Supporting Employees With Dyslexia During the Hiring Process

Today we're joined by some of our friends at Health Assured, a multiple award-winning independent health and wellbeing provider who have made a huge positive difference in over 15 million lives to date with mental health, wellbeing and EAP support. You can find out more about Health Assured and what they do at HealthAssured.org - and you can find out more about supporting employees with dyslexia and literacy differences right here.

"Many individuals have dyslexia, and it can affect both their personal and professional lives. According to the British Dyslexia Association, around 10% of the UK population has the condition. Businesses have a legal obligation to support employees who have dyslexia, from their first day of work to the last day on the job.

If you neglect these responsibilities, it could not only lead to the loss of talented employees and significant effects on colleague wellbeing, but also to detrimental consequences for business– like facing discrimination accusations.

So let’s look at what dyslexia is, common signs of the condition, and how to support these employees during recruitment.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning condition which affects (amongst other things) the ability to read, spell, and by extension, learn. Some of the most common difficulties people with dyslexia face include phonological awareness, verbal memory, and speech processing. A person’s cognitive ability to process words can be affected by both minor and major symptoms. However, dyslexia has no direct correlation to intellectual capacity or performance.

Relating to the workplace, some employees might take additional time when reading documents, or often write or type content with spelling or grammatical mistakes.

What are common signs of dyslexia?

In some cases, dyslexia is spotted in children and young adults at an early stage of life. They might present with literacy problems during class or at home. But when it comes to adults, it becomes slightly harder to spot. That’s because people learn to live through their dyslexia symptoms– often burying them or in some cases, even living in denial.

In the workplace, common signs of dyslexia include, but aren't limited to:

• Difficulties managing text (by either written or verbal means)
• Struggling to take sufficient notes during meetings
• Suffering from writing or reading anxiety
• Making spelling and grammatical errors
• Difficulties in processing information
• Having weaker time management or organisational skills

What are the UK laws on supporting employees with dyslexia?

Dyslexia is lawfully recognised as a disability under UK employment law.

The Equality Act 2010 states disability as, ‘a physical or mental impairment (that) has a substantial and long-term effect on the ability to carry out daily activities’. This act outlines legal obligations and entitlements for any employee diagnosed with dyslexia. One of the biggest employer obligations revolves around protection against disability discrimination. Dyslexia is considered as a permanent condition; a person who has dyslexia has it for their entire life- that’s why it’s vital to treat people who have dyslexia in the right way at work, because we're building the foundations for support for the rest of their career.

In the workplace, employees must not be disadvantaged (compared to their peers) because of their condition. They are legally protected in the following areas:

• Recruitment and onboarding
• Working conditions
• Training and development.
• Promotions
• Dismissal
• And so much more

Yet despite being legally protected from discrimination, many dyslexic employees still suffer in silence. They’re all too often neglected of reasonable adjustments, face unfair treatment, and not considered for career progression.

It’s so important for every business to actively support them. Employers should build a culture of acceptance and eliminate dyslexia stigma.

How do I support employees with dyslexia during recruitment?

Often, people will fear disclosing health conditions to other parties. And nowhere is this truer than during recruitment stages.

From interviews to onboarding, your business must champion equal rights and fair opportunities– especially for those living with dyslexia. Encourage candidates to disclose their conditions; and approach their candidacy with empathy and care.

Here are some ways to support employees with dyslexia during recruitment:

✔️Application forms

Many people with dyslexia struggle with jobseeking before they’ve left the blocks. And nowhere is this more prevalent than filling out application forms. The written form that's common to most application processes can actually be a huge upheaval, so be considerate of this.

Firstly, consider the probability of candidates disclosing their dyslexia. Don’t write off applications just because you come across spelling mistakes or misused punctuation. Take each application form and thoroughly focus on their skills over their spelling! You can even use competence-based questions so they can demonstrate their work skills rather than their literacy ones.

✔️CVs and cover letters

CVs and cover letters are the perfect place for candidates to disclose their dyslexia state or symptoms - include ‘supporting document’ sections in either form, so candidates can provide additional information about their health if they'd like to.

Remember, in doing this, candidates are choosing to be honest with you from the start of their recruitment process.  And that takes real guts! Don't judge their suitability for the role based on their condition for a moment.

✔️Interview stages

Most employees who have dyslexia find interview stages more comfortable than written fields, so weight your assessments accordingly.  

Interviews allow candidates with dyslexia to fully display credentials, skills, and capabilities. They’re still nerve-wracking- but without the reading aspect, applicants will be able to focus on demonstrating strengths and experience written on their CV rather than be judged on ‘how’ it’s written.

Interviews also let candidates explain what their condition specifically means for them, as every case of dyslexia is slightly different. Employers are then able to fully understand their condition and consider ways to support them in their workplace comfortably.

✔️Everyday work

We can’t ignore the fact that some businesses will favour candidates who have next-to-zero problems with the written word. But this is considered as bad business practice. You should avoid neglecting or dismissing people this way - it's discrimination.

During work time, provide these employees with additional time to complete tasks. And present reasonable adjustments, like literacy tools or health assessments, which can help them through everyday work. You also need to consider your legal obligations for employees with dyslexia. (Or any kind of medical or learning condition for that matter). They should be provided with the same benefits, opportunities, and entitlements as their fellow colleagues, so think about equality and inclusivity as a standard. They’re also entitled to safe working conditions, with equal rights and opportunities - so consider your lawful duty of care and protection, or else you could end up facing a landscape of staff loss, tribunal hearings and compensation penalties. 

In the end, every employee should be able to access specific help they need for their job. So, don’t strip this right from people before they’ve even been called to an interview- apply your legal and moral responsibilities when it comes to supporting employees with dyslexia. You’re guaranteed to be blessed with business success and prosperity."