Dyslexia at Work: Practical Support That Doesn’t Infantilise People
- Divergent Thinking
- Mar 20
- 3 min read
Dyslexia isn’t a sign someone is “bad at words”. It’s a difference in processing that can show up in reading, spelling, speed of written work, and working memory—especially under pressure.
The workplace mistake is to treat dyslexia support as either:
“Just use Grammarly,” or
“They can’t do writing tasks.”
Neither is true. The real solution is better work design: clearer briefs, better templates, smarter review cycles, and tools that reduce unnecessary friction.
This post is a practical guide for managers and teams—support that improves quality and speed without patronising anyone.
If you want training that helps managers implement this across teams, start here:
What dyslexia can look like at work (beyond stereotypes)
Common friction points include:
Slower reading speed, especially for dense or poorly formatted text
Increased effort for writing under time pressure
Difficulty spotting errors in your own text (even when you know the rules)
Holding multiple instructions in working memory
Switching between tasks and losing your place
Anxiety spikes when writing becomes a performance measure
None of this predicts intelligence or competence. It predicts where the system is demanding unnecessary decoding.
What managers often get wrong
1) They equate speed with competence
Some dyslexic employees produce excellent work—but need different pacing or workflow to get there.
2) They give vague feedback like “make it clearer”
That’s not feedback. It’s a feeling.
3) They rely on last-minute writing
Rushed writing + ambiguous briefs = maximum friction.
4) They over-focus on spelling
Spelling isn’t the job. Outcomes are.
If writing is essential, the question becomes: what support makes high-quality writing sustainable?
Practical support that works (and helps everyone)
1) Make briefs checkable (not interpretive)
Replace “Can you write something about…” with:
Audience: who is this for?
Purpose: inform/persuade/record?
Length: word count range
Format: bullets, email, slide, report
Examples: “Like this previous doc” or a simple model paragraph
Deadline + milestones: when do you want a draft?
A 3-line brief works:
Deliverable:
By when:
Definition of done:
2) Use templates to remove avoidable decisions
Templates reduce cognitive load and time.
Examples:
email templates for common client replies
report structure with headings pre-set
slide layouts with the “story arc” baked in
standard phrasing for updates and risks
Templates aren’t rigid. They’re a scaffold.
3) Build in a review cycle (don’t rely on perfect first drafts)
A dyslexia-friendly writing workflow looks like:
Rough draft first (content > polish)
One structured review pass (clarity + structure)
One final polish pass (typos/formatting)
Managers can support by saying explicitly:
“I’m reviewing for structure first, not spelling.”
“Send the draft early—perfection isn’t the goal.”
4) Improve readability everywhere
If your team writes internal docs, make them easier to read:
short paragraphs
headings every 3–5 lines
bullets for lists
avoid long blocks of text
bold for key points
white space is not wasted space
This supports dyslexia and improves comprehension across the team.
5) Use assistive tools without stigma
Tools should be normal, not “special”.
Examples:
text-to-speech for long reading
speech-to-text for drafting
grammar support for polish
document read-aloud tools
browser reading modes
The key is to focus on outcomes, not purity.
Reasonable adjustments (examples)
Practical adjustments often include:
Extra time for reading/writing-heavy tasks
Written instructions and recap notes
Access to text-to-speech/speech-to-text tools
Templates and structured formats
Permission to submit bullet-point drafts
Review support (peer review or manager review pass)
Avoiding last-minute writing under ambiguous briefs
You don’t need to overcomplicate it. Trial changes for 2–4 weeks and review.
(Managers: this is covered in our training.)
A simple manager check-in for writing-heavy roles
Use this 5-minute structure:
“What’s the audience and purpose of this piece?”
“What does ‘done’ look like (word count, format, tone)?”
“What’s the first draft deadline (not the final)?”
“Do you want feedback on structure, clarity, or polish?”
“What tools/templates would make this faster?”
This turns “be better at writing” into “design a better workflow”.
Want dyslexia-informed training for managers and teams?
If you want practical neurodiversity training that helps teams improve writing workflows, briefing, feedback, and review cycles, explore the options here:
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