Meet and Engage accessibility statement

Date	Author	Update	Version
16/12/19	Pip Wright	Master document	1.0
20/12/19	Pip Wright	New sections 6,7,8,9,10,11 Updates to section 1	2.0
10.12.21	Sarah Brown	Amended 4.1 from ‘Data Security’ to ‘Accessibility	2.1
28.04.22	Sarah	Changed title of 7 to ‘Who is covered by this Policy’ from ‘Scope of Policy’ to distinguish between 2 Scope. Removed section 11 as duplicated with 9	2.2
13/12/22	Pip Wright	2.3 update to UK GDPR. 6.3 corrected to DAC, 9.1 changed “will” to “may”	2.3
14/3/23	Sarah Brown	Updated logo, fonts and colours to new branding	2.4
7/12/23	Sarah Brown	3 updated the User section to ‘Generic user of the platform’ and updated changed ‘Client Administrator’ to ‘Moderator’. 5.1 updated ‘candidate’ to ‘user’ and ‘agent’ to ‘moderator’ and in the chatbot bullet changed ‘chat’ to ‘chatbot’. 10.5 add in ‘significant’ before ‘updates’. Sections 5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.3 6.3 updated for relevance.	2.5

Policy Statement

1.1 With most organisations’ focus on procuring an increasingly diverse employee base, the need for talent systems to engage with candidates of all abilities and attributes has never been greater. And at Meet & Engage we develop our platforms to be as accessible and user friendly as possible.

1.2 The platform is developed as a Software as a Service solution, delivered through the browser and utilising best practice web development techniques and technology, to deliver the most optimised experience across the widest user base.

1.3 As with any web-based solution, we carefully consider the balance between usability, functionality and accessibility. The demands of our clients, and the expectations of candidates, for a rich, employer-branded, candidate solution have to be measured against the needs of candidates with a variety of disabilities to functionally interact with the platform in such a way that the experience is useful, easy and helpful.

Scope

2.1 This policy document is a component of the extended Meet & Engage policy documentation including:

Privacy Policy
Employee Workplace Security Policy

2.2 Together, these documents detail the security and data management practices we have defined and deployed and should be considered as a complete and supporting set of documentation.

2.3 The processing and storage of data referenced within this policy will at all times conform to UK GDPR meaning Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27th April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation) as it forms part of the law of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by virtue of section 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

Terms

Term	Meaning
Client	Client of Meet & Engage/user of our solutions and implied Information Asset Owner
Employee	Meet & Engage employee
Client employee	The employees of the Meet & Engage client
User	Generic user of the Meet & Engage platform
Moderator	Client user with administrator access to their company account on the platform.
Key client contact	Owner of the operational relationship between the client and Meet & Engage
Data	Digital information (can be used interchangeably)
Platform/System	Relates to the online services provided by Meet & Engage which include but are not limited to: Live Chat, Group Chat, Chat bots, Onboarding solutions.

Accountability

4.1 The directors of Meet & Engage have primary accountability for implementation of the Meet & Engage accessibility policy. It is their responsibility to ensure that the policy is complete, maintained and distributed to all employees and associates of the business.

4.2 The CTO has specific ownership of the policy, due to their role as technical architect and expertise and control over the security infrastructure of the business, and specifically our platform.

4.3 All employees and associates of the business are required to maintain a watch for potential breaches of the policy, identify policy or procedural improvements, and support the directors in ensuring the policy is upheld.

Our platform solutions

5.1 Our platform solutions are:

1-2-1 chat – text-based chat between user and a moderator
Group chat – text-based chat between many user and one or more moderators
Video streaming – video streaming virtual meetings
Chatbot – automated one to one chatbot service
Timeline – an automated onboarding platform

For each of these products we look to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines principles to ensure that our platforms are as accessible as possible given the limitations of the technology:

5.1.1 Principle 1 Perceivable

Our responsive web platform is largely a text-based communication solution, and as such enjoys the relative ease of text communications. But we ensure our platforms are clear and easy to read, use appropriate labelling of elements and content and are designed to be logical and understandable to assistive technologies. Colour is based on the client’s branding but UI elements are customisable to ensure accessibility and clarity. Where possible we utilise the technology provided by specialist providers..

5.1.2 Principle 2 Operable

Our platforms are simple to use, whether with a pointing device or keyboard and follow a logical ‘flow’. We use descriptive labels, text and links to help candidates navigate and use the system efficiently and with active focus for user clarity.

5.1.3 Principle 3 Understandable

The nature of our solutions is that they are ‘communication’ solutions. Therefore, by their very definition they need to be human, friendly and accessible. Our candidate audiences may be scientists, cleaners, retirees or school leavers, and therefore need to accommodate all these user types in one interface. To achieve this we use clear language, employ simple to use interfaces, and nothing that will feel complex to digital natives or digital immigrants.

5.1.4 Principle 4 Robust

Whilst we expect candidates to use latest version (auto-updated) browsers, we ensure that our platforms are developed to operate on a wide variety of device platforms and

browser technologies. The chatbots and 1-2-1 chat solutions operate as model entities but don’t block users from returning and interacting with the main web page.

As a technology company we never stand still. Our platforms are continually developed to offer greater client solutions and candidate experiences as we discover more ways to make our platforms more usable and accessible. But also, with web technology continually evolving, we attempt to ensure our platforms make maximum use of the accessibility features and functionality provided by different browsers to offer the best experience for all candidates.

Accessibility testing and compliance

6.1 In most cases, to ensure a balance between usability, accessibility, and functionality we will aim to ensure all our products maintain AA compliance.

6.1.1 Accessibility in this context relates to our candidate facing products being optimised for the most common screen readers such as JAWS and NVDA as well as native assistive OS or browser technologies, to consider and support contrast issues and be developed in such a way that they can be used without the requirements for manuals or guides.

6.1.2 All our solutions are developed to be operable and accessible on desktop and mobile devices.

6.1.3 Additional developments may be made to support neuro diversity in specific instances, but this is not applied across the entire product set as a default.

6.2 To assist us in the development of our products to the required level we will engage the services of a specialist accessibility test consultancy (SATC).

6.2.1 Our current provider is the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) https://digitalaccessibilitycentre.org/

6.3. We will aim to perform periodic accessibility testing on our platform to ensure new product developments maintain our accessibility standard and develop new functionality with an eye to ensuring accessibility standards.

6.4. Substantial updates to existing products will be reviewed by the SATC to ensure continued compliance.

Who is covered by this policy

7.1 This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, interns, agents, distributors, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives and business partners.

7.2 This policy does not form part of any employee's contract of employment, and we may amend it at any time.

7.3 This policy has been created to cover concerns that are made in the public interest. If the concerns are of an individual or personal nature, it should be raised under the M&E (or your employers’ if applicable) grievance, disciplinary or other related policy.

Who is responsibly for this policy

8.1 The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for ensuring this policy complies with our legal and ethical obligations, and that all those under our control comply with it.

8.2 The directors have primary and day-to-day responsibility for implementing this policy, monitoring its use and effectiveness and dealing with any queries about it

8.3 Managers and staff at all levels within Meet & Engage are responsible for ensuring that they and those reporting to them understand and comply with this policy.

Breaches of this policy

9.1 Any employee who breaches this policy may face disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal for misconduct or gross misconduct. Disciplinary proceedings may be invoked if you have subjected a whistle-blower to any detrimental treatment, have made the disclosure maliciously or with intent to mislead the Company.

9.2 We may terminate our relationship with other individuals and organisations working on our behalf if they breach this policy.

Updates and policy compliance

10.1 This policy, in-line with all Meet & Engage policies, will be reviewed once per year.

10.2 Any changes to GDPR, other data directives or substantial changes in Meet & Engage operations may require an extraordinary update of policy outside of the yearly review.

10.3 Upon update, all employees and associates of Meet & Engage will be informed and required to confirm they have read and understood the policy and any relevant updates.

10.4 All Meet & Engage employees and associates will be expected to comply with all policies and failure to do so may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

10.5 All clients using the Meet & Engage platform will also be notified of any significant updates and will be provided with a location from which the updated policies may be viewed/downloaded.

10.6 All new employees and associates to Meet & Engage will be provided with access to, or a copy of, all Meet & Engage policies upon the first day of work and are required to confirm acceptance of all policies as a condition of continued employment.

10.7 Training on this policy, will be provided from time to time. We will seek to communicate our policy as appropriate to suppliers, contractors and business partners at the outset of our business relationship and reinforce as appropriate thereafter.