The remote working that was foisted upon so many during the Covid pandemic was broadly popular, but in the discussions surrounding what the post-Covid world should look like it’s important to recognize those for whom it was not so positive.

Often this requires a degree of nuance that accepts the pitfalls of remote working alongside its benefits, and this was aptly chronicled in a recent paper from Lancaster University and the Work Foundation, which explored how disabled workers in the UK felt about working from home.

Hybrid working

The researchers surveyed hundreds of disabled workers from across the UK, and the results showed that around 80% said that remote working would be crucial should they be looking for a new job, with 66% saying they wanted to work remotely between 80-100% of the time. What’s more, 70% said that being denied this would negatively impact their health.

The flip side of this is that the majority also thought that working remotely would be harmful to their careers. This was underlined by the fact that while many were being allowed to carry on working from home, there was a strong sense that this permission was granted reluctantly. Indeed, 70% said that working from home would probably result in being overlooked for interesting assignments or training opportunities.

This represents an additional challenge, as just over half of disabled people are currently employed in the UK, which compares to over 80% of non-disabled people. What’s more, the disability pay gap has increased in recent years, from 11.7% in 2014 to nearly 14% in 2021.

“Many employers refused to offer remote or hybrid working options before COVID-19 hit—even as reasonable adjustments—which probably goes some way to explain the shocking disability employment gap we face in the UK,” the researchers explain.

“Despite seeing an overall rise in remote and flexible working since, it’s particularly concerning to see that ‘pre-pandemic’ perceptions are still affecting the experience of work for disabled people, with many fearing their career progression and access to training and development will be limited if they continue working from home.

Lack of support

While many respondents said that support had largely remained constant during the pandemic, a solid 20% said that they had to support themselves with any equipment needed to work effectively from home.

Despite this, the autonomy and control over one’s work environment remained a key benefit for disabled workers. Indeed, many respondents reported improvements not only in their job satisfaction and overall quality of work, but also to their health as a result of working from home.

This was especially so for people with multiple conditions, whose impairments significantly affected them. They were three times as likely to say that working remotely was crucial to their job.

“Our findings bring into sharp focus the benefits that having more autonomy over a work environment has brought so many disabled people in the UK. And, while more than 65% of respondents want to work remotely for the majority of the time, there are around 10% who don’t want to predominantly work from home—what suits one, won’t suit all,” the researchers conclude. “What is abundantly clear, however, is that when disabled workers are able to control their working environment, they manage their conditions more easily—they feel healthier and more productive.”

The report provides various recommendations to try and improve matters:

For policymakers

• To narrow the reasons for employers to refuse flexible working requests to make them more accessible and require larger organizations to publish their flexible working policies externally and monitor uptake
• Increase resourcing for the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and widen its remit to allow it to constructively challenge employers who do not provide adjustments for disabled workers
• The EHRC should open an enquiry into reasonable adjustments for disabled workers in the context of remote and hybrid working, to understand the challenges that organizations face in assessing reasonable adjustment requests, and use findings to develop comprehensive guidance for employers
• Reform Access to Work, providing better funding and resourcing so that it works effectively for individuals and employers, and breaks down barriers to accessing occupational health expertise

For employers

• Invest in training and supporting line managers. Managers embody company values and culture, so employers must make sure they are equipped to run hybrid teams that are productive and inclusive
• Consultation: The importance of autonomy is clear, so it is vital that decisions about hybrid working practices are not made via a top-down approach. Consultation should be a continuous exercise to better adjust conditions and help workers be more productive.
• Explore wider forms of flexibility. Employers need to consider that for some, remote work can cause isolation or anxiety. They should support the full spectrum of flexible work, including job-sharing, flex-time and compressed hours.
• Workplace adjustment passports for all: Adjustment passports are a valuable tool to record and communicate needs and preferences about how and where we work. Using these for all workers has been widely welcomed and seen as a way of destigmatizing the adjustment request process.

To help create a truly disability-inclusive culture, colleagues are encouraged to:

• Educate themselves: Learning—and in some cases, unlearning—is an essential first step in becoming an ally
• Check in with colleagues rather than assume what they need
• Listen, support, self-reflect and change