How To Deal With A Dyslexic Employee

Transcription

1 GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Human Resources and Organisational Development Table of contents What is Dyslexia? 2 Discrimination 2 The Undisclosed or Unidentified Dyslexic 2 Dyslexia Assessment 3 Procedure for Referral for Dyslexia Assessment and Work Needs Assessment 3 Access to Work 3 Reasonable Adjustments 4 Dyslexia Assessment Flowchart 5 Acknowledgment 5 Advice and Information 6 Publications 6 Appendix 1 - How To Make Information More Readable For Dyslexic Employees 7 Appendix 2 - Recruitment and promotion 9 Job Advertisement 9 Relevant Tests 9 Application Forms 9 Proof of Disability 9 Interviews for Recruitment and Promotion 9 References 9 Guidelines for Interviews 10 General 10 Telephone Interviews 10 Promotion 10 Appendix 3 - Training and development 11 General 11 IT and New Systems Training 11 Appendix 4 Disciplinary Processes 12 Version 2, March 2015 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

2 What is Dyslexia? PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL Dyslexia is a genetic neurological learning difference that affects around 10 per cent of the population, 4 per cent of whom will have severe difficulties. It is a combination of abilities and difficulties that affect the learning process and often manifests itself with difficulty in reading, spelling, and writing. Accompanying weaknesses may be identified in areas of speed processing, short term memory, organisation, time management, visual perception, sequencing ideas, spoken language, and concentration. It is a persistent condition that affects people regardless of gender, race, culture, class or level of intelligence. Many dyslexic people have above average gifts in creativity, lateral thinking, and problem solving. No two dyslexic people are the same. Dyslexia is a recognised difficulty under the Equality Act Dyslexic people have good coping strategies but these can fail and dyslexic people are particularly prone to stress. Discrimination Under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a duty to implement reasonable adjustments and support employees with dyslexia. Employers should also: Where an employee has already been diagnosed as having dyslexia, the recommended reasonable adjustments should be implemented. Where it is evident or suspected that an individual is experiencing difficulties in their work that could be due to a dyslexia related disability, arrange for diagnostic assessment by a suitably qualified practitioner, followed by a work-based needs assessment and then an Action Plan. Prohibit discrimination in the workplace, including: Recruitment Promotion Appraisals Training and development. Disciplinary and dismissal processes Ensure that dyslexic employees are not subject to bullying and harassment in the workplace. For Contract/Agency workers, there are likely to be requirements similar to those identified for an employee, ie not to discriminate and provide reasonable adjustments. However, there would not be the requirement to carry out diagnostic assessment or work-based needs assessments for Contract/Agency workers. As PCC has a HR and Occupational Health Department, it is expected that we are able to identify a dyslexic employee. The Undisclosed or Unidentified Dyslexic Where an employee is not identified as dyslexic, it could be that they have not disclosed it or are not aware of it themselves. Performance issues may be identified during probation, appraisal, promotion, training provision, competence, or discipline processes. Managers should consider whether the person has a learning difficulty such as dyslexia as part of the process and avoid discrimination. GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 2 of 12

3 When it has been identified that there is the likelihood that an employee is dyslexic, the employer should carry out assessment as detailed below and comply with its recommendations. Dyslexia Assessment The Dyslexia Adult Indicative Checklist can be used as an indication of some of the areas where there is concern. The results of screening tests are only indicative and are not a substitute for a full assessment. It may also indicate that further professional assessment would be helpful. It may be considered that the scoring information should not be sent to the employee with the checklist, but retained by the manager to review with the employee following completion. A full Diagnostic Assessment (DA) is carried out by a qualified practitioner and determines the nature of the person s dyslexia, giving an outline of the general features of an individual s dyslexia and their particular strengths and weaknesses. In order to make the assessment, the individual will undertake a series of diagnostic tests and a structure interview. The DA will be followed by a Work Needs Assessments (WNA), which will identify appropriate job and training requirements, aimed at providing recommended, timed and costed adjustments, which when agreed, will form an action plan for the individual. The use of the general guidance provided in the Appendices to this guidance can be discussed with the employee to identify where there may be helpful adjustments prior to the assessments being carried out and reported. However, the general advice does not take account of differences in dyslexia and should not be used instead of full assessment. Procedure for Referral for Dyslexia Assessment and Work Needs Assessment For PCC employees, a qualified Practitioner has been identified: 1. The consent of the employee to be referred for assessment should be sought before the referral is made. 2. Before making a referral, seek advice from the relevant HR Advisor. 3. Any appointments for assessment should be permitted during working hours. 4. The Manager should ensure that assessment services are approved by the British Dyslexia Association. 5. The approved service for diagnostic dyslexia assessment currently registered on Sell to Plymouth, is Adult Dyslexia Assessment Services. 6. Referrals for Work Needs Assessments are made through the Access to Work service (see below). 7. When the reports are received from DA and WNA Assessments, it is good practice for the manager and employee to meet to go through the report and agree the way forward. Access to Work Access to Work - is a Job Centre Plus Scheme which is open to the employed or those about to start a job and have a disability or health condition that affects the person s ability to do a job or have to pay work-related costs. An Access to Work grant helps pay for practical support if a person has a disability, health or mental health condition (under the Equality Act) and aims to help with starting work, staying in work or starting their own business. Dyslexia is classified as a condition coming under the Equality Act and is therefore in scope for an Access to Work Assessment An application can made to Access to Work by following the advice on the GOV.UK website. The application is made by the individual employee but the assessor will consult with and make recommendations to the employer on reasonable adjustments. In most cases, PCC will be expected to make a contribution to the assessment and reasonable adjustments identified. GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 3 of 12

4 Reasonable Adjustments Practical support in the workplace will usually involve minor adjustments to the working environment. A critical factor in the success of any adjustments will be the support and consideration shown by work colleagues, and management. Reasonable adjustments can include: Specialist one-to-one dyslexia skills training to help the employee work more effectively. Assistive technology and technological aids, such as: read back and text proofing software, eg Texthelp/Claro Software. speaking dictation software, eg Dragon to enable the employee to dictate directly to the relevant program. digital recorder for meetings/training. A portable Personal Digital Assistant which offers laptop functions such as time management, note taking tools, to do lists, reading and editing documents. Software packages for reports and presentations, eg Mindgenuis or Inspirations. Dyslexia Training for those managing and training dyslexic employees, helping them to identify where other adjustments may be needed in how to supervise, train and evaluate them. This may include adjustments related to: Written communication such as difficulty with reading and/or reading and writing, spelling and grammar errors, working at a computer. Verbal communication - such as difficulty in remembering and following verbal instructions and with hearing the hidden meanings in conversations. Time and work planning such as concentration difficulties/distractions, coping with interruptions, remembering appointments and deadlines, workplace organisation and workflow. General difficulties such as reversing numbers, way/route-finding, short-term memory (names, numbers, lists) GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 4 of 12

5 Dyslexia Assessment Flowchart Undisclosed or undiagnosed person presents Manager to consider whether employee could be Dyslexic. Yes Request that the employee complete the Dyslexia Checklist No Manager to seek advice from HR Advisory Team Dyslexia Checklist indicates the possibility of a diagnosis of Dyslexia (ie. score of over 45) No Yes Manager to carry out a referral for a Diagnostic Assessment Diagnostic Assessment (DA) diagnoses Dyslexia and need for a Work Needs Assessment No Yes Work Needs Assessment (WNA) and/or Access to Work Assessment identifies need for reasonable adjustments No Yes Manager and employee meet to discuss the report and agree recommended reasonable adjustments Manager arranges for implementation of Reasonable Adjustments, including any training necessary No Manager to assess the success of reasonable adjustments Yes Regular Review Acknowledgment The information contained within the British Dyslexia Association Code of Practice Employers has been used in this document. GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 5 of 12

6 Appendices PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL Note: These appendices contain general guidance on managing dyslexia. Each person is different, and may have reasonable adjustment needs not contained in the appendices. Therefore, when a person has received their assessment report/s, the reasonable adjustments within the report/s should be used for that individual. Appendix 1 - How To Make Information More Readable For Dyslexic Employees Appendix 2 - Recruitment and Promotion Appendix 3 Training and Development Appendix 4 Disciplinary Processes Advice and Information British Dyslexia Association: Website : BDA Helpline : helpline@bdadyslexia.org.uk Tel : Gov.UK Disability Employment Advisors Gov.UK - The Access to Work Scheme Publications Dyslexia in the Workplace : Bartlett and Moody: ISBN-10: , ISBN-13: Dyslexia : How to Survive and Succeed at work : Dr Sylvia Moody: ISBN-10: X, ISBN-13: Available from book shops. British Dyslexia Association Code of Practice Employers link to information on purchase of the book. Dyslexia in the Workplace a Guide for Unions TUC publications GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 6 of 12

7 APPENDIX 1 - HOW TO MAKE INFORMATION MORE READABLE FOR DYSLEXIC EMPLOYEES GENERAL GUIDANCE Font Style Fonts should be rounded, with space between letters, and easy on the eye. Look for a font that spaces letters, rather than running them closely together. Bear in mind that fonts with unusual shaped letters can create difficulties. Use sans serif fonts such as Arial, Comic Sans, Verdana, Helvetica, Tahoma, Trebuchet, and Sassoon. Use a minimum size of 12pt or 14pt. Where possible use Lower case letters instead of Capitals. Don t write sentences entirely in Capitals as it is much harder to read. Paper Avoid using light coloured text on a dark background Use coloured paper instead of white. Cream or off-white is a good alternative Matt paper is preferable to glossy paper. Avoid using digital print processing, as this can leave glossy ink film on the paper. Ensure paper is heavy enough to prevent text showing through from the back. 80 grams or 90 grams is effective. Presentation Style Limit lines to 60 to 70 characters. This will avoid eyestrain. Use line spacing between paragraphs to break up text. Use wide margins and headings Avoid dense blocks of text by using short paragraphs Use Bold to highlight. Italics or Underlining can make words run together. Keep lines Justified with a ragged right edge (large gaps between text causes reading problems for dyslexics) Use Bullets or Numbers rather than continuous prose. Space between lines is important. Suggest space of 1.5 to 2 times the space. Writing Style Write in short simple sentences Be conscious of where sentences begin on a page, and try not to start a new sentence at the end of a line, as this can make it harder to follow. Give instructions clearly, avoiding long sentences Use plain English Use short words where possible Keep sentence length to an average of 15 to 20 words Use active verbs such as we will do it rather than it will be done by us Be concise GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 7 of 12

8 Readability scores PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL When Microsoft Word finishes checking spelling and grammar, it can display information about the reading level of the document. To set spell checker to automatically check readability: For Word 2010: Click the File tab, and then click Options. Click Proofing. Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, make sure the Check grammar with spelling check box is selected. Select Show readability Statistics. For older versions of Word: Click Tools. Click Options. Click Spelling and Grammar. Tick the Readability checkbox. Word will show a readability score every time you spell check. The Flesch Reading Ease Score rates text out of 100 with the higher the score, the easier it is to understand. Aim for Flesch Reading Ease score of around 70 to 80. GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 8 of 12

9 APPENDIX 2 - RECRUITMENT AND PROMOTION GENERAL GUIDANCE Dyslexic candidates will have individual requirements, which the recruitment process should accommodate through each stage of the process. Evidence of Dyslexia should not be a bar to selection for interview where the candidate meets selection criteria for the post. Job Advertisement Should be: Written in clear text In an active voice Plenty of space A direct message Presented in clear sans serif font, avoiding italics and placed in a box. Website job advertisements should also use the same format, but the website should offer a choice of background colour and font size. Relevant Tests Tests should be limited to those strictly relevant to the job role as they are usually more challenging and stressful for the dyslexic candidate. For written tests, the following guidance should be used: 25 per cent extra time should be allowed. If they are to be allowed extra time, they should be accommodated in a separate room to minimise disruption from others leaving. Candidates should be provided with a computer. A reader or screen reading facility may be needed. Test papers should be in a dyslexia friendly format. Hard copy of documents should be made available, rather than reading on-screen. Multi-choice questions should be avoided. Do not require candidates to transfer answers to a separate answer sheet. Psychometric test may need to be waived and a work sample approach followed. Questions should be relevant to the position applied for. Case study tests can be difficult and therefore, the case studies should be provided in advance to allow time for processing. Application Forms Application forms should be available in different formats, eg online, and typed documents should be acceptable. Forms should be developed in a Dyslexia friendly format. Proof of Disability Some candidates may not be able to provide evidence of their disability to the required criteria and so some flexibility should be in evidence. Candidates should, ideally, be able to provide a copy of an adult diagnostic assessment from a qualified practitioner. If the assessment was pre-16 years old, it should still be accepted. Interviews for Recruitment and Promotion Because of the potential underperformance at interview due to communication issues, interviewers should be competent and be sensitive to the weaknesses of dyslexic candidates. References Any disparaging comments made about a dyslexic person, relating to their disability, could be seen as discrimination and should be avoided. The person themselves should decide on whether to disclose their condition as it is classed as a confidential matter, so the condition should not be mentioned in any reference. GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 9 of 12

10 Guidelines for Interviews General PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL Wherever possible, the interviewers should be made aware of where an interviewee may have difficulties, as in dyslexia. Interviewers should be aware that people process information at different speeds and that an interview is not a memory test. A person with learning difficulties may find pressurised situations such as interviews more difficult and may respond less well than others. For a longer interview, the person should be offered the opportunity of leaving the room for a short time for a break. If possible, it is good for the person to see the workplace so that they can process the working environment better. Selection criteria should not include an assessment of how fluent the person is, how quickly they respond (avoid timing their responses) or how quickly they process complex information. Short direct questions should be used and not multiple part questions. No long/complex questions and no non-specific questions such as Can you tell me more. Some people may need to have the questions, case studies or scenarios, prior to the interview so that they can process the information and prepare notes. Dyslexic people may need to be prompted where the interviewers can see from the application that they have knowledge/experience in a topic but are struggling with the response. Prompts may also be needed to help where a fuller answer is required or where the person has misinterpreted the question. Allowance and support may be needed if the person becomes muddled. Interviewers should not use jargon, acronyms and initials as this may confuse the person. Phrases that are open to confusion or misinterpretation should be avoided as dyslexic people have difficulty with nuances and metaphors. Questions may need to be repeated if the person is struggling to process them. Telephone Interviews When carrying out a telephone interview, the interviewer should advise the interviewee that they need to be somewhere where they will not be easily distracted as dyslexic people can find it difficult to cope with distracting noise, movement and interruptions. Promotion Dyslexic people may have the ability to carry out a promotion role but not apply for it because they worry about new challenges that applying for promotion may entail. Not considering a dyslexic person for promotion would be seen as discriminatory. When considering a dyslexic person for promotion, the guidance above relating to recruitment and interviews would also apply. GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 10 of 12

11 APPENDIX 3 - TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT GENERAL GUIDANCE An assessment of need should be made for any employee with a specific learning need, such as dyslexia, prior to their taking part in any training or development to ensure their difficulties are addressed. The Workplace Needs Assessment or Access to Work report should identify what reasonable adjustments are needed for a dyslexic person relating to training provision. Trainers should be given full information about the training needs for the person and what support is necessary as there is no one size fits all. All trainers should receive dyslexia awareness training. General Dyslexic people are usually visual and kinaestheitic learners, ie being shown how to do the task rather than by verbal or written instruction. Dyslexic people learn better when they are given an overview before going into the detail. Training needs to be multisensory, ie, visual, auditory and hands on. It also needs to be broken down into bite sized chunks. Access to a computer and/or a digital recorder may be required for a dyslexic learner. Handouts should be provided to minimise the need for them to take notes at the same time as listening. Handouts should be on cream or pastel coloured paper (ask the trainee what the best colour is for them). See the dyslexia style guide for details of making documents and presentations dyslexia friendly. Any extensive reading material should be provided in alternative format (assistive technology) so that they can screen read it. Trainers should not select individuals to read out loud or write on Flip Charts or recording in group work tasks. If a person is not grasping any point, it may need to be repeated and/or worded in a different way. Trainers should not use acronyms, complex language or phrases that are open to misinterpretation. IT and New Systems Training Dyslexic people may need extra time for this type of training and standard training methods may not be suitable. More individualised training models are more suitable. Sessions should be short no longer than half-day, which can be spread over subsequent days if necessary. Follow-up sessions may be needed to reinforce the training and help with processing the information. Any software should have dyslexia friendly style or the option of changing the font size and background colour. Where a dyslexic person is provided with Assistive Technology, they should be offered training on how to use it. GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 11 of 12

12 APPENDIX 4 DISCIPLINARY AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES GENERAL GUIDANCE When managing a disciplinary issue relating to poor performance, it should be considered whether the person is a disclosed or undisclosed dyslexic. If they have not been assessed, the process of assessment should be carried out as per the procedures above. It should be noted that dyslexic people often are not aware of how their dyslexia affects their performance. Managers should take account of the dyslexic person when introducing changes such as new systems, job roles, methods of working or a new manager. These will be more problematic for a dyslexic person and the manager should not move to disciplinary action unless dyslexia has been considered. Where a manager is dealing with a disciplinary or appraisal for performance issues with a dyslexic person, the guidance in Guidelines for Interviews in Appendix 2 should be used. Where an employee with dyslexia is facing a disciplinary hearing or appraisal for performance issues, managers should consider allowing the employee to be represented by a disability employment advisor, advocate or trade union representative. GUIDANCE ON MANAGING DYSLEXIA IN THE WORKPLACE Page 12 of 12