Microsoft Start UK Autism Pilot

[Curr946]

Microsoft plan to hire colleagues with autism and Asperger's. It's only a pilot but having a 9 year old autistic daughter, this gives me hope she can find work when she grows up. Very prude of Microsoft. http://dailym.ai/1R7uO9s

[jonsie]

Not really but preferences are applied.... 

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsie wrote:

Not really but preferences are applied.... 

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Not getting into a discussion about that (having advertised for all grades of staff over the years).

I am attempting to pour scorn over the idea that Microsoft are expecting to be commended for this...when actually other organisations have been doing it for years without a fanfare..

[jonsie]

It's a fact that if a company is looking for a certain, 'employee' to satisfy government criteria then an applicant that meets that said criteria will be given preference over other applicants.  Microsoft are no different to any other company wanting to be seen as an approved company. So.... how many employees do they have worldwide.?...and they are looking to employ 10? Laughable and sanctimonious at the very least. 

[Curr946]

Ok... Pie in my face. I genuinely thought it was a good thing to be doing.

[viridis]

It would be good if they just did it as a general rule not to exclude people on the spectrum instead of using a measly 10 positions to use as some kind of image enhancing tool.
Surely you would rather that for your daughter @Curr946, an actual continued policy that doesn't see your daughter as a token?

[Curr946]

Absolutely @viridis hasn't thought of it like that. Hopefully this is a start and attitudes / policies change.