Return-to-office mandates could disadvantage more than a million disabled workers, according to new research from Lancaster University and the Work Foundation.
Eight in 10 disabled workers feel a positive impact of working from home when it comes to managing their health, reducing to 38% of those working remotely for less than half the time.
However, although a fifth of all workers now work from home and a fifth of these workers are disabled (1.16 million), the number of remote or hybrid opportunities available on the Department for Work and Pensions’ job portal is tiny.
Between 8 December 2024 and 7 January 2025, 94,827 new jobs were advertised on the DWP’s Find a Job portal, yet just 3.2% were hybrid and 0.6% fully remote.
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Government data suggests that 41% of workers now have access to some remote working as part of their job, but at the same time, economic inactivity due to ill health is at an all-time high and disabled workers may feel put off job applications due to a dearth of remote options.
According to Lancaster’s survey of 1,221 disabled workers who have experience of hybrid work and 1,167 senior business leaders, three in 10 who have hybrid working arrangements want to spend more of their time working remotely.
Eighty-five percent believe that access to remote and hybrid working is essential or very important when looking for a new job.
The research points to a recent DWP study showing that a quarter of those who are out of work and claiming health and disability benefits might be able to work if they could do this from home.
There is a remote work “advertising gap”, the researchers argue. A quarter of the remote and hybrid roles advertised on the government portal were concentrated in London and the South East, they found.
Disabled respondents who had applied for work often reported unequal treatment depending on their condition and employers’ understanding of it. For example, those with long Covid reported lower levels of management support.
“Remote work is not an ‘optional extra’ for many disabled workers but is vital to enabling them to get into and stay in work,” said Rebecca Florisson, principal analyst at the Work Foundation at Lancaster University.
“Recent calls by employers to return to the office overlook the critical perspectives and experiences of disabled workers who now account for almost one in four working age people in the UK.”
She added that most disabled workers will not apply for a role if it is not advertised as hybrid or remote.
“This may be non-negotiable for them so they can better manage their health and stay in work,” she said.
“If employers are shortsighted and ignore the rising demand for flexibility in roles, they are missing out on a vast pool of talent that could benefit their organisations, while further distancing disabled workers from the UK labour market.”
Dr Paula Holland from Lancaster University and principal investigator of the study said that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to remote working opportunities for disabled workers.
“Many of the disabled workers in our study reported that working remotely or in a hybrid way was positive for their job retention, physical and mental health, wellbeing, work relationships, and productivity,” she explained.
“But autonomy and choice for workers is key. Employers should consider the needs and preferences of disabled workers when planning and implementing remote and hybrid working models, as workers currently face a lottery as to whether they are appropriately consulted before changes are made.
“To start to close the disability employment gap, policymakers and employers must commit to the design of inclusive, high-quality jobs that remove barriers for disabled workers.”
The researchers are calling on the government to increase the levels of visibility of remote and hybrid working jobs and to push flexible working in job advertisements.
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