Integrating autistic people into its business is the gamble launched by the software manufacturer SAP, which will recruit 650 of them. They would be extremely precise for certain tasks.
The fabulous story of Josef Schovanec, author of “I was born in the east”, graduate of Sciences Po and doctor of philosophy had already broken the preconceived image of autism locked in its world and unable to fit into a workplace. So, to bury the prejudices once again, some employers are increasingly considering the idea of integrating people with autism into their business. Especially since the latter are excellent for performing certain professional tasks.
Structured and detail-oriented employees
In an article published in the daily The Wall Street Journal A few days ago, the American journalist Shirley Wang recalled that according to disability experts, 85% of adults with autism are unemployed. Faced with this unfair situation, the German company leader in software design in Europe (SAP) has just launched a vast program to recruit employees with autism. Charity work ? Not only that, because in a recent press release, the company claims that the characteristics of people with autism may make them better suited for certain positions.
In this program piloted from Germany, SAP would like to recruit 650 autistic people by 2020 within its companies. José Velasco, at the head of the initiative, explains that these people tend to pay more attention to detail, which makes them, for example, very suitable for testing computer software and debugging a program.
“They are of a very structured nature”, relates J. Velasco.
An interesting profile for writing user manuals
In addition, the latter indicates that they also have an interesting profile for other positions. Such as writing user manuals for customers. “People with autism are indeed very good at taking it step by step,” he says.
Finally, SAP is not the only company to give a chance to workers with a profile that turns others off. In the United States, for example, the mortgage company Freddie Mac has been offering internships in IT, finance, and research since 2012 to young people with autism studying in high school. And here again the results are conclusive. “Harnessing the unique skills of people with autism has helped strengthen our business and make it more competitive,” said a spokesperson for the company in the American Daily.
However, even in the United States, the challenge of integrating these employees into the professional world is still immense. According to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, among young adults between the ages of 21 and 25 with autism, only half have ever held a paid job outside their home.
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