Digital accessibility is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a core requirement of any modern employee benefits strategy, especially for employers who want to offer truly competitive benefits packages using digital platforms in the UK.
Why global accessibility matters
Global Accessibility Awareness Day[1] reminds us that more than one billion people worldwide live with disabilities or impairments that can affect how they access digital content. For these employees, an inaccessible benefits platform can mean barriers to essential information about employee benefits, pensions and wellbeing support.
For UK employers, this is both a moral and a commercial issue:
- Inclusive, accessible benefits platforms support a wider talent pool and help you offer genuinely competitive benefits packages.
- Accessible systems can improve engagement with benefits platforms, driving better use of wellbeing, protection and savings benefits.
- Clear, inclusive communication can help reduce the risk of employees feeling they have missed out because they could not access information.
Common barriers in benefits platforms
Many digital platforms – including benefits portals – still have some way to go to fully meet accessibility standards. WebAIM’s analysis[2] of one million home pages found that 98.1% had at least one failure against the Web Content Accessibility Standards (WCAG) 2.0, with an average of 60.9 errors per page. In practice, this can translate into:
- Visual barriers – images without meaningful text alternatives, ambiguous iconography, low contrast between text and background, or font sizes that cannot be adjusted.
- Hearing barriers – videos explaining benefits packages without captions or transcripts.
- Motor barriers – navigation that depends on precise mouse use, rather than supporting keyboard or alternative input devices.
- Cognitive barriers – cluttered layouts, unintuitive or inconsistent journeys, or jargon-heavy copy, all of which make it difficult to understand employee benefits and benefits platforms.
What good looks like: accessible benefits portals
A well‑structured employee benefits portal should build digital accessibility into the heart of its design, configuration and content, and ultimately be an intuitive and engaging tool. In practice, that means your benefits platform should:
- Offer flexible configuration – allowing you to tailor journeys for different employee groups, locations and benefits packages while maintaining accessibility.
- Support text alternatives – alternative text for imagery and downloadable written summaries of key employee benefits.
- Provide accessible media – videos explaining competitive benefits or personalised benefits options should be captioned and, ideally, transcribed.
- Enable strong colour contrast – configurable foreground/background combinations and font sizes that support people with visual impairments.
- Work without a mouse – full keyboard navigation and clear focus states for links and buttons.
- Use plain language – simple, jargon‑free explanations of employee benefits and benefits packages, presented in logical steps.
Crucially, a good platform gives employers the flexibility to augment the core system so employees can personalise how they experience their benefits platforms. This aligns with the spirit of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which calls on organisations to embed accessibility as a design principle from the start.
Benefits and challenges for employers
Making digital accessibility central to your employee benefits strategy can support:
- Stronger employer brand – demonstrating a genuine commitment to inclusion and global accessibility can help you compete for talent.
- Better engagement – providing a platform that is easy to use for everyone, employees are more likely to explore the full range and maximise the value of competitive benefits available.
- More personalised benefits – accessible, data‑driven platforms can help you offer personalised benefits choices without excluding colleagues with impairments.
However, many employers still face challenges, including:
- legacy systems that were not built with accessibility in mind
- manual and out-dated processes that may unintentionally exclude individuals
- concerns about cost, even though many accessibility improvements are incremental rather than wholesale rebuilds
Working with experienced benefits technology and advisory partners such as Mattioli Woods can help employers navigate these issues while keeping messages about employee benefits fair, clear and not misleading – a key expectation under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) rules on financial promotions.
A responsible call to action
As Global Accessibility Awareness Day approaches, this is an ideal moment to review whether your existing benefits practices truly work for all your people – including those with disabilities or impairments and those based outside traditional office environments.
If you’re considering changes to your digital benefits strategy, or want to understand how to make your current benefits platform more inclusive, Mattioli Woods’ Employee Benefits team can work with you to:
- assess the accessibility of your current benefits platforms and communications
- explore options for more accessible and personalised benefits journeys using technology
- ensure that any communications about competitive benefits, pensions or other regulated products remain aligned with FCA expectations for clear, balanced information
Disclaimer: This article is provided for information only and does not constitute advice or a financial promotion to engage in investment activity. Any decisions about employee benefits, benefits platforms or competitive benefits packages should be based on your organisation’s specific circumstances, and you may wish to seek regulated advice where appropriate.
Sources:
[1]Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)
[2]WebAIM | The WebAIM Million – The 2026 report on accessibility of the top 1,000,000 home pages
