Joining E.ON Next with autism and ADHD.

For those who don’t know me, I’m an Energy Specialist at E.ON Next, and I’m autistic and have ADHD. I was diagnosed with autism later in life and, after that, I spent almost a decade not working. This all changed when someone I knew who worked at E.ON Next referred me to apply for a role at the company, within the Digital Operations team. This was the first time I applied for a role while being entirely open about my autism and ADHD, and I’m proud to say I got the job.  

My colleagues at E.ON Next recognised my conditions but never framed them as negatives.  During my training, I was told there were so many other people who were neuro-diverse within Digital Operations, from the Operation Managers to the Energy Specialists that speak with our customers every day. I felt safe to be who I truly was, something that is so rare for those of us who are neuro-diverse.  This continued when I finished training and joined my team. My team leader was both genuinely curious and supportive of my conditions. Reasonable adjustments were always made without making me feel I was inadequate in any way. My team leader sincerely wanted to learn about my conditions. Part of that learning process was to develop strategies that framed my autism and ADHD in a positive light. This helped me realise I could use the traits associated with these conditions to actually increase my ability to give a high quality service to our customers. My differences were always accepted, without making me feel set apart, and the attitudes shown to me always made me truly feel seen and empowered.  

Having the opportunity to work from home has also helped me flourish in my role. Being free from many of the stresses and triggers of a traditional contact centre, I am able to focus my efforts on providing the highest quality service possible. I am free to set my working environment to suit my needs. I have my music to help me concentrate, lighting that can be set exactly how I want it, a chair that is perfect for me, and of course there isn't any hot desking.  

When you’re neuro-diverse, you can often feel isolated from others. At E.ON Next, one of our core values is “We are all one team”. For one of the first times in my life I truly feel part of a team, and that I am making contributions to a greater goal. I have that safe space in which I can develop into the best possible version of myself in the work space. Equality and inclusion are often thrown about in the corporate world as tick box exercises. At E.ON Next, however, they are truly an impactful aspect of our daily work lives.