The course of 2022 marked a steady return to normal for the first year since the pandemic, and many of us would likely, if cautiously describe our current working state as ‘Business as Usual’ - but that’s not strictly true. We’ve actually seen a lot of positive progress in the past twelve months when it comes to supporting neurodivergent minds in the workplace which has been decidedly unusual— very positive, though.
From Made by Dyslexia championing ‘Dyslexic Thinking’ into our profile skills to BAE Systems, Ernst & Young and GCHQ going all-in on hiring neurodivergent minds, we’ve seen a lot of positive change and positive press around supporting neurodivergent minds at work. We’ve seen the Neurodiversity in Business movement come into its own, and we’ve even had MPs speak about how wrong it is to discard a CV over spelling errors. People are dedicating a lot of time and attention to neurodivergent minds at work and it’s incredible to witness… which leads us to wonder what we might see next year if this one has been anything to go by.
Succeed With Dyslexia’s Big 5 Work and Dyslexia Predictions for 2023
1. More employers seeking training
Nobody is expected to have all the answers when it comes to supporting the neurodivergent minds in their office – we develop these understandings via training and support. More and more employers will be looking for help with how to create the best working experience possible for people who work, learn and think differently, and we expect to see a big uptick in businesses seeking training to get ahead of the curve— and avoid events like M&S’ £50k dyslexia discrimination suit payout.
2. The Monday-morning MS Teams jingle is here to stay.
In general, since the introduction of widespread remote and hybrid working styles, productivity has seen an uptick and a huge percentage of workers prefer it to spending their working week in the office. It also allows dyslexic workers time to decompress, work in ways that they can’t in the office, and maybe even perform to their best ability. Although we’ve seen an influx of high-profile employers (ahem) push back against the trend, it’s fairly safe to say that across the market, hybridity doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, even if core numbers of remote workers are contracting post-pandemic.
3. A push towards recruiting neurodivergent minds in the mid-sector and clerical.
This is already happening at the top, and what happens at the top tends to start happening across the rest of the sector, too— especially in times of economic hardship, where every penny and every project counts. Big business has woken up in a big way to the incredible boost that neurodivergent people can offer their teams and are actively seeking dyslexic, ADHD and autistic candidates for roles— meaning that the next generation of neurodivergent teenagers are going to have many more visible role models than we did.
4. More people accessing the Access to Work (ATW) Grant.
A lot of people, especially in the UK dyslexia community have been making a lot of noise about ATW this year, and community understandings of what people are entitled to is growing. Higher neurodivergent recruitment means more people seeking ATW support— and more fulfilled, secure dyslexic employees at the end of it.
5. Saying goodbye to the ‘CEO or Creative’ Mentality.
Ten years ago, we used to socially pigeonhole working dyslexic people into one of two categories: an ‘arty type’ or ‘the next Richard Branson’. Today we’re much better at understanding dyslexic skill sets, and indeed, how people with dyslexia can have all kinds of skills— not just painting, creating or delegating. We’ll be bidding a fond farewell to the ‘CEO or Creative’ mentality as more and more dyslexic people become more visible in all kinds of roles, and an end to the reductive way we see dyslexic excellence at work… even if there are still some truly excellent dyslexic CEOs and dyslexic artists out there.
All told, we’ve still got a long way to go before the world of work is inclusive for everyone. But we’re on the right path— and 2023 seems like it could be an important year.
We're excited to have you along on the journey with us as we make some noise, celebrate dyslexia and the achievements of our powerful global community, and reach out to connect with more of you out there than ever before to learn about your own dyslexia and working experiences.
It's going to be a good one, and we've a lot coming your way - so stay tuned for how you can get involved with Succeed With Dyslexia over the coming months.