Ensuring accessible HR documents, irrespective of whether you use PDF, Word, PowerPoint or Excel, is very important if your organization employs people with disabilities and looks forward to create an accessible workplace.
If you are an HR or a person responsible for the people and culture of your organization, then you may find yourself answering questions such as “What is an Accessible Workplace?” and “What is Inclusive Communication?” and “How to make HR Documents Accessible?”. You will find all your answers below in this brief overview.
Having an accessible workplace is critical for diversity, equity, inclusive communication and belonging. Businesses, corporates, institutions should have an accessible HR solution in place that complies with ADA and Section 508.
Our highly experienced team at 247 Accessible Documents not only helps you make your HR documents accessible but also makes sure they are ADA and Section 508 compliant.
Inclusion and Diversity
A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report of 2020 data showed that the unemployment rate for people without disabilities was 7.9 percent, while the rate for people with disabilities was 12.6 percent. In 2020, 17.9 percent of persons with a disability were employed, down from 19.3 percent in 2019.
The importance of making the workplace accessible has grown manifold in recent years. Organizations are hiring people with disabilities and ensuring that the workplace is accessible to them. There are many beneficial impacts on organizational performance that can result from the skills of a diverse workforce – diversity isn’t restricted to age, sex, ethnic background and in some instances, religious affiliation, but it also encompasses a broader range of individuals’ particular attributes and experiences – which include people with disabilities.
In short, disability, though being a component of diversity, can help businesses benefit by appreciating and valuing individual differences.
Accessible HR Documents - Forms & Policies
In 2020, there were 24,324 charges of disability discrimination filed through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—making up 36 percent of all charges of discrimination.
This makes it even more important for organizations to ensure inclusive communication and making HR documents - all the policies and forms accessible to everyone.
Diversity in the workplace should be a top priority for employers. Respecting dignity, independence and equal opportunity to candidates and employees with disabilities without any discrimination should be the ultimate goal. This can be done by:
- Providing assistive devices: People with disabilities should be provided/allowed to use assistive devices.
- Inclusive Communication: Employers should connect empathetically with employees with disabilities and consider educating employees on inclusive communication.
- Employee Training & Education: The company should make sure there is special employee training and education continuously taking place for people with disabilities.
- Feedback & Suggestions: To make things work smoothly, a two-way communication is a must. Employers should ensure that there should be an accessible mechanism of collecting feedbacks and suggestions. They should encourage people with disabilities to provide their feedback on the disability programs implemented by the company.
HR Document Remediation
HR Document Remediation is the process of tagging digital elements of your documents so that they can be read by using assistive technologies. It involves making sure that all the HR documents – policies & forms meet the required standards of accessibility.
Our specialized team at 247 Accessible Documents helps make you ensure that all your HR documents are accessible to everyone. We test for accessibility with the help of our team of disabled testers who make sure your documents are ADA and Section 508 compliant.
Write to sales@247accessibledocuments.com to know how we can assist you in making your HR documents accessible.
