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First impressions matterthey shape how were judged in mere seconds, research shows. People are quick to evaluate others competence, likability and honesty, often relying on superficial cues such as appearance or handshake strength. While these snap judgments can be flawed, they often have a lasting impact. In employment, first impressions not only affect hiring choices but also decisions about promotion years later. As a researcher in cognitive science, Ive seen firsthand how first impressions can pose a challenge for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. People with ASD often display social behaviorssuch as facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, and sense of personal spacethat can differ from those of neurotypical individuals. These differences are often misunderstood, leading people with ASD to be perceived as awkward, odd, or even deceptive. People form these negative impressions in just seconds and report being reluctant to talk to, hang out with, or even live near people on the spectrum. Its not surprising, then, that unfavorable first impressions create barriers for people with ASD in the workplace. The interview trap It starts with the job interview. Whether youre seeking a position as a computer programmer at a tech firm or a dog groomer at a vet clinic, the job interview is a critical gateway. Success depends on your ability to think on your feet, communicate your qualifications, and present yourself as likable, agreeable, and collegial. My research demonstrates that job seekers with ASD often perform poorly in interviews due to the social demands of the situation. This is true even when the candidate is highly qualified for the job they are seeking. In one study, my colleagues and I videotaped mock job interviews with 30 young adults (half with ASD, half neurotypical) who were all college students without an intellectual disability. We asked them to discuss their dream jobs and qualifications for five minutes. Afterward, evaluators rated them on social traits, such as likability, enthusiasm, and competence, and indicated how likely they were to hire each interviewee. As in most professional interviews, the evaluators werent aware that some candidates were on the autism spectrum. Candidates with autism spectrum disorder were consistently rated less favorably on all social dimensions compared with people without the condition, and those unfavorable social ratings weighed heavily on hiring decisions. Even though candidates with ASD were rated as equally qualified as neurotypical candidates, they were significantly less likely to be hired. Interestingly, when evaluators only read the candidates interview transcripts without watching the interviews, ratings for ASD candidates were the same as, or even better than, those for neurotypical candidates. This suggests that its not just what candidates say in an interview but how they present themselves socially that affects hiring decisions. This is especially problematic for jobs that require minimal social interaction (think data analyst or landscaper), where a candidates qualifications should be the main consideration. By relying on interviews as a primary screening tool, employers may miss out on competent, qualified applicants with unique strengths. Rethinking what makes a good candidate Scientists have explored whether its possible to teach adults with ASD how to improve their interview skills, for example by maintaining more eye contact or standing at a socially acceptable distance from an interviewer. While such training can help, it addresses only a small part of the problem, and I think this approach may not significantly improve employment outcomes for autistic adults. For one, it reduces the challenges faced by adults with ASD to a limited set of behaviors. ASD is a complex condition, and research shows that the negative evaluations of individuals with ASD are not driven by a single difference or a collection of specific differences, but rather by the individuals overall presentation. In addition, this type of training often encourages individuals to mask their autistic traits, which could make a stressful interview even more difficult. Finally, if ASD candidates successfully mask their autism during the interview but cant maintain that mask once they are hired, their longevity in the position could be at risk. A more effective approach may be to change how interviews are conducted and how candidates are perceived. This includes giving employers meaningful education about autism and giving job applicants a way to disclose their diagnosis without penalty. Research shows that when people know more about autism spectrum disorder, they have more positive views of people with ASD. In addition, ratings of people with ASD are often more favorable when evaluators know about their diagnosis. Combining these two approachesthat is, pairing ASD education for employers with diagnostic disclosure for candidatesmay lead to better outcomes. My colleagues and I explored this possibility in a series of studies. Again, we showed raters the mock job interviews of candidates with and without ASD. This time, however, some evaluators watched a brief educational video about autism, learning about characteristics and strengths often associated with ASD before evaluating the mock interviews. In addition, these raters knew which candidates had an ASD diagnosis. Even though raters still perceived the candidates with ASD as more awkward and less likable, they rated those candidates as equally qualified as neurotypical candidates and were just as likely to hire them. This boost in hiring ratings persisted even when the educational video about autism was viewed months before candidates were evaluated. Notably, neither of these interventions was effective on its own. In different conditions, some evaluators simply got the training but didnt receive diagnostic information about candidates; others received no education about autism but were aware of which candidates had ASD. Both groups continued to select against candidates with ASD in hiring decisions, even though the candidates with ASD were rated as highly qualified. It appears that both knowing a person ha autism and understanding more about autism are important for overcoming negative first impressions. We believe that our training fostered a greater understanding of the atypical interactive style and behaviors that can be common among adults with ASD. This understanding, when coupled with the knowledge of a candidates diagnosis, may have helped evaluators contextualize those behaviors and, in turn, place more emphasis on qualifications when making hiring decisions. When hiring decisions are based on merit, both employees and employers benefit. First impressions, though impactful, can be deceptive and often bias decisions, particularly for individuals with ASD. Our findings highlight an important truth: Understanding autism enables employers to focus on qualifications, giving candidates with ASD a fair opportunity to succeed based on their true potential. Cindi May is a professor of psychology at the College of Charleston. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Do you know where your drinking water comes from? In South Florida, drinking water comes from the Everglades, a vast landscape of wetlands that has long filtered the water relied on by millions of people. But as the Everglades has shrunk over the past century, the regions water supply and water quality have become increasingly threatened, including by harmful algal blooms fueled by agriculture runoff. Now, the water supply faces another rising challenge: saltwater intrusion. [Photo: South Florida Water District/Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0] Protecting South Floridas water hinges on restoring the Everglades. Thats why, 25 years ago, the federal government and universities launched the worlds largest ecosystem restoration effort ever attempted. Im involved in this work as an ecosystem ecologist. The risks I see suggest continuing to restore the Everglades is more crucial today than ever. What happened to the Everglades? The Florida Everglades is a broad mosaic of freshwater, sawgrass marshes, cypress domes and tree islands, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows all connected by water. But it is half its original size. In the early 1900s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began installing canals and levees to control flooding in the Everglades, which allowed people to build farms and communities along its edges. The Tamiami Trail became the first road across the Everglades in 1928. It connected Tampa to Miami, but the road and canals cut off or diverted some of the natural water flow in South Florida. Since then, Floridas economy, agriculture, and population have explodedand with them has come a nutrient pollution problem in the Everglades. The major crop, sugarcane, is grown in a region south of Lake Okeechobee covering 1,100 square miles thats known as the Everglades Agricultural Area. Nearly 80 tons of phosphorus fertilizer from federally subsidized farm fields runs off into the Everglades wetlands each year. And that has become a water quality concern. Drinking water with elevated nitrogen is linked to human health problems, and elevated phosphorus and associated algal blooms can cause microbes to accumulate toxins such as mercury. Healthy wetlands can filter out those nutrients and other pollutants, cleaning the water. Some of the ways the Everglades filters water contaminated with phosphorus. [Image: South Florida Water Management District] Rain falling in the Everglades percolates through the porous limestone and recharges the Biscayne Aquifer, which supplies drinking water for 1 in 3 Floridians. But wetlands need time and space to function properly, and the damage from farm pollution has harmed that natural filtering system. By the 1990s, Everglades wetlands and the wildlife they support hit a critical stress level from elevated concentrations of phosphorus, a nutrient in fertilizer that washes off farm fields and fuels the growth of toxic algal blooms and invasive species that can choke out native plant populations. The changes led to seagrass die-offs and widespread invasion of sawgrass marshes by cattail and harmful algal blooms. Degraded wetlands can themselves become pollution sources that can contaminate surface water and groundwater quality by decreasing oxygen in the water, which can harm aquatic life, and releasing chemicals and nutrients as they decay. A vast restoration campaign Congress approved the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan in 2000 to support reducing phosphorus concentrations by re-creating large wetlands areas to remove excess nutrients and reestablishing more of the natural water depth to bolster native populations. That restoration effort is making progress in reonnecting wetlands to natural water flows by rehydrating large areas that were cut off. Phosphorus levels are lower in many wetlands that now remain hydrated longer, and in these wetlands freshwater is recharging the aquifer, helping sustain the drinking water supply. However, delays in critically important components of that work have left some wetlands in degraded conditions for longer than expected, especially in regions near and downstream of the Everglades Agricultural Area, where phosphorus concentrations remain stubbornly high. An algal bloom spreads in Floridas Lake Okeechobee, at the heart of the Everglades. [Photo: Nicholas Aumen/USGS] South Florida continues to experience harmful algal blooms from phosphorus reaching rivers and the coast, resulting in fish kills and the deaths of manatees. Red tide can shut down fishing and keep beach-going tourists away, harming local economies. This pollution is estimated to have cost Floridas economy US$2.7 billion in 2018. The unexpected risk: Saltwater An unforeseen threat has also started to creep into the Everglades: saltwater. As sea level rises, saltwater reaches further inland, both in rivers and underground through the porous limestone beneath South Florida. Saltwater intrusion also occurs when wells draw down aquifers to provide water for drinking or irrigation. That saltwater is causing parts of the Everglades marshes, often referred to as a river of grass, to collapse into open water. The loss of these freshwater marshes reduces the capacity of the Everglades to remove phosphorus from the water. And that means more nutrients flowing downstream, contaminating aquifers and causing harmful algal blooms to form in coastal waters. The red line shows how far saltwater had intruded into aquifers beneath Fort Lauderdale as of 2019. [Image: South Florida Water Management District] Scientists have learned that marsh plants need freshwater pulses during the wet season, from April to November, to avoid saltwater intrusion. For example, saltwater intruded about one mile inland between 2009 and 2019 in parts of the Fort Lauderdale area. More freshwater is needed to push the saltwater back out to sea. However, the restoration effort was never intended to combat saltwater intrusion. Reasons for optimism Despite the continuing challenges, I am optimistic because of how scientists, policymakers and communities are working together to protect the Everglades and drinking water. I lead part of that restoration work through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research program. The effort started at Florida International University on May 1, 2000, the same year the Everglades restoration plan was authorized by Congress. Our research was used to set the levels of nutrients allowable to still protect the regions water supplies, and we have been working for 25 years to reduce saltwater intrusion and phosphorus pollution to ensure drinking water for South Florida remains both fresh and clean. We continually use our research to inform water managers and policymakers of the best practices to reduce saltwater intrusion and pollution. As saltwater intrusion continues to threaten South Floridas freshwater aquifer, Everglades restoration and protection will be increasingly important. Everyone in the region can help. By rehabilitating degraded wetlands, allowing for more freshwater to flow throughout the Everglades ecosystems, reducing the use of freshwater on lawns and crops, and reusing municipal water for outdoor needs, South Florida can keep its drinking water safe for generations of future residents and visitors. This is something that everyone can contribute to. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Miamis renowned conservationist who helped establish the Everglades National Park, often said, The Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we may get to keep the planet. John Kominoski is a professor of biological xciences at Florida International University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
We all know the Sunday scariesthat creeping anxiety as the weekend winds down. But what you might not realize is that leaders experience it too. As a CEO, Ive found that the best way to fend off Sunday dread is by fully unplugging. At least once a week, I do a digital detox, shutting off my devices to be fully present with my wife and kids. Sometimes, we turn on the radio and play board games; other times, we stay in pajamas and take on a new cooking or baking challenge. Its our version of sndagshyggethe Danish idea of embracing cozy Sundays with tea, books, music, blankets, and other at-home rituals. While personal rituals can help, leaders can also play a role in easing their team members back-to-work anxiety. The question becomes: How can we support employees in making that transition? While theres no silver bullet, Ive found a few strategies that make a meaningful difference. Leading with empathy When it comes to facing challenges, togetherness is one of the most powerful antidotes to managing stress. Its like heading into a storm in a rowboathaving just one person by your side, paddling with you and understanding your perspective, can make all the difference. Thats what empathy is aboutdemonstrating to others that you truly identify with and understand their thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. Empathetic leaders show they care about their employees through words and through actionschecking in with them, actively listening, and acknowledging each persons unique circumstances. The result is a workplace where employees feel psychologically safe, fostering open and honest discussions. Studies have shown that employees with highly empathetic leaders are more engaged at workand more innovative, too. When a leader listens and genuinely makes an effort to understand their teams perspective, it builds trust and fosters collaboration. Knowing that this kind of supportive, understanding environment exists beyond the weekend can go a long way toward quelling the Sunday scaries. Promoting a healthy work-life balance Respecting each employees need to maintain a work-life balance is an essential part of an empathetic work environment. That means treating employees as individuals, not just cogs in a machine. I reflect on my own experience when my wife and I had our children. For me, it was crucial to be able to delegate responsibilities and take parental leave. Each time I returned to the office (admittedly a bit tired, as newborns dont care about your sleep schedule) I was ready to dive back in. I aim to offer the same flexibility and understanding to our team members. Research backs up the idea that supporting employees work-life balance can have a major positive impact. A 2023 survey from the American Psychological Association found that 92% of workers believe its important to work for an organization that values their emotional and psychological well-being. Studies conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have shown that when managers are trained to respect work-life harmony, employee job satisfaction increases and turnover decreases. Offering flexibility based on personal circumstanceswhether that means allowing employees to fully unplug for the evening or weekend, or taking a few hours off to attend their childs soccer gamehas helped us to maintain a low turnover rate at Jotform. When employees return refreshed, they might not whistle every moment while they work, but they seem genuinely engaged and content to be back at their desks on Monday. Gamifying the workplace Its hard to explain why adding a game-like dimension to an everyday activity can fuel motivation, but it does. Why else would brands like Nike and Fitbit offer users personalized feedback, social interaction, and even some friendly competition? Knowing youll earn that badge or publicly top your personal best pushes you to clock that extra mile. Experts call it gamificationleveraging game-like mechanisms, like the ones youd find in video games, to make real-world activities more engaging. Gamification has been shown to increase motivation and engagement. It makes employees more willing to take on repetitive tasks, engage in risks, and even fail. Surveys have found that gamification provides a sense of belonging and connection in the workplace. Employees report being more productive and happier at work. In short, gamification makes work, including the occasional mundane task, more fun. When employees participate in incentivized tasks, theyre not just motivated, theyre also excited. This excitement helps counteract the Sunday scaries. Instead of dreading the workweek ahead, employees are looking forward to the challenges and rewards of gamified tasks. Whether its earning points for hitting targets or engaging in friendly competitions with coworkers, the gamified experience gives them something to anticipate. And with AI making gamification more accessible and fun than ever, theres no reason why leaders cant bring this kind of excitement to the workplace, helping employees feel energized and eager to start their weekon Monday and beyond.
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E-Commerce
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