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Why is dyslexia under-reported in the workplace?
When it is reported, why is it often at a moment of crisis?
Few HR departments have accurate figures on how many employees are dyslexic or have other common co-occurring differences such as dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD, Meares-Irlen Syndrome, Aspergers or auditory processing disorder (APD). All can impact on stress levels for individuals and business performance – all are under reported.
The British Dyslexia Association reports that 10% of people in the UK are dyslexic. However dyslexia is not spread evenly throughout the workforce. Dyslexia is more commonly found in architects, construction workers, entrepreneurs, farmers, scientists and the medical profession and less commonly found among accountants, administrators and middle management. This means that depending on your sector, the numbers who are dyslexic in your organisation could range from 2% - 25% plus. So tapping into that win-win situation, where those who need to talk about dyslexia are able to, is a necessity for all companies who value low worker stress and high productivity levels.
I regularly find that employees won’t disclose dyslexia because:
So a crisis is often reached before dyslexia is mentioned.
So how do HR departments encourage disclosure in the workforce?
Creating a workplace environment that promotes disclosure is easily achievable at little cost when compared to the benefits. Your organisation could try the following:
VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email info@vercida.com for more information.
We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.
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