Auticon Leads the Way Employing Professionals with Autism

One IT company is proving that autism is no barrier when it comes to excelling in business!

The COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the country and the globe has forced many businesses to adapt to working from home and working remotely. This transition hasn’t been easy for many businesses, but IT company Auticon is not only surviving, but it’s also thriving in the new working conditions thanks to its workforce.

At Auticon, over 200 of their 300 employees have autism. They believe that it’s their employee diversity that has enabled them to successfully navigate the troubled global economic crisis. At Auticon, they believe that their autistic employees excel at business intelligence, quality-assurance, problem–solving, attention to detail, and working for long periods with high levels of concentration.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all employees at Auticon worked from offices on-site, but that changed quickly. With only three days‘ warning, they had to quickly transition to working remotely. Luckily, all employees were already equipped with laptops and mobile phones. Despite a few hiccups early, not all employees had immediate access to home office supplies such as dedicated workspaces, desks, and chairs, the transition went smoothly.

In some ways, working remotely benefits those with autism. For anyone that struggled with direct face-to-face conversations, communicating over text or emails is much easier. Many employees who struggled in team and group meeting situations found that Zoom calls were much easier to handle.

For many businesses, the transition from brick and mortar workplaces to virtual global workforces would be done over several years. Auticon managed to do it over several days and has come through on the other side, recognizing the advantages of having a remote workforce. They found that their global team members became more involved, bringing new ideas and different perspectives to the table. Working remotely allowed them to work in multiple time zones and give their clients additional service that they wouldn’t have usually been able to.