The report
On 15 June 2023, the charity Made By Dyslexia, together with Randstad Enterprises, released a report entitled “Dyslexic thinkers: recruiting the unique talent your company needs“. The report outlines positive attributes dyslexic thinkers can bring in a modern working environment. It also highlights how HR leaders view their approaches to dyslexic thinking and dyslexic employees, compared to how dyslexic employees themselves viewed their experiences through the recruitment process. The report is based on a survey or more than 1,500 dyslexic people currently in employment and more than 900 HR leaders across 18 markets globally.
Overall, the report’s findings demonstrated a stark disparity between the views of employers and those of dyslexic prospective employees.
Key Findings
- The report highlights that businesses often fail to identify employees with dyslexic thinking skills during the recruitment process. Whilst 64% of HR leaders surveyed felt employees were identified at the recruitment stage, 96% of the dyslexic employees surveyed disagreed, instead feeling the recruiting process had failed to identify them as having dyslexic thinking skills. Given this gap, it is likely that a significant number of candidates who require adjustments during the recruitment process are not being offered those adjustments. This, in turn, can be a barrier to employees with dyslexic thinking skills being properly identified as a valuable asset to the workforce.
- 60% of HR leaders asked considered dyslexic thinking as an asset or individual strength. However, only 6% of dyslexic employees felt that this was recognised by employers at the recruitment stage. This indicates a need for employers to openly recognise the valuable contribution dyslexic thinkers can bring to the workplace.
- 66% of HR leaders believed their organisation understood the value of dyslexic thinking, compared to only 14% of dyslexic thinkers who felt this was understood. It is clear that education is needed to ensure employers fully understand dyslexic thinking and the value it can offer.
- Only 13% of dyslexic employees surveyed have come across affinity networks or employee resource groups inclusive of dyslexia within the workplace. This highlights a need for employers to consider founding such groups to support dyslexic thinking colleagues.
Takeaway
Mike Smith, chief executive of Randstad Enterprises, stated: “We want people to feel proud to tell us they are dyslexic and we, as employers, need to see dyslexia as the superpower that it is. That change can only be made by educating people in empowering dyslexic thinking in the workplace.”
In order to improve upon the lived experiences of dyslexic employees, the report highlights a number of suggestions businesses can take to ensure a more accessible recruitment process. These suggestions included:
- allowing extra time for responses to interview questions or written tests;
- offering quiet spaces for tests;
- ensuring questions are asked as clearly as possible; and
- creating affinity networks or employee resource groups to support dyslexic thinkers in the workplace.
Recently, Made By Dyslexia has seen large employers such as EY, LinkedIn and a number of Virgin Group companies sign up to receive free training on dyslexic thinkers in the workplace. So, whilst there is certainly a way to go to bridge the gap between HR leaders’ perceptions and the reality experienced by dyslexic employees, there is demonstrably a desire from businesses to take action to better their understanding of dyslexic thinking and encourage the recruitment and retention of dyslexic employees. This is something all businesses should think about to improve experiences for dyslexic thinking employees and to enable them to harness the value they offer in an evolving work landscape.
