Intranet accessibility issues are too important to leave to the IT department, argues Dean Russell
Software Source, 06 Nov 2002
Your company probably has an intranet with a plethora of information relating to your employees' daily activities. Often it will become a fundamental part of everyone’s working lives, reducing the need for the paper-based office and improving productivity and efficiency.
But what if your intranet is inaccessible to an employee due to their age or a disability? Your company could be breaking UK law - and it is the responsibility of the HR department to ensure such discrimination does not take place.
Less stress
From the HR, legal, and corporate social responsibility perspectives, it is crucial that all staff are treated equally and are not placed under undue stress because of the workplace environment. Internal IT systems such as intranets are important parts of this workplace environment and should evaluated for accessibility and usability.
So, what role should the HR function play?
Initially, personnel professionals should raise the issues with relevant departments - it may be that specific measures are already in place. If they are not, HR may have to champion them internally and at boardroom level.
In many cases, modernising the intranet may be as simple as updating page templates. These can be incorporated over a period of time or - if a new intranet is planned - included in the specification for the new system. But HR must ensure that the IT department and project team are fully aware of the issues involved.
Mind the law
Fears of a "digital divide" have forced governments across the globe to introduce accessibility legislation. In the US the US Rehabilitation Act in 2001 (section 508) includes legal guidelines for all federal bodies and agencies on choosing software and hardware for their employees. It requires that all systems are accessible through an intranet or the internet.
Although the UK has no specific guidelines, accessibility issues are covered in the Disability Discrimination Act. This includes rules on how the disabled are treated in the workplace and has clear information on employment and disability discrimination, including rules to ensure that technology does not act block equal opportunities.
Many companies are already planning for the new EU Equal Treatment Directive (which covers discrimination on age). And next year's European Year of the Disabled Person is prompting a greater focus on accessibility and initiatives to ensure that technology does not prevent disabled and older workers from entering employment.
Many benefits
A general perception of accessibility is that it is an issue for "the few". This is not the case.
Developing a fully accessible intranet system does help safeguard against discrimination but it also greatly enhances the whole workplace environment experience.
Imagine that each of your employees wastes about 10 minutes per day using the intranet due to poor information architecture, inaccessibility and usability and multiply this by the size of your workforce. Assume 1,000 employees at an average hourly rate of £100 and the costs soon mount up - in this example about £16,666 is wasted every day. Business logic tells you that usability, efficiency and accessibility has significant impact on the bottom line.
It’s so easy
The beauty of accessibility is that it can easily be incorporated into any existing web site or intranet - it is simply a case of sticking to common standards.
If your intranet isn't accessible, it is neither difficult nor expensive to update it. Championing implementation of accessibility standards across your company's internal IT systems will permit the more efficient development of user-friendly systems for the whole workforce, including older staff and those with a range of disabilities such as dyslexia, colour blindness and mobility issues.
For HR managers, accessibility should not be seen as an issue for the IT department alone. Investigating your organisation's accessibility policies is crucial and in the process you will increase efficiency, save costs and reduce the risks of legal action.
Dean Russell is a consultant for Bluewave, an online solutions provider (www.bluewave.com)
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