My workplace dilema

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I just recently found out I have asperger's syndrome. BTW what a relief.

Anyway, here's my situation. I work in a call center providing technical support. We are judged by certain markers in terms of progression. Examples are technical accuracy, getting through the call quickly etc. In all respects I score 100% every single time on every single call with the exception of one criteria.

The MOST important marker of all is EMPATHY. I've been struggling with this one for the five years I've worked here. I've pointed out that it's a subjective marker to begin with and have gone so far as to make sure that I specifically stipulate throughout my calls that "I empathize with you".

Those that judge my calls have no compunction calling me a liar based on my voice and by no means the context of what I say.

So if you haven't already guessed, here is my question. Should I alert my employer that I have AS and therefore should be excluded from this particular metric?

I'd like to be able to tell you YES - as a disabled worker they should have to make allowances for your disability under the law.

However, my experience has been that no one enforces those laws, and if you disclose the diagnosis to your employer, they may simply say 'Well, it appears a person with your condition can't do this job' and fire you. At which point, the organizations supposedly in place to defend the disabled from this sort of discrimination will do absolutely nothing. Even those whose names include the words 'Disability Rights' will sit on their thumbs and ignore your phone calls and emails. Apparently they get paid to drink coffee and surf the net, the name is just for show.

Seriously, don't get carried away and think that Rights for the Disabled applies to you. That stuff is only for people with wheelchairs or prosthetic limbs, or the severely mentally ret*d. I have discovered this the hard way over the past two years - you can't depend on your state representatives, your congressman, nor any disability or discrimination advocate. Those people want to help you as much as Autism Speaks wants to help you. In fact, the world at large seems pretty skeptical at the very idea that an adult can even have Autism. That's that stuff cute lil' handicapped kids have, isn't it? Don't they outgrow that by the time they become adults? Or end up in institutions, like Rainman?

If it can help your boss understand your problems, tell him. I hope for you he tries understand it, so he will be less demanding in that area. Especially if all other marks are perfect scores.

However, it won't mean that you will be totally excluded from that mark. It's difficult, yes. Therefore you should try to work on your empathy skills. This is very hard to do, but it will help you develop yourself better. It means that you can help other people better, so you do a better job.

It's all about will and doing te best you can; if you show your boss you're doing your best (despite having to cope with AS), I think your boss will consider that. Nobody is perfect, remember that.

I think if you're coping well enough, you should probably not divulge your diagnosis.

I think if you have been there for 5 years you probably are coping well enough.

They aren't going to fire you for this now?
You just don't get the highest marks, but you still 'pass'?

I wouldn't tell them.

Instead practice modulating your voice and developing a "sorry" tone.
I found when teaching that talking in a monotone put the class to sleep (or worse!).
So I started to get more "active", bouncing around and using more inflection to make things (science) sound exciting.

Now I probably do not inflect "correctly", but my voice is no longer monotone. (When I rememeber...)
(It might be more like "inflecting all over the place"...LOL!)
I also taught myself the "NT Female Greeting Call", while I have to kick myself to remember to do it, and it feels rather foolish, I can pull it off somewhat reasonably.
(This is where two or more females get together for an activity and everyone squeals high-pitched greetings and hugs and air kisses... ) Hey, it's a lot better to fake it than be thought cold and nasty!

If I were you, I wouldn't tell them. If you told them, at best, I don't think you'd be allowed to get out of the "empathy" part-- you'd just be told to fake it. As I'm sure a certain number of your NT co-workers already do. It would be very difficult to be sincerely empathetic to every single person you talk to-- most NTs couldn't do it either.