Adapting Workplaces to Harness Dyslexic Talent
By Matt Boyd, founder of neurodivergent recruitment agency Exceptional Individuals
Experts in neurodivergent employment provide tips for improving recruitment systems for dyslexic people, and round up the most successful people who have used dyslexia to their advantage.
It’s likely you know someone who has dyslexia. In fact, for every 10 people, 1 of them is likely to be dyslexic. However, despite representing 10% of the population, 22% of dyslexics are unemployed.
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that makes it challenging for the person to read and spell accurately. Some dyslexics may have trouble with additional issues such as their short-term memory, processing information, following instructions, timekeeping and organisation. But dyslexic brains are just wired a little differently, so alongside the difficulties there are some remarkable strengths too.
What are some common dyslexic strengths?
The way the dyslexic brain works isn’t wrong, it’s just different. The advantages of dyslexia are huge, but they often remain untapped if employers don’t recognise, appreciate and adapt to their dyslexic employees. Here are just a few small examples of those strengths:
- Creativity
Dyslexics are often highly creative. This is because they often have to strive to find creative solutions to tasks they find challenging, but also because many are exceptionally brilliant visual and/or spatial thinkers. This is why industries such as TV and film have many dyslexic employees.
- Design
Dyslexics have strengths in pattern recognition and spatial awareness, which enable them to design in ways others are not able to. Tommy Hilflinger struggled to read at school, but his sharp eye for fashion has made him millions.
- Communication
Dyslexic people can struggle to find words, such as the names of people they know, but they’re able to communicate brilliantly via storytelling, often with lots of energy. Many actors and actresses are dyslexic as the list shows — they’re some of the world’s best communicators!
- Big picture
Dyslexics are good entrepreneurs because they can look past the details to find the answer. Laser-sharp focus has helped Richard Branson become one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.
Matt Boyd, founder of Exceptional Individuals, says:
“As you can see from our findings, dyslexia can be a real asset to an employer. But employers are still using processes that are quite dated — not considering an applicant if there is a spelling mistake on their application for example — which is screening top talent out.
“Once recruited, an employer can make simple and inexpensive changes to ensure that a dyslexic employee can work to the best of their ability in a fairer work environment, and that their strengths are being maximised. We advise that a Workplace Needs Assessment is undertaken, which provides recommendations to adjust the working environment to their individual needs, which we can help you to implement.”
How can recruitment processes be improved to support dyslexic people?
Many employers are not aware of the challenges that the recruitment process can pose for dyslexic or other neurodivergent individuals, and this means they’re missing out on invaluable talent.
There are numerous ways businesses can accommodate the needs of people with dyslexia, not only gaining from their strengths, but preventing dyslexia discrimination.
- Job adverts — in plain English, using bullet points and short sentences (or video adverts)
- Interviews — keeping them short, using visual presentations
- Training — hands-on, practical learning
- Working environment — installing dyslexia-friendly fonts, encouraging regular breaks
Dyslexics who have channelled their strengths into success
The experts from social enterprise and neurodivergent recruitment agency Exceptional Individuals have collected data on the net worth of famous dyslexics and their education level, in order to combat misconceptions that having dyslexia can hold people back in their careers. By pushing for a better understanding and appreciation of dyslexic individuals, bosses can get a mix of minds on board, to create opportunity and boost their business.
At the top of the Dyslexia Rich List is Bill Gates — one of the richest men in the world (the youngest billionaire at 31), with a net worth of over £64 billion. Someone on the average UK salary would have to work for over 2.4 million years to reach Bill Gates’ net worth.
And it’s not just entrepreneur dyslexics who make their millions from their divergent thinking. The people in the rankings are from a range of industries, including chefs and stars in the entertainment industry such as Cher (7th), Jamie Oliver (9th) and Whoopi Goldberg (20th).
Plus, findings show that only 4 out of the top 20 have a university degree, and nearly half of the top 20 left school before turning 18.
