In the workplace, undiagnosed autism can have real consequences. Without understanding their differences, individuals may struggle to manage constant sensory stressors, unspoken social rules, or shifting expectations.
The effort to mask these challenges can lead to exhaustion, anxiety, depression, or burnout.
Career progression may also stall: highly skilled employees are sometimes overlooked or misjudged as inflexible, aloof, or underperforming.
For employers and teams, the impact is equally important. When autistic traits remain hidden or misunderstood, organisations miss out on valuable strengths—such as focus, honesty, and problem-solving—that thrive in supportive environments.
What Undiagnosed Autism Looks Like at Work
Common Traits and Behaviors
At work, undiagnosed autism may appear in ways that seem like “quirks” but are actually signs of deeper differences:
- Sensory sensitivities – struggling with open-plan offices, bright overhead lighting, ringing phones, or strong smells in break rooms.
- Preference for routine – thriving when projects follow set procedures, but becoming stressed by last-minute meeting changes or shifting deadlines.
- Direct communication style – giving very literal answers in meetings, skipping small talk at the coffee machine, or misunderstanding office humor.
- Intense focus – excelling at detailed tasks like data checking, coding, or quality control, yet finding constant task-switching disruptive.
- Executive functioning challenges – difficulty managing a heavy inbox, juggling multiple projects with unclear priorities, or remembering unspoken rules like how to join informal team chats.
How Traits Can Be Misinterpreted
Without a diagnosis, these behaviors are often misunderstood:
- Directness → seen as blunt or rude.
- Sensory withdrawal → misread as aloof or unfriendly.
- Need for routine → mistaken for inflexibility or resistance to change.
- Task focus → interpreted as underperformance if flexibility is required.
Masking and Its Toll
Many undiagnosed autistic people mask to “fit in”:
- Forcing eye contact or rehearsing conversation scripts.
- Suppressing natural stimming or hiding discomfort.
- Mirroring colleagues’ tone or behavior.
While masking can reduce conflict, it often leads to exhaustion, anxiety, burnout, and loss of authenticity. Over time, this can harm both wellbeing and work performance.
Impact on Employees
Emotional and Mental Health
When someone works while autistic but undiagnosed, the emotional cost can be high.
Constantly masking and trying to conform to unwritten social norms can lead to autistic burnout — long periods of exhaustion, loss of skills, and reduced tolerance to everyday sensory or social demands.
Anxiety and depression often follow. For example, one person described their experience:
“Each season of depression followed a particularly intense period of pushing, masking, and performing.”
Reduced self-esteem is common too: being repeatedly misunderstood or reprimanded for things a person cannot easily change (e.g., needing quiet, predictable routines) can lead to feelings of inadequacy or shame.
Career and Professional Development
Undiagnosed autism can quietly erode professional growth.
According to a 2024 scoping review, many autistic people report being underemployed, “stuck” in roles that don’t match their skills, and missing out on promotion even when they want and deserve it. PMC
There’s also a high rate of turnover: people leave jobs due to sensory overload, unclear expectations, or unrelenting stress, rather than because of a lack of ability.
One lived-experience example: someone noted that they had been passed over for promotion repeatedly because their quiet, literal communication came off as less “leadership-like,” even though their work output and detail were strong.
Impact on Workplace Dynamics
Misunderstandings with Colleagues / Managers
- Autistic, undiagnosed employees often communicate very literally or honestly. Colleagues may misinterpret directness as rudeness or lack of diplomacy.
- Sensory distress (e.g., in noisy or bright spaces) may lead someone to withdraw or seem disengaged; this withdrawal may be read as aloofness or poor teamwork.
- Difficulty navigating unspoken workplace norms (e.g., when to speak up in meetings, how to deal with hierarchy, and social small talk) can lead to repeated misunderstandings.
Strengths Autistic Employees Bring
- Strong attention to detail, noticing inconsistencies, errors or patterns that others often miss.
- Deep focus or capacity for hyperfocus when working on tasks of interest, leading to high-quality outcomes in those areas.
- Honesty and integrity; many autistic people prefer transparent communication and fairness, which can build trust within a team.
How Lack of Awareness Harms Team Morale & Productivity
- Misinterpreted behaviours can lead to ill feelings, resentment, or low morale, especially if team members feel someone is “difficult” without understanding the underlying reasons.
- Productivity suffers when adjustments aren’t made: e.g., unclear expectations, excessive sensory distractions, or ambiguous feedback slow down work or increase mistakes.
- Over time, this can lead to burnout, higher turnover, or undervaluing skilled employees.
Why Many Adults Remain Undiagnosed
Barriers to Diagnosis
Many adults who might be autistic never receive a diagnosis because of cost, limited access, and systemic bias.
Diagnostic services can be expensive, especially private assessments. Long wait lists or lack of specialists mean people in rural or under-resourced areas face delays.
Gender and cultural biases also play a big role: screening tools were historically designed around male, Western, neurotypical norms, which means women, non-binary people, and those from non-Western cultural backgrounds often don’t match the “textbook” presentation.
Misdiagnosis and Masking
Before an autism diagnosis, about a quarter of autistic adults report having been misdiagnosed with at least one psychiatric condition — most often mood disorders, anxiety disorders, or personality disorders.
Masking (also called camouflaging) is also common: suppressing autistic behaviours, mimicking social norms, or “copying” others, hiding sensory sensitivity.
These strategies can reduce visible signs of autism — but they also make it harder for clinicians to recognize underlying traits.
Stigma and Disclosure Fears
Even when people suspect they may be autistic, many fear the consequences of diagnosis or disclosure.
Concerns include being treated as “less capable,” being pigeon-holed, professional discrimination, or breach of privacy.
There’s also worry that once diagnosed, others’ expectations will shift in unhelpful ways, such as assuming extra supervision is needed, or seeing one only through the lens of disability.
Fear of stigma can lead people to avoid seeking help or hide their experiences.
Moving Toward Support and Inclusion
For Employees Who Suspect They May Be Autistic
- Self-reflection and screening tools — Try tools like the RAADS-14, Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), or other adult screening questionnaires. These are not diagnostic but can help you recognise patterns in social communication, sensory sensitivity, routine/rigidity.
- Therapy or coaching — Working with therapists who understand autism can help with managing overwhelm, anxiety, or social-communication challenges.
- Seeking diagnosis if possible — If feasible, look into adult autism diagnostic pathways. It might involve a psychological assessment, clinical interview, and considering your childhood history.
For Employers and Managers
Reasonable adjustments that don’t require formal disclosure– Even without a diagnosis, workplaces can benefit by offering flexible hours, remote or hybrid options, quiet or low-stimulus workspaces, and allowing noise-cancelling headphones or private spaces.
Design workplace needs assessments — Some organisations (e.g. Exceptional Individuals in the UK) offer “Workplace Needs Assessments” which help identify what environmental or process changes would be helpful. Exceptional Individuals
Building a Neurodiverse Workplace Culture
- Training & awareness — Organise training for managers and co-workers around neurodiversity, sensory differences, communication styles. Use tools like the Integrated Employment Success Tool (IEST) to raise awareness and guide employer practice. worktogethernc.com
- Peer support systems / mentors — Buddy systems or mentors can reduce uncertainty, help with unwritten rules, check in on communication.
- Valuing different work styles — Recognise that productivity doesn’t always look the same: intense focus, preference for fewer meetings, needing time to process information. Celebrate strengths like problem-solving, honesty, attention to detail, and allow alternate ways of working.
References
Davies, J., Romualdez, A. M., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2024). Career progression for autistic people: A scoping review. Autism, 28(11), 2690. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241236110
