Work accomodation, so helpful I nearly cried.

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So I work in a University Events and Conferences center. I'm a student employee and work as a building manager. I'm responsible for making sure multiple conference rooms, a ballroom, and an auditorium are ready to go for events. We set the furniture and AV for multiple events in each room through the day spanning 3 floors. I typically have about 3 people who set furniture, sometimes 1-2 running AV for events, sometimes 1 at a smaller sattelite facility, an information desk receptionist, and to some degree 1-2 people running a video game room, and 1-2 cleaning the hallways. I talk to full time staff who arrange events to get updates and clarification, I meet with customers as they come in to let them into their spaces, I coordinate with our catering department, custodians, repair workers, and general people who come through.

I also have to open which is a process which involves about 40 small things, do room checks prior to each event to be sure rooms are clean and match the directions, check our AV equip to make sure it works...and often troubleshoot, make calls on a lot of changes and vague stuff, deal with unhappy people, write daily reports, track employee performance, and sometimes train.

We have software which helps a lot with the timelines, but I have serious problems 1. with overstimulation, 2. with constant interuptions, being needed at 3 places at once, 3. short term associative memory, 4. transitions 5.relating with employees...customers I can roleplay customer service barbie all day... employees, are tough. 6. With having a lot to do in a small amount of time. So, I mean that's a LOT pulling against me, and I still try really hard to keep it together. It drives me nuts, there are people with completely intact executive function who just care about talking about their weekend more than making sure customers don't walk into rooms with cake on the floor..Sometimes my emotions get the most of me. I'm described as frazzled, too uptight, too worried, etc.

AND, the truth is I am these things...So like I sent a few emails trying to describe things. I'd been there over a year, but haven't worked in my actual position very much. I kinda found my own niche, and specialize in our training website design and running our smaller facility, but we were short staffed and it was orientation week...and i got pulled in. It happend to be a week when things werent being put back where they belong, we had a lot of new employees, some were just not getting back into the swing of things and I had to go back and fix a lot or they had no sense of things are busy and they would work at the rate of slow season, we had a ton of last minute add ons, others weren't testing AV so I was CONSTANTLY trouble shooting and then we had an unprecedented number of calloffs...one day I walked into a ballroom set that should have been ready to go hours prior, and people were adding things that were not in the notes.

So my manager scheduled a prep period for me before my shifts when he had to pull me some more. I emailed him to ask what those were, and he said there had been a lot of stress on my shifts...not sure if he meant i was stressed or I was stressing everyone else...both I'm sure...but anyway, this way I would have time to prepare little things to some degree, get comfortable with the changes, and feel comfortable, and he told me I could give myself a little bit of space from being with employees as well...which really. Wow.

Now I don't know for sure, but I'd swear he has some traits...just little things I notice here and there. Never in my life has someone not just seen it as me being high strung, immature, and incompetent. I always get, "your so smart, why won't you just do this". I've never had anyone really offer me accomodations. I went to Christian schools who didn't really believe in learning disorders. I've always built in my own structures to cope...and definately rarely get suggestions that actually hit the core of my challenges. I was so overwhelmed with the consideration he put into it, I nearly cried. He asked me for my thoughts on the trial measures..and now I'm trying to figure out how to write back without disclosing too much, or sounding too gushy. I mean it's a big deal to me.

Has anyone else ever experienced a similar moment of having someone really get it, or really help, that just kinda stopped you in your tracks?

I'm glad for you.

I remember your screen name. I think I might have "spoken" to you maybe a year ago.

I've been on my job 35 years. I have to make my own accommodations.

Awe thanks.

What do you do for a living. What sortsa things do you do to make that work better for you?

I'm a data-entry person.

I've made myself into a "court jester"--so I'm respected, yet don't have to participate in the "social whirl" of my job.

I also make sure that people think that my work comes first, so they won't try to get me to join the gossip. Instead of being "aloof," I'm "work oriented.

It's good to hear you are receiving help.

Things that work for me to reduce the impression of being stressed.

Speak slower.
Speak in moderate tones.
Don't give out too much information.
Try not to repeat yourself too much.

For your layouts do you make lists or diagrams of the equipment needed. These can be posted in each room so the people working there don't need to double check items with you.

And try to avoid visible stimming. I wiggle my toes almost constantly, so it's not visible.

A long, long time ago I had a notoriously mean boss who called me into his office to talk to me. Patients were waiting, I had to put my work aside. I walked in like I was going to the executioner. He explained a few common medical diagnoses and procedures to me and his thought processes when he was ordering things and writing them down. That "accommodation" helped me to figure out what he was scribbling. He continued to do that for years, and it helped.

Eight years later as I was leaving to go to my job in software development, he said that the reason he pulled me aside like that was because he realized that I was smarter than the other workers, on the same level as him, and it would be a lot easier for both of us if he just explained things better.

It seemed like a compliment at first, but after thinking about it I don't think it was.

When I sat down with my HR director this week, she is aware of the Asperger's and even came up with a plan to help me get even better at my job...Meaning from now on, I am to learn a new skill every week, and the production manager now makes a list of the cars that are most needed for the next day( usually about 5 or 6 depending on how busy we are)...The list helps greatly as I am not running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to find my supervisor to ask what do you need me to do next? I am now able to work at a slightly slower pace and produce a better result. The mistakes I have made have been fewer and less serious in nature and I am not always feeling stressed out, and with this new system I am actually MORE productive than I have been in the past. And one of the changes is now the painters jump in and help with preps on occasion if I get backed up. We have had less late days and have been able to leave at 4pm( normal quitting time) on a regular basis( there are still times I have to stay late) yesterday I had to finish up a Mustang so I stayed an extra 30 minutes...But it is nice when the workplace is willing to help with accommodations and it actually improves productivity

Perhaps along the same line although it doesn't involve direct everyday dialogue...
My employer has allowed me to take "personal days" whenever I have medical appointments even though I work evenings and could manage to get my doctor visit out of the way in time to show up for work. They are aware of my ASD issues and the fact I don't handle situations like lab work or other testing procedures very well. I imagine they would rather NOT have me working right after I've been stressed out by needles and so forth as my position is directly related to entertainment and hospitality business.