Accessibility is a crucial aspect of any work environment, and it becomes even more essential when employing frontline workers. Ensuring an inclusive workplace enables all employees to perform their best, fostering higher employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity. Of course, this includes making things such as wheelchair ramps, bathrooms, or other aids available but it also comes down to whether or not an employee can reasonably participate in engagement activities such as employee surveys. We’ll discuss the importance of accessibility for frontline workers and how WorkStep’s employee engagement software addresses employee’s needs.

What do we mean by workplace accessibility?

Accessibility in the workplace means removing barriers that prevent employees from participating fully in their job duties or any workplace activities. For example, accessibility might involve making accommodations for employees with visual or auditory impairments, providing multilingual support, or creating user-friendly interfaces for all employees to use. Workplace accessibility is important for ensuring you are fostering an inclusive work environment where all workers can feel valued and heard.

In this context, we refer to workplace accessibility as an all-encompassing term for how we make our employee engagement surveys accessible to your entire frontline workforce.  We’ll demonstrate how WorkStep’s platform is built with your diverse workforce in mind ensuring that you are able to effectively engage with your frontline workers that likely come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.

Why workplace accessibility matters for frontline workers

Employing and engaging a diverse workforce

Having a diverse frontline workforce is crucial to the success of any organization. Not only does it allow companies to reach a diverse customer base, but it also brings a variety of perspectives and experiences that lead to more creative problem-solving and innovation. With a diverse workforce comes employees with various backgrounds, abilities, experiences, and communication preferences. It is crucial to prioritize workplace accessibility which ensures that every employee has an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of their individual circumstances.

Remaining compliant

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination based on disability and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. These accommodations may include physical modifications to ensure that all employees have equal access to the workplace. Compliance with accessibility regulations not only mitigates legal risks but also promotes a culture of inclusion and diversity in the workplace.

Improving employee satisfaction and retention

An accessible work environment fosters a sense of inclusion and belonging which makes employees more likely to stay on the job. On the other hand, when employees feel unsupported, they are more likely to become unhappy at work. This can obviously result in decreased productivity and increased turnover.

Investing in accessibility can also improve the company’s reputation and brand resulting in increased customer loyalty and a stronger talent pool.

Enhancing productivity

When employees feel included, they become intrinsically motivated to help the company meet its goals. This creates a more engaged workforce and results in a positive work culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

Initiatives such as flexible work, employee recognition programs, and skill development opportunities also support a boost in productivity as it increases employee morale.

How WorkStep prioritizes frontline workplace accessibility

Mobile accessibility

One way our platform prioritizes accessibility is through mobile accessibility. WorkStep accommodates diverse communication preferences through support for both SMS texting and email integration. This ensures that all employees, regardless of their communication preferences, can provide feedback and receive updates in a way that is convenient for them.

The platform accommodates diverse communication preferences and ensures that all employees can provide feedback and receive updates. This is especially relevant for frontline workers who are constantly on the move, unable to stop at an in-office workstation, or lack a home desktop to complete a survey outside of work hours. SMS and email delivery ensures that these employees can share their feedback wherever they are, be it on the warehouse floor, the checkout counter, or on the road.

User-friendly interface

WorkStep features a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, regardless of an employee’s technical proficiency. The platform is designed to be accessible across various devices, ensuring that frontline workers can engage with the platform at their convenience.

For employees, surveys are designed to be completed as quickly as possible from any modern cell phone. We keep our surveys, and our interface simple, so there is no getting lost in a sea of menus or clicking the wrong button by mistake. For employers, we have taken inspiration from the best SaaS dashboards that exist in the market today to deliver an easy to navigate, intuitive platform with a low barrier of entry. The WorkStep suite is designed for a first time user to be able to log in and understand the value our tools unlock within minutes.

Customizable employee surveys

WorkStep’s survey and feedback tools can be customized to meet the unique needs of your frontline or corporate workforce. This flexibility allows you to create surveys that are accessible and relevant to all employees, ensuring that everyone can participate. Whether you want to customize check-in questions to identify and address site-specific issues, change up a question set in response to seasonal factors, or test your employees responsiveness to new question types – WorkStep gives you the freedom and flexibility to customize your surveys.

Multilingual support

Recognizing that frontline workers may speak different languages, WorkStep provides multilingual support. Surveys questions and comment replies are translated into the recipient’s native language, breaking down an often overlooked barrier that can open up new lines of communication. No employee should have to struggle to deliver critical feedback about their job in a language they are not completely comfortable with. So, our translation tool allows employees to tell their story, in their own words, and in their own language.

Accommodations for visual and auditory impairments

WorkStep also provides accommodations for employees with visual and auditory impairments—offering features like text-to-speech, screen reader compatibility, and adjustable text sizes. This ensures that employees with visual or auditory impairments can engage with the platform and participate in surveys and feedback. By accommodating employees with disabilities, WorkStep supports your journey to promote inclusivity and accessibility in the workplace and create a more diverse and engaged workforce.

Book a demo of WorkStep to learn more

By prioritizing accessibility, employers can create an inclusive environment that benefits employees and the organization as a whole. WorkStep’s employee engagement software is designed with this in mind. By leveraging WorkStep’s powerful platform, employers can ensure an accessible and inclusive work environment for their frontline workforce, driving satisfaction and retention. Book a demo of WorkStep to learn more!