intelligence rather than complaints, recommending companies establish formal feedback channels, focus groups and ongoing conversations to better understand what workplace conditions support long-term success. Researchers said autistic employees who are succeeding at work can often identify exactly which workplace practices make that success possible, offering organisations valuable insight into what is and is not working operationally.
3. Make workplace support visible from day one
Support systems should become more visible from the beginning of employment. The report recommends listing accommodations and available workplace supports in onboarding materials, manager guides and offer letters, while normalizing conversations around what helps employees do their best work. The report argues the burden of navigating support systems should not fall solely on employees themselves.
4. Stop outsourcing support onto employees
The findings highlight growing concern that employers are outsourcing too much workplace support onto employees themselves. Nearly seven in 10 autistic employees surveyed reported relying on therapists, online communities or informal support networks outside work simply to sustain employment. The report recommends organisations expand access to mental health support, executive functioning coaching and flexible leave policies, arguing these supports benefit the broader workforce as well.
5. Pay attention to who faces the greatest barriers
Researchers warned employers not to overlook disparities affecting women, AuDHD employees and adults diagnosed later in life, who reported consistently higher workplace barriers across multiple dimensions of work.The report suggests employers should analyse retention, engagement and workplace experience data more carefully to identify which groups may be carrying the greatest hidden strain.
6. Build neuroinclusive practices into everyday work
Finally, the report emphasizes the importance of embedding clear expectations, written communication, predictable structures and flexibility into everyday workplace operations rather than treating them as special accommodations. Researchers argue these workplace fundamentals benefit not only autistic employees, but the broader workforce by reducing unnecessary friction, confusion and burnout.
CREATING INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES
“The blueprint was never missing. We simply had not asked the people holding it,” the report concludes. “This report shows that the things autistic employees need to do well at work are often the same things that make work better for everyone: clarity, support, flexibility and managers who know how to lead. When employers build those things in, they create workplaces where more people can succeed and give themselves a real advantage.”
The report suggests the workplaces best positioned for the future may not be those with the most sophisticated inclusion policies, but those building cultures where employees can contribute without constantly masking who they are.
Click here to read the full report.
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