To conclude
this "TS and Employment" trilogy, we left off with thoughts
on conducting yourself once hired. Let's talk this last time about avoiding
and/or dealing with friction between you and other co-workers.
-EDUCATE
people to the non-intuitive 'quirks' of these disorders: once others
are attuned to how the symptoms operate they can be better at figuring
out for THEMSELVES what they should and should not do. Offer to do a
small presentation to other employees. Put an article in a newsletter.
Send out an email. At the very least, seize "teachable moments".
One case in point where I myself fell down in this area was in letting
co-workers and supervisors know that proximity to others exacerbates
my symptoms. After months on a "tight-quarters" rotation my
supervisors found a big office with a door which I could have all to
myself. This physical distance led to a decreased anxiety about bothering
people which, of course, then led to a subsequent decrease in tics.
In retrospect, this could appear very confusing ('what ironic timing
that Duncan's noises are NOW starting to wane') or even frustrating
('oh sure - now that he's got what he WANTED he's able to inhibit').
Had I thought to mention this particular 'quirk' 8 months ago it might
have led to an appropriate setting quicker. It would also have led to
less wear on and/or aggravation of my supervisors. Given that my supervisors'
impressions of me ultimately influence future job opportunities these
are most definitely impacts I'd want to avoid.
-Along
these lines I was worried by the initial sense that my employers felt
"duped" by me - evidently I didn't tic much in my interview
with them, and they were taken by surprise by my pronounced presentation
once I started work. Because I had worked hard to foster comfort with
speaking frankly with me, I was able to learn about this confusion.
It afforded an opening to explain the waxing and waning course of tics,
and how a combination of factors (lower stress levels at the time, the
fact that being "on-stage" in the interview channeled my energies
away from my symptoms) led to the almost complete absence of tics at
our first meeting.
Working
in mental health, I am finding that the clients - children, adolescents,
parents, adults - all see the TS as much less of an issue (I daresay
a non-issue) than do my superiors. At first I thought this just to be
a concern OF my superiors on behalf of the clientele, but over time
(and after copious evidence and client disclosure that the TS does not
interfere with the work I do with them) I have come to see that this
is more an adjustment of co-workers themselves to me. I have been told
- and this would never have occurred to me - that it is "draining
and tiresome" to NOT react to my tics all day! Co-workers are going
home at night feeling more tired than usual.
I really
should say that SOME co-workers are telling me this and feeling this
way. My limited observations thus far have been that the higher the
'rank', the more evident the difficulties in terms of things like inability
to habituate, reluctance to speak to me about symptoms, and assumptions
made. Why this is I'm not precisely sure. I suppose people of increasingly
respectable positions become increasingly accustomed to not being inconvenienced,
or needing to compromise, with ANYone. At the same time, I also suppose
that these same people have higher burdens on their attention (and can
therefore potentially have their work more affected by the tics) and
time (meaning they have fewer and shorter occasions to invest in 'getting'
me). Finally, it may be that supervisors, for example, could be especially
aware of my symptoms because anything I do or utter is a reflection
on THEM as my teachers. I'll continue to grapple with this, and may
write more on this topic in the future. Like each of you, I continue
to learn…
Until
next time, my friends!
B. Duncan McKinlay, Ph.D.
