Microsoft welcomes Autistic employees
Microsoft has launched a new program to hire more people with autism.
The move, which was announced on the site’s blog, partners the tech giant with employment agency Specialisterne. The pair will focus on hiring autistic candidates on a full-time basis in Redmond, Washington.
The post was written by Microsoft’s corporate vice president of worldwide operations, Mary Ellen Smith, who has a 19-year-old autistic son.
“It’s simple, Microsoft is stronger when we expand opportunity and we have a diverse workforce that represents our customers,” she wrote. “People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft, each individual is different, some have amazing ability to retain information, think at a level of detail and depth or excel in math or code.”
However, it’s not just people with autism being sought out. People with any disability are encouraged to apply.
“We are passionate about hiring individuals of all disabilities and we believe with them, we can create, support, and build great products and services,” Smith added. “Our customers are diverse and we need to be as well.”
Microsoft has asked interested candidates to email the program at msautism@microsoft.com.