Supporting employees with dyslexia in the workplace
What is dyslexia and how does it affect individuals at work?
Up to 15-20% of the population as a whole may have symptoms of dyslexia. As employers, this means it’s important to support any dyslexic employees we may have. Dyslexia is a language processing difficulty. It's associated with challenges including: literacy difficulties, information-processing, and maintaining focus. As well as strengths including: pattern recognition, problem solving, and verbal communication skills.
People with dyslexia may experience challenges with aspects of reading and writing, such as spelling and proofreading. They may also experience difficulty processing information in their short-term memory. This can mean difficulty in putting detail into order, as well as maintaining focus. They may also find it challenging to concentrate with background noise. This means that for many dyslexic adults, the workplace may involve barriers to their success.
Alongside challenges, dyslexia can also come with many strengths. For example, dyslexic minds process information visually. That means that they're often able to recognize patterns and see trends in data. They can discover connections that others have missed. Such strengths lend themselves to good problem solving abilities. They also have good verbal communication skills and are very detailed story-tellers. Dyslexic people can also bring to the workplace out of the box, original thinking. They're often able to look at tasks with a holistic and creative approach.
As employers, it’s vital to support our dyslexic employees. The reason why is two-fold: it empowers people and your business. Dyslexic employees can become more comfortable and efficient workers, and the business will reap the success that their unique talents provide.
Learn more about how to create an inclusive recruiting and onboarding experience
As an employer, being inclusive is vital for every stage of an employee’s journey. Inclusive recruitment is a key aspect of this, as it helps attract neurodivergent talent who can bring unique skills and perspectives to your business.
In this series, we explore how to create a recruiting and onboarding process that’s accessible and inclusive to all.
Podcast: Learn more about what it’s like being in the workplace as a dyslexic thinker
In this episode of Texthelp Talks, we chat with Colin Moloney, Governance Manager in the UK Civil Service, about his experience of being dyslexic in the workplace.
Colin talks about some of the challenges he’s faced during his career, as well as how his dyslexia has been a crucial part of getting to where he is today.
What competitive advantages can dyslexia bring to a business?
When it comes to running a business, it can be a great advantage to have a balance of people who think and understand in different ways. This includes people with dyslexia, who can bring numerous advantages to a business as employees and leaders.
Here are some of the benefits of dyslexia in the workplace:
- Innovative thinking
- Ability to simplify complexity
- Storytelling
- Three-dimensional thinking
Dyslexic brains work differently from neurodiverse brains. They see the world in a different way, and with that comes ‘outside the box’, innovative thinking. This makes dyslexic people particularly good at creating new solutions to old problems, just as they’re used to doing in a neurotypical world. By providing unique perspectives, along with a natural curiosity, dyslexic employees can help businesses stand out.
Podcast: Harnessing the power of dyslexic thinking in business.
We live in a diverse society, and successful companies are starting to realise the success that an inclusive workplace can bring. In this podcast episode, Ronan O'Brien from Zatori Results Ltd sits down with some of the EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Alumni to discuss why so many dyslexic people go into business for themselves, and how their unique way of thinking provides a competitive advantage.
Get our guide to unlocking neurodiversity in the workplace
This free guide is designed for HR Professionals, DE&I Specialists, Engagement Managers, CEOs and Disability Champions.
Discover how to tap into the competitive advantages that neurodiverse thinkers can provide by creating a culture that welcomes neurodiverse teams.
How to support dyslexic employees in the workplace
To harness the power of dyslexia strengths, it’s important to help dyslexic employees overcome challenges. Dyslexia can affect the ability to process information in short-term memory. Individuals might struggle with concentration, reading, writing and spelling.
To support employees with dyslexia, begin by asking the employee if they need any extra support. Then, work together to discover what adjustments would benefit them. We’ve provided some examples of simple adjustments below. It might help you to kick-start the conversation:
- Consider desk location and storage facilities. An organised and tidy workspace in a quiet area will help to minimise distraction.
- Allow the use of noise-cancelling headphones to help block out distractions.
- Discuss the use of calendars, planners and alerts to support memory challenges
- Try not to impose strict time constraints so that dyslexic employees have enough time to read, process, and complete tasks.
- Explore the best method of communication for the employee. Clear communication and checking for understanding are important. This can be supported by using a mix of verbal, visual and written formats.
- Across all company correspondences, use easy-to-read fonts that help with dyslexia
- The glare of white backgrounds can make it difficult to read and process the information, so consider using colour alternatives for paper and computer screens.
- Offer the opportunity for regular one-to-one conversations. This can be with a line manager or neurodiversity champion. The goal is to ensure support as often as required.
- Explore digital tools like spell checkers, screen readers, and text-to-speech tools.
Blog: 8 ways to support employees with dyslexia
It’s never been more important to create an inclusive workplace for employees. We gathered business leaders’ tips on what worked for them when supporting employees with dyslexia.
Without disclosure, how can we support employees with dyslexia?
It’s important to remember that while some employees may feel comfortable disclosing their dyslexia, others may choose to keep this private. This can be the case in any company, and is another reason why it’s crucial that neurodiverse employees are supported, whether they disclose it or not. Here are some ways to support these dyslexic employees:
- Promote awareness and understanding with disability inclusion and awareness training for all employees. This will help the whole workforce know how to support neurodiverse employees. By fostering a supportive and empathetic atmosphere, employees will feel more comfortable getting assistance without disclosing their dyslexia.
- Offer flexible working arrangements to provide employees with a more comfortable and accommodating work environment that suits their needs.
- Create opportunities for anonymous feedback to ensure employees feel comfortable sharing their opinion without disclosing personal information.
- Set up Employee Resource Groups or support networks to provide a safe space for employees to connect, share experiences and provide mutual support. This helps create a supportive network.
- Provide proactive accommodations that can benefit all employees, such as assistive technology. Having this option can support dyslexic employees without the need to disclose.
- Provide tools that promote different ways of thinking, communicating and working to all employees, without the need for disclosure. For example, Read&Write for Work.
Learn how to cultivate an inclusive workplace for neurodivergent talent.
Are you ready to revolutionise your workplace and tap into the incredible potential of neurodivergent talent? In this series of 2 on-demand sessions and a downloadable guide, we share exclusive tips and strategies for fostering an inclusive workplace. Hear real-life stories from neurodivergent employees, get insights from leading brands, and hear from TV presenter Jay Blades MBE, on his experience with dyslexia.
Assistive technology for employees with dyslexia
Assistive technology and digital tools work alongside neurodiverse employees to help them work to their full ability. By providing a range of tools, employees can choose what works for them and work on par with all their colleagues. This creates equal opportunities, so all employees can be empowered to bring their full selves to work.
Assistive technology for people with dyslexia can include tools like spell-checking software, text-to-speech, screen masking, word prediction and read-aloud features.
What’s more, assistive technology isn’t just for neurodiverse employees. Although it may be a necessity for some, it can be beneficial across the company as a whole. It can also help other types of thinkers, like those with low literacy, and those with English as a second language.
When provided to all employees, assistive technology demonstrates a commitment to workplace inclusion, which can make it easier to attract and retain talent. It also means that employees don’t have to feel pressured to disclose that they’re neurodiverse.
Explore Texthelp's assistive technology
Read&Write for Work helps companies unlock the potential of your people and your business. Its reading and writing tools empower all employees to think, learn and work to their full potential. Creating an inclusive workplace with Read&Work also helps to empower your DEI program, making it easier to attract from a wider talent pool and retain diverse talent.
For employees with dyslexia, Read&Write can help with literacy challenges, information processing, proofreading and color or light sensitives on a screen.
Supports people who think, learn and work differently. Helps neurodiverse workforces to thrive.
Further reading
If you want to learn more about how to support neurodiverse thinkers in the workplace, we want to help you in your journey of becoming a more inclusive workplace.
Neurodiversity in the workplace
Neurodiversity is one form of diversity in the workplace. Discover what employers can do to support employees with neurodiverse conditions.
Supporting employees with autism
Employees with autism can face certain challenges at work, but with the right accommodations in place, they can thrive and bring unique benefits to a business. Discover how.
Supporting employees with ADHD
Discover how to create an inclusive workplace that supports employees with ADHD and unlocks the strengths that these employees can bring.
Supporting employees with dyspraxia
Learn how to support employees with dyspraxia in the workplace and discover what competitive advantages they can bring to a business.
Supporting employees with executive functioning challenges
Learn about the effects of struggling with executive function at work, and discover how we can support employees through these difficulties so they can bring their full selves to work.