At Nestlé IT, we’re building a better workplace for our employees. Whether one lives with a permanent disability, requires temporary accommodation, or faces a situational challenge such as a language barrier, we have resources available to support employees of all abilities. Creating a culture fueled by diverse skillsets gives us a competitive advantage and generates value for both our employees and our company. Digital accessibility in the workplace is vital for every employee to achieve their goals and contribute to their team and our organization.
Our lives have become increasingly digital, making digital accessibility more important than ever before. This form of accessibility refers to how usable a website, mobile app, or other digital experience is by all possible users, regardless of their abilities. Ensuring our digital workplace accessibility is a crucial part of cultivating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture. Everyday tools designed to make employees’ lives easier, such as keyboard shortcuts and Viva Insights, enhance work life balance and collaboration. In December of 2020, Nestlé released what we call the Digital Working Hub. This internal site provides resources to enable employees, as well as tools to support our employees with accessibility needs. The site also outlines best practices for each digital accessibility tool. This hub brings to life how technology has enabled Nestlé IT to be more digitally accessible in the following areas:
Vision
Within our Digital Working Hub, those with vision disabilities can use assistive technology such as color filters, magnifiers, and adjustable contrast levels to support their on-screen experience. Another feature is the narrator function, which is a screen-reading app built into Windows 10 that will read aloud the text on screen as well as other notifications or even calendar appointments.
In regards to Color Vision Deficiency and how this affects his daily digital tasks, John, Regional GLOBE Office Manager AOA stated, “I don’t care what color things are, I care about the meaning behind the colors”. Advancements in technology have propelled what used to be a monochromatic field into a vibrant, more creative space.
Hearing & Comprehension
Office 365 offers assistive technology to benefit those who may be deaf or hearing impaired, or those who are more comfortable or fluent with another language. Presentation Translator will transcribe words as they are presented, displaying them as closed captions in the same language or as subtitles in a different language. Other features include displaying audio alerts visually and a language accessory pack.
Mobility
There are digital tools in place to help those with physical disabilities as well. Keyboard shortcuts, dictation for apps like Word and Outlook, on-screen keyboard, and touch mode make digital day-to-day tasks more accessible.
Mental Health
Tools that manage notifications and keep track of tasks and to-do lists help us prioritize what is most important. One tool available to our employees is the Focus Assist function, which is essentially a Do Not Disturb mode that a user can enable to remove and silence distracting notifications to keep us on task. Another accessible tool is Viva Insights. This helps individuals and teams improve productivity and wellbeing with data-driven, privacy-protected insights and recommended actions to further maximize work life balance for you and those with whom you interact.
Nestlé IT encourages all its employees to be mindful of digital accessibility and to be a #DigitalAlly. What does it mean to be a digital ally? When presenting or producing content, ensure your message can be seen, heard, and understood. The technology Nestlé IT employs is a helpful tool in digital accessibility, and our employees are eager to promote a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.
