Is your Workplace Really Inclusive?

Many organisations believe they are inclusive. They have policies, celebrate awareness days and promote equality, but inclusion is not really measured by what is written in a handbook. It is reflected in how people experience work every day.

An inclusive workplace is one where people feel respected, supported and able to do their job without feeling they have to hide the way they think, communicate or work. For dyslexic employees, exclusion is not always obvious. It can show up through unclear instructions, competing demands, pressure to work in one particular way, or simply feeling uncomfortable asking for reasonable adjustments. Someone may appear to be coping well while using a huge amount of energy behind the scenes.

Inclusion is often reflected in small, everyday actions. It might be a manager asking what helps someone work at their best, giving information in a clearer or more accessible way, or discussing reasonable adjustments before someone reaches the point of struggling. It can also mean giving people some flexibility in how they organise their work, making it easier to ask questions, and creating an environment where employees feel able to explain what they need without worrying about being judged.

Real inclusion does not mean treating everyone in exactly the same way. It means recognising that people have different strengths, needs and ways of working. There is no standard list of adjustments that will work for every dyslexic person. One person may find written instructions really helpful, while another may struggle if they are given too much written information at once. Someone else may benefit from support with prioritising tasks, extra processing time, assistive technology, regular check-ins or a quieter environment for focused work. Some people may need very little practical adjustment but benefit from greater understanding from their manager.

A useful starting point is often a simple question: “What would help you work at your best?” That question opens up a conversation about the individual rather than making assumptions based on the diagnosis.

Occupational Therapy Perspective

From an Occupational Therapy perspective, I am interested in the relationship between the person, their environment and the demands of their role. Sometimes the difficulty is not whether someone can do the job. It may be the way the task is structured, how information is communicated, the number of competing demands, the working environment, or the amount of energy someone is using to keep up. Looking at that wider picture can help identify practical changes that fit the person and their role, rather than relying on a generic list of dyslexia strategies.

Is your workplace inclusive?

It is also worth reflecting on how safe people feel at work. If you are dyslexic, do you feel able to work in a way that suits you, or do you spend a lot of energy trying to work in the way you think is expected? If you needed support, would you feel comfortable asking for it? For managers and HR professionals, the question is whether every member of your team would say they feel heard and supported. If someone did not feel included, would they feel safe enough to tell you?

Creating an inclusive workplace does not require managers to have every answer. It requires a willingness to listen, ask useful questions and recognise that the same working environment will not suit everyone in the same way.

The question is not simply whether your organisation has an inclusion policy. The question is whether people experience inclusion in their everyday working life.

If you are dyslexic and finding work difficult, overwhelming or exhausting, I offer 1:1 dyslexia support to help you understand what is getting in the way. Together, we can explore practical strategies, ways of working and reasonable adjustments that fit you and your situation.

Is your Workplace Really Inclusive?

Further reading