In a really bad situation...

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I'm really sorry if this is rambling but bear with:

Anyone who has read my posts will know that I really don't like my employment situation at the moment. I have Asperger's and (apparently) fall in the 25th percentile. I work in a builders merchant which for those who don't know, is essentially a DIY store that caters more towards trade professionals rather than the public. It is retail but most of my work was office based and occasionally counter sales. I was as close to being happy in employment as I was probably ever going to be. I am close friends with the assistant manager, two of the supervisors, our main delivery driver and related to one of the yardmen. Ideal? It was indeed. My (at the time) manager was a brilliant man who had plans for me to progress and was one of the those people that could instantly fill anyone with confidence and under his guidance I was set to do very well.

Then he got moved to another branch.

A new manager came along who has ruined our branch. I hate this guy with a passion. He is lazy, condescending, arrogant, a compulsive liar and has no interest in his staff. When he took over, I was essentially demoted to being counter-sales only while the other sales advisor (who is also a lazy, arrogant compulsive liar) was put in the office full time. Nightmare, I was okay under our previous manager because my dislike of dealing with people directly in person had to be endured for 2-3 hours tops a day, now it's around 8. I end up with more and more useless tasks heaped on me that prevent from doing what I was employed to do.

But to the point.

A position has become available in another department. It's essentially an admin/technician position (I know, weird). However: one of the pre-requisites is that you need to be able to drive a manual (or stick-shift) vehicle and I can barley function in an automatic. However, the Supervisor of that department has told me that he would not have an issue doing the driving until my diagnosis and subsequent aftercare was completed. A lifeline! This would get me away from what I find myself in at the moment and get me doing two things I love! The problem came with the current manager who was uncertain as to my suitability to the role.

Last night, I was out with my previous manager and he told me that he still kept an eye on our branch and that a higher up had discussed my moving to this other department with my current manager and apparently the he told the higher up that I shouldn't be put in that position because I have Asperger's. That was it. That was the crux of his argument. The higher up asked him what relevance that had to the position but apparently all my manager would say was that it made me unsuitable. Bear in mind I had only confided that day about the condition to my manager, he told me he had never heard of it. So he went from ignorant to expert in a matter of hours!? My previous manager guessed that he didn't want me leaving my current position as it would mean that the other sales-advisor and himself would have to do more work.

Advice? Ideas? I would love a chance to move across and apparently one of the higher ups would be prepared to back me.

I think you should go. You need to get away from the bad manager as soon as you can. He won't do you any good.

Keep us informed on how things go.

Good luck!

Do you have access to anything like occupational health or a disability adviser at work? Possibly not from the description.
I have a local supported employment centre for Aspergers/autism and they are currently helping. There is also a mental health employment adviser recommended to me via my GP surgery. You could always try phoning the NAS for advice. There are lots of advocates and charities that deal with this sort of thing.
I'd do something soon before it gets worse.

Are there any options to move to another branch e.g. where the nice manager is?

Bear in mind it is the manager in the wrong, it is not your fault. You are legally entitled to reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

The problem I have is that the conversation between me and my previous manager 'didn't happen'. My previous manager did however tell me that he wanted to arrange an off the record meeting between him, myself and the supervisor of the department I wish to move over to. This all hinges on two things happening:

1. My (potential) new supervisor agreeing to handle any driving until such a time that I can be deemed suitable to drive.
2. Getting past my current manager.

Disability discrimination is a scary thing to have leveled at you, question is: am I brave enough to do it if it came down to it...?

UPDATE!

For anyone who cares:

Spoke to the supervisor of the department I want to move to today and he said he was happy to take me in. Providing that I get a manual driving license...

No idea what to do now.

What do you need to do to get a manual driving license?

You have my sympathy for your situation. I do hope it improves.

Manual driving isn't so bad once you get used to a clutch. Once that happens, you should be alright.

Final update, sadly.

I was told today that me driving is imperative and the longest they could hold off for me is two months. So I have to learn to drive and pass a test in two months...
I told the supervisor that this was an impossibility as the cost alone was too much. Not to mention that my last foray into driving resulted in a meltdown because of the overload of things to take in. I can't multi-task for toffee and I get really upset and nervous with people watching me and judging me.

So, stuck in a dead-end job with no chance of progression short of leaving, but with a home to pay for I'm trapped.

Sigh.

I know that teachers make a huge difference in learning how to drive from my experience. My Mum tried to teach me and I freaked, I then was taught by her bf and did much better. I'm still learning but I know that the teacher really makes a difference.

Is it possible you just had a teacher that didn't fit you well?

It sounds like they are trying to squeeze you out. All the traits you mentioned of this manager are bad for people with AS and I don't think those kind of people should be managers as they run businesses into the ground.

You'll have to find another job as they'll come up with a reason why you are not suitable for them. Might want to file a lawsuit. Did the previous manager like you?

As it seems to be a fairly large company, and You have a good contact with several of the persons around, i really hope that You get another chance before long! - Or that Your "new" manager make a fault!! !

The greatest sympathy, and You keep in there!! !

It's a shame that driving a manual was mandatory for the new job. But hang in there. That was not the only possibility for a transfer. Other openings will come up within the company. They may come up for you. They may also come up for this new manager you currently have. It sounds like a pretty fluid company with lots of moving around so there will likely be more opportunities for you and the new manager to no longer work together.

I'm looking for work elsewhere now. My brother (NT) is a quality engineer and he told me that he would rebuild my CV and try to get me into the same line of work that he does. As he put it: 'It's not about qualifications, it's about being anal about details and being thorough.' His work does sound ideal, no dealings with the general public, project based and LOTS of filing and data processing.

Just have to ride out the storm until something better comes up.

Hopefully, I will have some good news next time I post on this thread.

When one door closes, another opens. Good luck!