Ernst & Young (EY) is a company whose sole purpose is to 'build a better working world' - for their people, their clients and their communities.
Ernst & Young (EY) provide services to help build trust and confidence in the capital markets, providing services around four key areas - Assurance, Consulting, Strategy and Transactions, and Tax. When it comes to their company culture, they’re committed to creating an environment where employees feel like they belong, and are celebrated for their uniqueness.
Part of EY’s Diversity and inclusion strategy involves inclusive technology, Read&Write for Work. Read&Write supports employees who think, work and learn differently. It offers employees a choice in how they understand and are understood. Below, discover how Read&Write benefits a diverse workforce, and explore more about how EY empowers their people.
EY employs around 400,000 people globally across 150 countries. Recognising and celebrating the diversity of their people is at the heart of EY’s culture. They empower their people to be themselves, so that they can ‘pursue careers as unique as they are, and build their own exceptional EY experiences’.
To achieve this, they:
“At EY our purpose is building a better working world. And we do that at an individual level, team level, client level, and also society in general. We need diversity in thought to come up with diverse solutions that really set us apart from our competitors. Assistive technology helps us to leverage this. It’s not only the right thing to do, but studies have shown that teams are more cohesive with inclusivity. So it’s a win-win situation for inclusive workplaces, both for the employer, employee, and for society in general.”
Kevin Grogg, Assistive Technologies Service Owner, EY
Up to 1 in 5 people around the world are neurodivergent. 10% are dyslexic, 6% are dyspraxic, 5% have ADHD, and 1-2% are autistic.
These individuals often think, learn, process and behave in ways that are more unique to the typical population. With this comes the benefits of out-of-the-box thinking, creative solutions and more. It also means we should support them to work and achieve in their own way.
Speaking on this, Kevin Grogg, Assistive Technologies Service Owner at EY says;
“Our neurodiverse population brings an untapped talent. So part of our job within Assistive Technologies is to maximise the talents that our workforce are bringing to us, and provide an environment where it can be maximised.”
Kevin continues;
“We make suggestions, and work together with individuals to find solutions that work for them. It’s important that the individual is always in control.”
It’s a powerful set of reading and writing tools to help a neurodiverse workforce to thrive.
Its features support people who think, work and learn differently. That’s because users can choose to:
On why they chose Read&Write, Kevin says;
“So, why did we choose Read&Write? We listened to our employees, and Read&Write came up several times. So I did my research, learned about the software and struck up a conversation with Texthelp. Like with any large company, there's a lot of things we have to do to make sure the software's going to function well in our global environment. So we did our due diligence. We worked with Texthelp, and everybody at Texthelp was terrific with all the questions that I came to them with. We decided to add the software to our global app store in 2018.”
Since then EY employees have been benefitting from the inclusive features Read&Write offers. Kevin continues;
“We’ve seen explosive growth since we added Read&Write to our EY app store. We have an increased demand for it, so we’re currently in the process of adding more licences so that it's available for everybody.”
With an increasing number of licences, Read&Write will continue to support EY’s goal for workplace inclusion. Speaking on this, Kevin says;
“Our goal is to level the playing field for absolutely everybody. It’s ambitious but it’s what we strive for. Inclusive technology supports this goal.”
Read&Write particularly supports neurodivergent employees, but its features also benefit those with low literacy, English as a Second Language, and conditions that affect reading and writing.
For example, those that may cause visual disturbances or difficulty with working memory. As well as conditions that cause fatigue, that may be impacted further by mental activities.
In addition to helping create an inclusive work environment, Read&Write also demonstrates your commitment to workplace inclusion.
Kevin comments;
“We are seeing more people talking about neurodiversity. At EY, we’re paying attention so that we can provide the best environment possible for our people. We’re also reflecting the discussions that we see happening in society, so that if somebody's interested in working for EY, they can see that we’re paying more than just attention. It’s our job to show that we care. We want people to realise that no matter who you are, you can make a difference at EY, and this environment is for you.”
With 400,000 employees across 150 countries, how do EY maximise inclusive technology to make sure it works for all?
Below, Kevin shares 3 tips for a successful integration;
To discover more about Read&Write, or to receive a demo, fill in the form and one of our Inclusive Technology Specialists will contact you.