When Roger Jones received his diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Level 1 and ADHD (inattentive type) in October of last year, it was like the missing puzzle piece finally fell into place.
“My brain tends to buzz with many different thoughts simultaneously, often completely separate from what’s happening around me,” he explained.
While he could focus intently when something sparked his interest, sustaining attention on other topics was exhausting. That constant mental overdrive had shaped both his career and his challenges in ways he only began to understand after his diagnosis.
Academic Success, Social Isolation
Roger’s academic journey was long and accomplished; a bachelor’s degree in business management, a master’s in international relations, and a law degree. Yet it was also marked by loneliness. Aside from one close friend from childhood who became his college roommate, meaningful social connections were rare. Academics came naturally to him, except for foreign languages, which he found very, very challenging due to a poor memory.
His early work experience, from a short-lived stint as a waiter to summer jobs in call centers, reinforced a theme he would see throughout his career: strong technical performance but a lack of integration into the “social fabric” of the workplace.
The Unspoken Rules
As Roger moved into analyst and product management roles in the tech industry, his career seemed promising. He was praised for his work, promoted in some positions, and entrusted with large-scale projects. Yet over time, he began to notice an invisible barrier.
Promotions often went to those who excelled at self-promotion and networking rather than those who quietly delivered results.
“There’s kind of the expectation that people will act in a certain way, and those aren’t clear,” Roger reflected. “We’re generally not aware until well after the fact.”
Not understanding these unspoken rules sometimes led to painful experiences, such as when he championed a promotion for a team member, only for his manager to publicly block it at the last moment.
“It felt like I’d been stabbed in the back,” he recalled.
Burnout and Betrayal
One of Roger’s most difficult periods came at a rapidly growing tech company where he managed a team overseeing 40 engineers. His responsibilities were greater than many directors, yet he remained two levels below. Working 70 to 80 hours a week without the promotion or recognition he sought left him drained.
The breaking point came when he applied for internal roles to escape his current situation, only to be mysteriously rejected after his manager spoke with hiring teams. Though he could never prove it, Roger believed his boss was sabotaging his chances.
“I eventually burnt out and left,” he said.
Recovery took nine months.
Misunderstood in Leadership
In a later role as a director of product, Roger faced a different kind of challenge, a boss who withheld public support for his initiatives and fixated for months on a single moment when he supposedly looked surprised and upset during a layoff announcement.
For Roger, this illustrated the disconnect between his authentic self and corporate expectations.
“I want to bring my whole self to work. Sometimes I’m going to display emotion,” he said.
But in that environment, authenticity was discouraged, and leadership failed to act even when he raised serious concerns about toxic dynamics.
From Struggle to Advocacy
After leaving that role in 2023, Roger pursued an MBA, still searching for a better way forward. During the program, his autism diagnosis reframed his entire career.
“I don’t want other neurodivergent people to have to go through what I’ve been through for the last 15 years,” he said.
This realization led him to create a consultancy focused on helping organizations build more inclusive hiring, performance management, and promotion practices. Although finding clients has been slow, Roger is committed to the mission, offering training and policy guidance to companies willing to make meaningful change.
Coping and Thriving
Roger has developed personal strategies to navigate professional challenges without always disclosing his diagnosis. These include setting clear expectations in writing, asking clarifying questions, finding trusted allies, and honoring his own work rhythms.
“I’ve given myself grace,” he said. “My brain works differently. The world is structured in such a way that I will always be at a disadvantage, and I need to be patient with myself.”
Therapy, including EMDR, has also been transformative in helping him process long-standing trauma from both his personal and professional life.
A Call to Leaders
If he could speak directly to workplace leaders, Roger’s message would be clear:
“All our lives we’ve been trying to change ourselves to fit your expectations, to fit into your world. Everybody else gets to show up as themselves, but we cannot. We’ve been putting in 100% of the effort to make this relationship work all this time and many of us are saying ‘no longer.’ It’s time that the 80% of the population that is neurotypical put in some of the work.”
For Roger, the case for neuroinclusion is not just moral but practical.
“You can build a much more productive and much more meritocratic workforce, relieving the suffering we’ve been going through our entire lives. There’s compelling data from a business perspective and also from a humanistic perspective to make these changes, but it’s on the leaders to stand up and say, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’”