Overnight, the Covid-19 pandemic opened up a new era of workplace flexibility for millions of people with a great increase in working remotely.

Today, one in five workers (20.6%) work mainly from home, quadrupling since 2019 when only one in 20 people did (5%). However, with ‘return to office’ mandates hitting the headlines on a regular basis, there has been limited attention paid to the experiences of disabled workers. Nearly one in four of the working-age population are disabled, but disabled people continue to face a substantial employment gap and disadvantages in the labour market.

Figure: Change in percentage of disabled and non-disabled workers mainly working from home in the UK from between 2019/20 and 2023/24

Source: Work Foundation estimates using Annual Population Survey microdata provided through the UK Data Service, April 2019-March 2020 and July 2023-June 2024.

With the new Government aiming to get two million more Britons working, this study explores the role remote and hybrid working can play in helping disabled people and those with long-term health conditions stay in, or re-join, the labour market. The findings are part of an interim report of the largest mixed methods study of disabled workers’ experiences of remote and hybrid work in the UK, which was led by researchers from Lancaster University, the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Universal Inclusion, and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Key findings:

• Working from home had a positive impact on 80% of those in fully remote roles when it came to managing their health. This proportion reduces to 38% for those who work remotely less than half of the time, suggesting that the benefits decline if people are expected to work onsite very regularly
• There is high demand for remote and hybrid working to manage health conditions and impairments, with 85% of disabled workers reporting that access to remote and hybrid work is essential or very important when looking for a new job
• Nearly one in three disabled workers (30%) who are already working in a hybrid way want to spend more of their work time working at home
• Despite increasing demand for remote and hybrid roles, there is an advertising gap, with only one in 26 vacancies (3.8%) on the Department for Work and Pensions Find a Job portal including an option for such work
• Remote and hybrid working is generally experienced as beneficial by disabled workers but there is unequal access to support, understanding and the right type of flexibility.

Recommendations

Amongst its recommendations, the study calls on the Government to:

1. Increase the levels and visibility of remote and hybrid working opportunities, including exploring a legal duty to publish flexible working options in job advertisements
2. Strengthen disabled workers’ ability to access remote and hybrid work as a reasonable adjustment
3. Reform the Department for Work and Pensions Access to Work service to support remote and hybrid workers by improving awareness of the scheme, increasing funding and ensuring awards are passported between employers
4. Overhaul the Disability Confident Scheme and align with the proposed Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, including by providing information on disabled worker employment levels and reasonable adjustment rates.

Read the full briefing here.

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