Background

Meeting new people can be tricky for anyone and at any time, but starting a new job is a significant period of change and the social and routine-based aspects of autism can make things a little bit harder. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but as with so many things, it can just take a bit more work for a person on the Autism Spectrum and it’s easy to avoid getting on with it. Knowing how to meet new people at work, who may be able to help you to learn more about your job, is a great way to start.

Why is this relevant?

It can be tempting to avoid doing anything outside work with others, and that’s the route some employees on the Autism Spectrum take, but getting on with people (even if they aren’t your best friends) and taking part in activities outside your work can help making work a more positive environment. There are also benefits for your work – colleagues who discuss their work with others tend to perform better as two (or more) heads are better than one at solving problems.

Also, having good working relationships can help during stressful times, so although it is never going to be easy – there’s no step-by-step foolproof guide to making friends – you can find a few practical tips below that may help.

Practical tips

Be brave

Some people find it scary to approach others at work, but to meet people you cannot just wait for others to take the first step, sometimes you will need to start conversations. Be confident, most of your colleagues will appreciate it. Introduce yourself to people (i.e., "Hi, I am Paul, the new cashier...") , it may lead to finding out a common interest, or at least contacting what may be a useful person to help you with some of your tasks.

Share treats – put the kettle on, make a cake, bring a biro…

Everyone loves a freebie! A round of drinks, a cup of tea, a slice of cake, a plate of biscuits,…they all go down well and eating and drinking can be very social activities. Even having spare pens and paper with you can make you very popular.

Talk work to start getting to know others

Even if you wouldn’t necessarily hang out with people from work, it can be really useful to discuss work related topics with them as you can check your understanding and gain new perspectives on your work. Try speaking to the people around you at the end/start of the day or during breaks. It’s all about the work, not who likes who, and so it’s a good chance to start developing closer work relations.

Questions to think about

• Does your organisation have a staff club or interest groups you may join?
• If you work in an individual office, can you leave your door open when you are in so people can see you are happy to talk to them?
• What treats could you share with others to start a conversation with your colleagues?

Additional information and links

• National Autistic Society social skills advice.
• The National Autistic Society workbook offers advice on how to meet people at work (pages 176-185).
• An autistic guide to finding the right friends.

About the author

The content of this section has been adapted from the Autism&Uni project. The original Autism&Uni project was funded with support from the European Commission with partners in the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. For more information about this project please visit: http://www.autism-uni.org

You may want to read after

• Telling people about your autism