ADA Lawsuits Go After Small Biz Sites, Beware of Grinches this Holiday Season

Let’s round out the week by investigating the rise in ADA web accessibility lawsuits and the value that seniors can bring to your business. And: Beware of Grinches this holiday season.

ADA lawsuits go after noncompliant small biz websites

When it comes to The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), many small business owners don’t recognize the potential consequences of having a website that’s out of compliance. A recent uptick in the number of lawsuits brought against small businesses, particularly in Florida, underscores that ADA compliance for web accessibility is an increasingly important issue for SMBs to pay attention to.

The Number: 183%. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of ADA lawsuits related to web accessibility increased by 183%. 

The Quote: “A better solution would be if we could have two weeks or a month to notify whatever authority it is at ADA and say ‘hey we realize our site isn’t in compliance, we’ll have it done in the next week, we’re working toward it’ and let it go instead of paying this blood money which is essentially what it is.”

Hiring older workers is good for all parties

Age discrimination is an increasingly important issue for America’s aging workforce, and the one type of bias that every single person has the potential to experience. A new piece in the Harvard Business Review makes a strong case for hiring older workers, noting that though “raw horsepower” declines after 30, knowledge and expertise (the main predictors of job success) continue increasing beyond the age of 80.

The Number: 3. The average expected lifespan increases by 3 months each year. In 1900, life expectancy in the U.S. was 47; by 2100 it will be 100. 

The Quote: “Work gives you meaning and purpose, and life is empty without it.” 

Watch out for Grinches when hiring for the holidays

When hiring temporary help for the holidays, it’s tempting to skip steps in the rush to get new employees working. Conducting background checks and doing due diligence are important ways to protect the company and consumers, however, and can prevent thousands of dollars worth of lost time and productivity and protect against decreased customer satisfaction.

The Number: 68%. Research indicates that only 68% of temporary contingent workers are even subject to background screening prior to hiring. 

The Quote: “A rush to add workers ahead of the holidays may be one reason why employers are skipping the all-important background check. But bringing on unqualified or unscrupulous employees with access to customer accounts and company data, even for a few months, can expose a company to serious risks and strike a damaging blow to a brand’s reputation.”