About Ryman
Ryman is a stationery retail company with 205 outlets nationwide in the United Kingdom. The website and stores provide a wide range of stationery and office supplies for homes and businesses, with its headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire.
As well as being the nation’s high street stationery specialist, many Ryman stores offer additional business services to customers. For example, copy and print services, laminating and document binding.
You can read more about Ryman here.
Our brief
More than ever, workforces are struggling to recruit top talent and to retain it. At the same time, current common employment practices prevent many neurodiverse people, despite their proven ability, entry to the job market.
For our economy to move forward, we need our top companies to have access to a wider application pool and the power of a neurodiverse mind.
We partnered with Ryman to use neurodiversity as a solution to three barriers they were facing: not having access to the neurodiverse talent pool, improving turnover rates, improving recruitment practices.
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Delivered
Our solution
Dyslexic-friendly application processes:
Something as simple as the color of the paper an application form comes on can make it extremely difficult for a dyslexic person to apply for a job. Using our 52-part marking criteria, we recreated the Ryman application to be optimally accessible to dyslexic candidates.
Access to neurodiverse candidate pool:
We exist to match qualified neurodiverse job-seekers with inclusive companies. Part of our work with Ryman included recruiting on their behalf from our qualified, pre-screened neurodiverse candidate pool.
Resources for neurodiverse employees and their managers:
At Exceptional Individuals, we don’t believe that neurodiverse support ends with a job placement. We continue to provide in-work support for neurodiverse candidates. We also train their supervisors/managers on best practices to use when working with a neurodiverse person.
What they said
"The session they presented was fantastic. Exceptional Individuals are all amazing people, they are engaging and inspiring, and extremely humorous!"
Learning and Development Manager - Ryman
Ryman holding their certificates of neurodiverstiy awareness, after we held a workshop for their staff!
Results
Since partnering with Ryman in 2015, we have successfully onboarded over 50 entry-level workers in Ryman stores. Ryman’s increasingly neurodiverse workforce not only better aligns with the company’s values but means that they have a more creative and dynamic workforce than ever before.
This has translated into increased sales and diversity in their stores nationwide. Our partnership with Ryman continues to increase awareness of the untapped potential of the UK’s neurodiverse population, and we are thrilled to be contribution new talent and dyslexic-friendly resources to Ryman.