Autistic employee shares how coworkers' wholesome gesture turned his tough day into the 'best shift'

In a world where work can often be exhausting, there are sometimes exceptions. A restaurant employee, u/khaos-oblivion, shared how their coworkers turned their day around. Through their understanding and kindness, they transformed a bad shift into a great one. The employee mentioned that they had undiagnosed autism and had not sought a professional diagnosis due to work.

“I haven't been too serious about getting a paper diagnosis so I don't lose opportunities in the future,” they mentioned. However, they revealed that working at a fast-food restaurant required constant communication with coworkers, customers, and others. After a tough morning, they arrived late at work and became nonverbal. “I realized that I wasn't going to be able to make myself speak in time for work and being nonverbal I couldn't call out of work. I just decided to tough it out and make myself go and hope the day wouldn't be too horrible,” the post read.

The employee clocked in and tried their best to report to their manager. They also made an effort to indicate they were nonverbal. While the manager didn't initially notice, she eventually understood. “I was thankfully on fried products where they only require me to be listening to called trays,” the employee shared. Struggling to make it through the day, the employee felt relieved after being assigned to the frying station. Things got better when coworkers noticed something was off. As an employee who is usually chatty, many asked if they were okay.

The employee, being nonverbal, answered with nods and shrugs to their best. They shared that they had already outlined what the day would look like for them. “I fully expected to be invisible the entire day and feel left out or in the worst case made fun of for not talking, but the kitchen guys made a genuine effort to keep me involved in the conversation,” they explained. The coworkers tried their best to make the employee feel better.

“They gave me time to mime/minimally sign my responses and it seems like all my jokes still landed and the whole shift was one of the best I've ever clocked in for,” the employee exclaimed. A day they thought would be a disaster turned out to be one of the "best" workdays ever. The employee shared their experience to keep the hope alive. “I just hear fast food horror stories all the time and it's just really nice to be able to share a super positive one, I hope this brightens someone's day as it did mine,” they concluded. In a simple yet heartfelt caption, the employee wrote, “My coworkers are genuinely wonderful.”