To have successful workplaces, strong communication and consistent productivity are key components. However, when employees with dyslexia struggle with reading, writing, or understanding information because of their condition, they may experience misunderstandings and difficulties with doing their jobs even though they have the knowledge and skills to meet all job requirements. The purpose of a dyslexia workplace assessment is to understand the challenges an employee faces in their job and to develop practical strategies to improve communication within the organisation, streamline work processes, and enable individuals to achieve their full potential. Rather than focusing on what they can’t do, workplace assessments foster a partnership between employees and employers to achieve the greatest possible success.
Recognising the Communication Gap
There are many types of communication in a workplace: emails, memos, reports, meeting minutes, training materials, and verbal instructions. Employees with dyslexia may require additional concentration and time when trying to process many pages of written material (either by reading many pages or by producing written documents quickly). The result may be confusion and frustration, and sometimes, participation in discussions can be affected because of these barriers. By identifying communication barriers and suggesting adjustments to make the information easier to understand and use, a workplace assessment can help create an environment where everyone can work together successfully.
Recognising Common Workplace Barriers
Most of the challenges experienced by employees when trying to communicate are a result of standard daily processes and not the employee’s ability to perform at their job. Documents that are too complicated to read, instructions that are ambiguous or frequently changing, and the delivery of instructions in multiple formats can make it much harder to complete a task. When conducting a dyslexia assessment, you will be able to identify specific obstacles to completing daily tasks and develop practical solutions for reducing them. By understanding the specific barriers to performing well in a position, an employer will be able to make meaningful changes that improve employee performance.
Recommendation of Practical Strategies for Communication
One of the biggest benefits of a dyslexia assessment is the ability to receive recommendations of strategies to improve communication, based on the employee’s particular working style. For example, the employee could benefit from more structured instructions, using visual aids to assist in understanding, having a summary of important information shared at the conclusion of meetings, writing in plain language, or giving the employee extra time to review documents. These types of strategies will improve the employee’s understanding of the information and allow them to communicate more effectively with coworkers, supervisors, and clients.
Supporting More Efficient Workflows
There is a strong relationship between effective communication and productivity. When employees know what is expected of them and can access the necessary information in a way that works well for them, they are likely to be more productive when completing tasks. A dyslexia assessment may identify modifications regarding an employee’s workflow, document management, planning of tasks, as well as using assistive technology; thus reducing repetitive actions that are not required and lowering the number of preventable errors. Consequently, these changes will give employees time to produce high-quality work instead of wasting time trying to overcome preventable obstacles.
Helping Managers Provide Better Support
Managers have many responsibilities; they create standards, allocate tasks to staff, give feedback about performance and so forth. When a manager doesn’t recognise how dyslexia impacts work performance, they can unknowingly miscalculate someone’s communication issue as a serious lack of commitment to their work or lack of detail. An assessment for dyslexia can give a manager the tools they need to ensure that they are reaching out in effective ways to communicate, distribute work appropriately and provide effective support. This can assist in building a strong working relationship with the person with dyslexia based on trust, clarity and realistic expectations.
Increased Employee Confidence
Once an employee has had the communication barrier removed, there tends to be an increase in his or her confidence level. By removing the worry of making a mistake or misinterpreting information, employees are now able to contribute their skills and knowledge to their job. A higher level of confidence in turn encourages employees to contribute in meetings, participate in open discussions and take on additional responsibilities. In the long run, both the individual employee and their company will benefit from this higher level of engagement.
Achieving Business Goals
The value of a dyslexia assessment claim will extend far beyond the individual(s) involved in the organisation. As a business, communicating clearly leads to reducing mistakes, improving collaboration, strengthening teamwork and providing more effective delivery of projects. Often, employees provided with the appropriate support become more engaged and motivated, thus increasing productivity and improving retention rates. An organisation also reaps the benefits of developing an inclusive culture which creates an attraction to employees with diverse backgrounds, but also demonstrates a commitment to employee wellbeing.
To enhance communication and productivity, an organisation must know how its employees work best. A dyslexia workplace assessment is a great way to gain insight into how to provide practical assistance to individual employees to help them communicate effectively, complete tasks efficiently, and contribute confidently to their team. By providing the needed services to an employee who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, an employer will eliminate unnecessary obstacles, increase collaboration between team members, and develop an environment in which employees and employers can both experience success over the long haul.
For more information on Workplace Needs Assessments for Dyslexia, contact Workforce Wellbeing today.
