Accessibility, Inclusive Design, and Recruitment: Are Businesses Keeping Up?

As the Salesforce ecosystem continues to grow, its commitment to accessibility and inclusive design sets a benchmark for innovation in the tech industry. By embedding accessibility into product development, Salesforce not only enhances user experiences but also demonstrates how technology can lead the way in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). However, this raises an important question: while technology is forging ahead, are recruitment and retention processes in businesses keeping pace with these advancements?

The Role of Accessibility in Technology

Salesforce has long been a leader in championing accessibility. Through its Lightning Design System (SLDS), the company equips developers with tools to create accessible components that meet global standards. Features such as keyboard navigation, improved colour contrasts, and screen reader compatibility ensure that digital platforms cater to users of all abilities. Salesforce’s “shift-left” approach—embedding accessibility early in the design process—ensures that inclusivity is not an afterthought but a core principle. By involving people with disabilities as co-designers, Salesforce creates products that address real-world needs while fostering innovation. This proactive strategy highlights how technology can drive meaningful change by prioritising user-centric design.

Inclusive Recruitment: A Missed Opportunity?

While technology is advancing rapidly, many organisations are lagging behind when it comes to aligning their recruitment and retention strategies with inclusive principles. Despite the clear benefits of diverse hiring practices—such as broader talent pools and improved organisational performance—businesses often fall short in implementing truly inclusive processes.

It's important to remember that true inclusion goes beyond metrics and policies. In the words of diversity expert Jane Silber

The difference between diversity and inclusion is being invited to a house and being able to rearrange the furniture

Challenges in Recruitment

1. Unconscious Bias: Many hiring managers unknowingly bring biases into the recruitment process. Without proper training, these biases can exclude qualified candidates from underrepresented groups.
2. Exclusionary Job Descriptions: Overly complex or jargon-heavy job postings can deter applicants from diverse backgrounds. Inclusive language is essential to attract a wider range of candidates.
3. Inaccessible Application Processes: Digital application systems often fail to accommodate individuals with disabilities. For example, forms that are incompatible with screen readers or lack alternative navigation options can alienate potential applicants.

Bridging the Gap Between Tech and Recruitment

To truly embrace DEI principles, businesses must ensure their recruitment processes are as inclusive as their digital products. Here are actionable steps inspired by Salesforce’s approach:

1. Embed Accessibility Early

Just as Salesforce incorporates accessibility into product development from the outset, organisations should design recruitment processes with inclusivity in mind. This includes:

• Offering accessible application platforms compatible with assistive technologies.
• Allowing candidates to request accommodations during interviews.

2. Train Hiring Teams

Awareness is key to eliminating bias. Regular training on unconscious bias, neurodiversity, and cultural awareness can help recruiters create more equitable hiring practices.

3. Leverage Technology

Tools like blind CV screening and AI-driven applicant tracking systems can reduce bias during shortlisting. Additionally, showcasing your organisation’s commitment to diversity on platforms like LinkedIn or Glassdoor can attract like-minded candidates.

4. Involve Diverse Voices

Just as Salesforce includes individuals with disabilities in its design process, businesses should involve diverse employees in shaping recruitment strategies. This ensures that policies reflect real-world needs and challenges.

Retention: Beyond Recruitment

Inclusivity doesn’t end with hiring—it must extend into workplace culture and retention strategies. Offering mentorship programmes for underrepresented groups, fostering employee resource groups (ERGs), and providing ongoing accessibility training for staff can create an environment where all employees thrive. Salesforce’s Workforce Navigators programme exemplifies this by equipping professionals with disabilities with the skills and support needed to succeed in their roles. Businesses should follow suit by investing in similar initiatives.

As ROD founder, Lee Durrant, points out "Inclusion, diversity and equity should cover all aspects. For example, age is the silent dimension of diversity—often overlooked in DEI policies, yet it holds the wisdom of experience and the energy of fresh perspectives, both essential for innovation."

The future of work demands a holistic approach to DEI—one that integrates accessible technology with inclusive recruitment and retention practices. As Salesforce demonstrates through its commitment to accessibility-first design, inclusivity is not just a moral imperative; it’s a business advantage. Hiring managers at Salesforce Partners, ISVs, and customers must ask themselves: Are we keeping up? If not, it’s time to rethink your strategies.

Let Resource On Demand help you build inclusive teams that reflect the values of your organisation. Together, we can create workplaces where everyone belongs.

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