One thing I hadn't thought of before was all the paperwork when you start a new job.
As much as starting a job can be daunting for anybody, imagine sitting down to read and sign all the policies, OHS documents and tax forms that come with starting a new position.
For many jobs, dyslexia isn't a problem, in fact, the skills and thought processes of a dyslexic person can be a huge asset for many organisations. And yet, in the formal induction or training, we still sit people down with paperwork.
Companies who hire apprentices for trades frustrate me the most. Many kids excel at trades and working with their hands, but don't do well at school. Whether they are dyslexic or just have learning difficulties is irrelevant. Still, those companies simply sit those kids in front of a computer to do an online induction or hand them booklets of policy and OHS documents and tell them to read, complete and sign.
Imagine for a moment that you are a 16 year old boy, who has always struggled to read. You are lucky enough to get an apprenticeship and you turn up for you first day, already nervous. Your boss walks in and hands you a large document, plus a tax form and says "get this read and signed before you can start". You look at the document. It looks very important and formal. A contract. The words are long and you can't read them. The more you look the harder it gets to understand them. You feel your stomach in knots and your breathing becomes shallow. Your head starts to pound and you begin to wonder if you are going to be able to do this job at all if you can't even do the first thing they ask of you. Your mind begins to think of just taking off out the door and never coming back. Fear is a terrible thing.
Just then, your boss walks back in. "Geez, that should have only taken a minute, what they hell have you been doing?".
You hurridly sign the documents and hand them over. You look out into the workshop, already feeling that you don't fit here. Too stupid.
Organisations need to think about having appropriate induction processes which build confidence, not destroy it. Motivate and encourage rather than scare. People who are motivated to do well, achieve more than people who are scared to do poorly.
Consider learning styles when designing induction programs. Just because someone has a problem with reading, doens't reflect on their intelligence. Often people with reading difficulties are more resilient, dedicated and motivated than others that everything comes easy to.
