What Skills Do Autistic People Have?

We have been in this business for nearly a decade, and throughout this time we've had the opportunity to work with many young autistic people - not only in giving them paid work experience and employment, but also in teaching them new skills and giving them real opportunities to shine.

It's true that autism is a spectrum, and what each person can do or how they interact with the world varies - hugely, in some cases. However there are a number of ‘features’ of autism that many autistic individuals share in common, and some of these can prove real assets in a working environment.

As a result of years working with autistic people, we've come to appreciate and understand the unique skills that autistic employees can bring. We've highlighted some of these skills below:

• Attention to detail: Many autistic people are incredibly detail orientated, and it’s this attention to detail and consistency that has helped us build our reputation for making brilliant, consistent chocolates.
• Memory: Many autistic individuals have an exceptional memory, which means they can recall instructions and processes long after they have been introduced. This means that training doesn’t need to be repeated as often.
• Reliability: Many autistic people like routine, and this applies to the routine of going to work. Their reliability means that scheduling and process management are much simpler tasks.
• Concentration: Our young autistic employees have shown exceptional levels of concentration. Because they know what is expected of them, they are able to focus on the task at hand without losing interest or becoming distracted.
• Loyalty: Perhaps the most common observation made by employers of autistic workers is how loyal they are to the company that is giving them the opportunity to work. They place a real value on the opportunity given to them and as a result will do everything they can to maximise their contribution.

These skills are hard to quantify, but their impact on our business and their value are undeniable. At Harry Specters, we are proud to focus a lot of our recruitment around the autistic community, supported by our social cause. We believe that by offering opportunities to autistic individuals, we are not only giving them the chance to develop these incredible skills, but also giving them the confidence to apply them.

In the words of one autistic employee’s parent: 

“Since S started with Harry Specters his confidence has grown enormously. He is eager to start work each day and very proud of the role he plays in the team. On the rare occasion that he misses a shift due to illness, he is very upset and cannot wait to return. We are very happy that he has found somewhere that encourages and values his strengths. A company like Harry Specters can make a huge positive impact on people’s lives.”

And from another parent:

“Harry Specters and the team have shown how much difference an empathetic and understanding employer can make on their bottom line. We are very grateful to have found such excellent staff who are thoughtful, dependable and able to deliver.”

See those skills in every box we make — shop our best-sellers — or read how we build an autism-friendly workplace around them.