People management is increasingly being driven by technology; HR tech is big business and companies invest heavily in systems like SAP and Workday. Meanwhile, recruitment and onboarding processes are also moving more and more online. Heads of HR have to have a well-thought-through digital strategy that helps to deliver efficiency – usually driven by employee self-service – but also employee engagement, helping to create a strong employee experience that ultimately supports talent retention and attraction.

With digital so central to both HR processes and employee experience, it’s important that CHROs and Heads of HR have digital and website accessibility on their radar. We recently looked at why this was important for CIOs and Senior IT management; some of the same principles apply for Heads of HR, but there are also specific reasons why digital accessibility needs to be on the mind of the HR function.

Here are seven reasons why HR leaders and their teams need be aware of digital accessibility, know about any actions that are being taken and why they need to step in if things aren’t being done.

1. Don’t discriminate against your employees

   The accessibility of digital channels isn’t just about ensuring your corporate website is accessible for your customers and visitors; you also need to make sure that the same principles apply to the channels your employees’ access. When it comes to HR processes, there can be a multitude of different systems and channels used by employees; this may include your intranet, your core HR system, your talent management system, your benefits portal, your health and wellbeing portal, your time recording system and so on.

   If these are not accessible for your employees, then you may be breaking your legal and regulatory responsibilities relating to your employees; compliance requirements can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and from sector to sector, but essentially you need to make sure your digital channels are accessible. Over the past couple of years the threat of legal action relating to accessibility has grown, so there can be a significant risk of being open to legal action from an employee if you are failing in this area.

2. Ensure HR self-service works for all your employees

   Most Heads of HR are under pressure to deliver more for less, improve processes and reduce costs; central to the success of this is helping drive employee self-service with easy to access information, the ability to complete simple transactions such as booking annual leave, and automation to minimise efforts. Most employees also prefer a self-service approach, as it saves them time too.

   To make self-service work at scale, accessibility (and good usability too) are important. One of the reasons for this is that the proportion of employees with accessibility issues is likely to be much higher than most people think; the key statistics relating to the proportion of the population with accessibility issues show that the numbers are significant. Some accessibility issues may also be hidden from the HR function. In short if you want employee self-service to work at scale, then you need to make sure the information and services provided for employees are accessible.

3. Don’t risk damaging your employer brand with new recruits

   Employee experience, the related employer “brand” and the employment value proposition are all critical in attracting the best people to your organisation, and also retaining your best talent once they have joined. Having a reputation as a great place to work pays dividends.

   If you’re failing on digital accessibility then you are at risk of damaging your employer brand. This can happen in a number of ways; firstly, publicity about legal action either involving a customer or an employee can undermine your reputation as a great place to work. Secondly, corporate websites are an important recruitment tool. You’re less likely to be able to recruit talent who may happen to have accessibility issues if they find problems with your website or, even worse, the online recruitment process. Of course, the best way to prevent these potential problems is to make sure you are working at improving digital accessibility.

4. Support diversity and inclusion

   We’ve written numerous times about how not having accessible websites and tools, both inward and outward facing, means you are not supporting Diversity and Inclusion (D&I). Many organisations, led by their HR function, actively pursue Diversity & Inclusion policies because they know the benefits that flow from it, including better talent recruitment, profitability, innovation and collaboration. By not having fully accessible digital channels you are actively disadvantage people with physical and cognitive disabilities. It will also directly contradict any strategic aims and agreed policies relating to D&I.

5. Due diligence on the HR technology stack

   One of the reasons CIOs need to ensure all the boxes around digital accessibility are ticked is because they need to make sure there is proper due diligence on new applications and platforms being used within the organisation; any new technology must meet required standards.  This minimises any associated risks to the organisation further down the line; a lack of digital accessibility is a risk and therefore it needs to be covered in due diligence.

   Heads of HR equally have a role to play in the applying due diligence across the HR technology stack; there are a plethora of systems and third-party tools that are in use. Increasingly there are HR technology specialists who work within the HR function who may be expected to carry out this role. In other set-ups, HR professionals need to work closely with their colleagues in IT to make sure due diligence is carried out, especially as HR are likely to be the business owner of a system. Accessibility needs to be on any due diligence checklist for assessing a new element of the HR technology stack.

6. Support health and wellbeing especially in difficult times

   Health and wellbeing is important for many Heads of HR with many organisations adopting formal and semi-formal health and wellbeing programmes. These help drive a good employee experience, can increase productivity and retain talent.

   During the COVID-19 crisis health and wellbeing has also taken on a new level of importance. The uncertainty and pressure caused by the pandemic and the associated economic instability is difficult for everybody; organisations and employees are coping the best they can and most have shown strong empathy and support.

   Here digital channels that help maintain a sense of connection and community during remote working are playing an important role in health and wellbeing. It is essential that all employees can access the right information and communications and also reach tools that provide an opportunity to interact with colleagues. If your channels aren’t accessible, are all your employees being supported in their wellbeing?

7. Someone has to be responsible for accessibility

   As we also stated in our article about why CIOs need to take accessibility seriously, accessibility is simply too important to be ignored, yet there can be issues with who is ultimately accountable for it at the senior level. Accessibility – and digital accessibility -  absolutely needs to have a champion at the board and senior management level to ensure that risks are minimised.  Accessibility is ultimately a people issue and if nobody else is stepping up to the plate, Chief People Offers, CHROs and Heads of HR are the logical champion to drive this forward.

Keep an eye on accessibility

Heads of HR have too much at stake to ignore digital accessibility. They need to reduce any risks around the use of HR and recruitment related technology and channels, fully support polices around D&I and health and wellbeing, and ultimately support and validate their employer brand. They have a vested interest in making sure all the necessary actions around digital accessibility are being taken.