The A-listers Part I: Meet some of Zurich’s wonderful autistic talent

Jen Mayer: Numbers are like art

Jen discovered she was autistic a few years ago when her two sons were being diagnosed. “I lived my life thinking I was literally the only person in the world like me, that there was something wrong with me or I was defective somehow. Now everything makes more sense.”

But her undiagnosed autism has not held her back in her career. In fact, her autistic talents have helped. Jen’s incredible memory is very useful in her role as a senior underwriting support manager in Zurich North America where she works with many complicated systems and processes.

She is also detail oriented and can easily identify data trends: “I don’t even need to pull out an analysis. I just see them.” But Jen says she can also “feel” data like a sixth sense and is able to notice if something is wrong. “In the morning, I pull out five or six reports and I can quickly tell what’s going on and if something doesn’t feel right. People will ask, ‘how do you know that?’ And I tell them: ‘I just feel it.’”

There are some downsides. Jen admits that she sometimes uses “too many details and long compound sentences that can confuse people.” She also tends to talk over people. “My head moves so fast sometimes I’m already thinking about the next thing. I’m sure that doesn’t go over well with people. I try, but it’s so hard to stop.”

Sleep is another challenge for many autistic people. “I have never slept well all my life and find a 9-to-5 working day very challenging as it’s not when I work best. I function very well at 1 a.m. and will often do a puzzle and make notes about work. It’s what my brain needs, but it can leave me very tired the next day.”

One of the most frustrating myths about people with autism is that they lack empathy. The opposite is true and often the emotion is overwhelming. Jen, for instance, volunteers with her local homeless community. “Many homeless people suffer with mental health issues, but I find it easy to talk to them. To look them in the eyes and listen, talk about what they did that day or where they grew up. I love doing that.”

Jen wishes the empathy she has for the homeless would be replicated by society in its attitude toward neurodiverse people. “There’s positive change in terms of diversity and inclusion, but we’re not yet at the point where brain function differences are considered good differences,” Jen says.

“For a long time, I have been afraid of people treating me like a defective, and that’s why I would always try so hard to ‘act normal.’ But I am really starting to understand that it’s my superpower,” she says. “It’s what enables me to perform at such high levels, so I need to not be afraid. Plus, it’s more important for people to realize that we are all around.”

Luke Gawthorn: Looks at problems differently

Luke is currently studying Accounting and Finance in his final year at Bath University and will be rejoining Zurich UK in its Finance Graduate Programme in September. His talents that are typically linked to autism – attention to detail, excellent concentration levels and a narrow focus – are helping him excel in a role that requires a lot of planning and forecasting. It also suits his analytical mind, love of numbers and an ability to look at problems “microscopically.”

Luke says he was fortunate to be diagnosed with autism aged 2 as he was able to get support from a young age with social and communication skills. But he still didn’t start to speak until he was 4, which always left him a few years behind other children his age in terms of social skills.

This meant his early school days were sometimes tough. “I wanted to be extroverted, to be more like the other kids who went with friends and played football,” he says. But Luke found it difficult to make friends and was often the victim of what he calls “psychological bullying.”

“I was excluded from social occasions and received some verbal abuse. But it was mostly passive aggressive behaviour where people speak to you like you don’t matter.”

Despite this, Luke says he had a happy, albeit sheltered, childhood. Life changed when he got to 16. He grew in confidence, made “proper friends” and lived a more “normal life.” This helped smooth the transition to university as he was more comfortable in social settings.

For instance, his meltdowns are now very rare. Previously triggered by sensory issues – such as the lights and loud music of a nightclub or a stressful social situation – they would cause him to become “overwhelmed in my head.”

His experiences of the workplace with Zurich have been positive and its hybrid working policy suits him.

“I want to go to the office, especially as the atmosphere and culture is so supportive. I also recognize that I will learn more skills and gain more industry knowledge in an office environment,” Luke explains. “But I enjoy the flexibility of hybrid working as I can really focus when I work from home.”

Luke says he would encourage anyone with autism to strive to improve their lives and to pursue their dreams.

“Regardless of my disability, I always strive to become the best version of myself in all aspects of my life, including my career and my physical and mental health. I thank my parents for instilling this attitude within me and without them I would not be the person I am today.”

Charissa Khoo: On a mission to spread awareness

Charissa endured a tough, yet pivotal year in 2020. Then aged 21, and having just entered the workforce, she was struggling with severe mental health challenges.

“I just got more and more anxious, more and more depressed, and then one day I just broke down,” says Charissa. After seeking professional help, she was diagnosed with ADHD in September 2020 and autism in June 2021.

The autism diagnosis was a turning point. Charissa joined the National Autistic Society (NAS) as treasurer of the Lambeth branch in London and was recently elected as chair. She explains her motivation behind volunteering with NAS.

“Autistic adults are three times more likely to attempt suicide than non-autistic adults,” she says. “And that’s only for those with an official diagnosis.”

Charissa also references a study that finds 10 percent of individuals who died by suicide in England are likely to have undiagnosed autism. That’s 11 times higher than the rate of autism in the UK.

“I was lucky to get help when I hit rock bottom, but this was only accessible through Zurich’s private medical benefits. Not many people have that access to support,” she says.

As a trainee actuary in Zurich UK, Charissa is learning to work with her autism, although it still presents some challenges. “People see me as really energetic, fun and keen, and expect me to be like that all the time. And that’s really difficult,” she says.

“When I’m on top form, I feel unstoppable. I’m fully functional, I can communicate well and do the things I want to do,” she says. “But I can never keep it up consistently because every social interaction is draining. Once the social meter has depleted, it can take days, even weeks, to fully recover.”

It’s not an easy task balancing work, actuarial exams, NAS and a personal life. “I’ll always find time in the day to work on a nice jigsaw puzzle, just to de-stress.” says Charissa. “Also, I’m exceptionally good at puzzles. I always do them without looking at the box.”

Those dark days in 2020 are now behind Charissa and she’s now positive about her future.

“For the first time ever, maybe in the last month or two, I’m genuinely optimistic about the future,” she says. “Previously I never thought I would ‘do well,’ instead I hoped that maybe I could just ‘get by.’ But I’ve come out the other end and now I believe in myself enough to be able to help other people. I feel it’s my life mission is to spread awareness.”

Ian Smith: Embracing his autism

Ian only discovered he was autistic and had ADHD two years ago when he was supporting his daughters, aged 19 and 17, go through their own diagnoses.

“As I reflect on my life and career, I now understand what the quirks are that have made me who I am. There were times I had autistic meltdowns and not recognized what they were. I thought I was being stupid. Whereas now I’m in a position where I can forgive myself.”

Ian says his diagnosis has helped him embrace his autistic strengths and understand some of his limitations.

“I’m innovative. I can see problems and work through solutions in my head before anybody’s asked the first question,” he says. “And if you have a challenge or business problem to solve, I’m the guy you want to parachute in. I can examine the problem through multiple lenses and typically come back with a solution that no one else has thought of, and it will be exactly what you need for the fix.”

These are great skills to have when you’re a project manager at Zurich UK. But Ian is also not afraid to reveal his weaknesses. “I’m trying to be open about my condition and limitations with my manager. As a result, understanding that I may interpret information in a literal way has helped me to communicate more effectively with my manager,” explains Ian.

“I don’t shy away from telling people that I may struggle if you present me with a series of quick-fire questions. I know at times I can be blunt and direct, without realizing it. I used to ‘goldplate’ everything and be too detailed with my solutions as I was always pushing to be the best, but I’ve learned that ‘good enough is good enough.’”

Prior to his diagnoses, Ian would mask his vulnerabilities. “At work, I felt the need to appear professional and strong. But underneath, I was thinking, ‘I don’t know what’s going on. I’m a fraud. I’m a failure.’ I had feelings of self-doubt, lack of self-belief and times when I felt absolutely overwhelmed.”

Ian is optimistic about the future. “As we move into a world that relies more on processes and seeing the abstract, there will be more opportunities for autistic adults,” he says.

Lars Backstrom: His diagnosis was a new dawn

Lars did not know he was autistic until he was 50 when his wife encouraged him to get a diagnosis after reading an article about autism.

“It was like a new dawn,” says Lars. “I could see things clearly and understood the reason things had been going wrong all my life was not because I was stupid. I learned to adapt to my autism. For years I worked against it by trying to be social, which generally ended in tears because I just didn’t know how.”

Lars has always struggled with social skills and describes himself “functionally emotionally illiterate.”

“There is a common misconception that people on the autism spectrum lack empathy. For me, and many others, the opposite is true. We lack a filter and get easily overwhelmed by all the emotions around us,” says Lars. “I feel emotions, I see emotions and I can read emotions in others. But knowing how to act on these emotions is a mystery to me.”

But he also discovered some rare talents: an ability to be very focused, pattern recognition skills and a great long-term memory.

“I can amass enormous amounts of information, which allows me to draw from a lot of experience and knowledge from other fields when I’m problem solving,” he says.

Yet, despite these employable skills, Lars has often struggled to find work: “It’s very difficult finding a job if you’re autistic. As a rule, we don’t interview very well, we don’t write good CVs, and we don’t have networks where many people find employment.”

And when Lars did find work, some experiences were difficult. “We tend to be seen as that person with the odd interests, odd behaviors and who don’t really network. So bullying is unfortunately a fact of life for many autistic people.”

Lars believes there needs to be more reasonable adjustments of the social working environment as well as the physical working environment. “This would mean adapting ways of communicating and working to aid in the full inclusivity of autistic and all diverse persons in the working environment. I feel we still have a way to go there,” he says.

Lars’ diagnosis four years ago introduced him to auticon, an IT consultancy that exclusively employs autistic consultants. The supportive and understanding environment and access to a job coach is helping Lars fulfill his potential and find satisfying roles. It’s through auticon that Lars has been working as a contractor for over two years in one of Zurich’s claims team where he has discovered another inclusive and caring environment.

“Some people don’t know how to speak to an autistic person, but just approach them with the same politeness and kindness as anyone else,” explains Lars. “There are more things in common between neurodiverse and neurotypical people than separate us. I worry about money; I worry about making a good impression; and I want to be included. Same as everyone else.”