How to release talent from your ND workforce Under Your Nose How to release talent from your ND workforce By Margaret Malpas

How common is ND within the workforce 31.5m people at work in 2015 (Nat Stats Office) 1:7 employees on average, plus those with autism, so that’s 4.88m ND individuals at work Larger ratios in some employment eg blue light services, engineering, IT Very low disclosure rates This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

Potential Talents of ND Employees Big picture thinking Creative thought, ingenuity Atypical problem solving Pattern recognition Empathy and customer care skills Attention to detail In my research 72% listed their strengths This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Talents need to be fostered Talent is latent, skill needs to be developed Supportive environment essential Reasonable adjustments need to be provided and embedded This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

The Research 68 dyslexic adults completed a free format questionnaire, and 15 in depth interviews Questions asked about success factors and challenges Answers were incredibly consistent Only 9% said their education contributed, yet 72% listed the strengths arising from their dyslexia which led to success

Findings on Factors for Success Factors for Success Total 0% Determination 56% Empathy 23% Intelligence or particular ability 23% Motivated by helping others 19% Supportive family 19% Hard work 14% Effective education 9% Wit 6%

The ten traits for success Determination Self Esteem Passion Niche Atypical Problem Solving Creativity Empathy Verbal Influencing Coping Strategies Support from others

The Pay Off For investment of c£4k on reasonable adjustments, you save £20k and get: Determined, skilled, grateful staff Reduced turnover (each time recruitment costs = 6 months’ salary of the vacancy and loss of knowledge capital) More tolerant and inclusive workforce Better decision making

Evaluation Comments Chris from Shell UK “I have worked here for 15 years, this is the first time my appraisal has been based on reality”. Productivity estimated to be up by 15% Hampshire Police have supported 150 ND police officers over the last 5 years. Assuming 75% improved performance, then 72,900 victims received improved service delivery This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Creating Awareness Nationally with Government Led by BDA and DAN Access to Work – impossible to provide holistic assessments over such a wide range of conditions DAN working with AtW on free awareness training and Civil Service Learning so all civil servants can access awareness of ND Themed E events with Disability Confident Partnership working with ACAS to increase awareness

How You Can Help Change Things within Organisations Make small changes to your practices, see www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/common/ckeditor/filemanager/userfiles/DAW_Managers_at_Work_PDF.pdfte Create greater awareness of ND at work, implement mentor schemes, see www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/employer/mentoring-schemes Do the Cappuccino Challenge with a colleague Start a Dyslexia Network at work, see www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dyslexic/other-resources This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Books Self Fulfilment with Dyslexia: A Blueprint for Success, pub 2017 Dyslexia at Work, pub2018 Dyslexia At Work By Margaret Malpas Dyslexia At Work By Margaret Malpas