Most Fortune 100 career sites have poor digital accessibility: Study

According to a recent study by Phenom People, career sites of 89 of Fortune 100 companies failed at least one of the six examined Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards. The survey analyzed Fortune 100 career sites based on six common WCAG - color contrasting, use of tables, alternative text, resize text, focus indicators and keyboard navigation. 

Here are the key highlights from the report:

• 89 companies failed at least one standard
• 46 companies failed three or more standards
• 11 companies met all six standards

Further, looking at each WCAG criteria, findings show that:

• 65 companies did not meet color contrast standards (WCAG 1.4.3)
• 55 companies did not meet table standards (WCAG 1.3.1) 
• 39 companies did not meet alternative text standards (WCAG 1.1.1) 
• 33 companies did not meet resize text standards (WCAG 1.4.4) 
• 27 companies did not meet focus indicator standards (WCAG 2.4.7)
• 4 companies did not meet keyboard navigation standards (WCAG 2.1.1)

By failing to meet digital accessibility requirements employers are possibly excluding over one billion people with disabilities. People with impairments like visual, auditory, speech, mobility, cognitive and neurological  are better enabled when websites take digital accessibility into account. Employers, however, often prioritize aesthetics and branding initiatives at the cost of accessibility in their web design. 

“Buyers of talent acquisition technology often prioritize ease of use and the look and feel of the product to create better user experiences,” said Ben Eubanks, principal analyst at Lighthouse Research & Advisory. 

Mahe Bayireddi, CEO and co-founder at Phenom People added, “Accessibility isn’t about disabilities—it’s about people, just like HR. We have to think about how we can be more human in a technological world.

The employers must hence prioritize accessibility over aesthetics and branding, as their ultimate goal is to attract the best of the best candidates. By failing to meet these standards, the employers are creating troubles for themselves and losing out on some great potential. Hence, it is time that companies relook at their career websites and improve and innovate them to be more accessible. As Bayireddi said, “To reach people you’ve never been able to reach, the user doesn’t have to change—your product does.”