Remote Work and Disability Employment: A Path to Closing the Gap

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally transformed our relationship with work, ushering in an unprecedented era of remote and hybrid arrangements. While heated debates about "return-to-office" mandates frequently make headlines, there's been surprisingly little attention paid to how these changes impact disabled workers.

A groundbreaking study from Lancaster University, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Universal Inclusion provides critical insights into this overlooked intersection. The report, "Beyond the Office? How Remote and Hybrid Working Can Help Close the Disability Employment Gap," reveals how flexible working arrangements could help narrow the UK's stubborn 28.6% disability employment gap and address record levels of economic inactivity due to long-term health conditions.

The employment landscape for disabled workers

Across the EU, the employment rate for people with disabilities stands at approximately 50.8%, compared to 75% for those without disabilities, according to the European Disability Forum. Meanwhile, in the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only about 21% of people with disabilities were employed in 2022, compared to 65% of those without disabilities.

This global pattern has significant economic implications. In the UK alone, reducing the disability employment gap by half would bring an estimated 1.4 million more disabled people into the workforce—a vital contribution to the government's target of boosting employment by two million people.

Remote work: A game-changer for disabled employees

The Lancaster University study, which surveyed 1,221 disabled workers with experience of remote and hybrid work, reveals a compelling case for flexible work arrangements as a tool for inclusion.

High demand for flexibility

The demand for remote and hybrid options among disabled workers is overwhelming:

• 85% of disabled workers surveyed consider access to remote and hybrid working "essential" or "very important" when job hunting

• 30% of those already in hybrid arrangements want more remote work time

• 83% of business leaders report their organisations offer some remote working, with 43% noting increased demand for remote options to manage health conditions

  
  

What's striking is how these preferences vary by condition. Workers with Long-Covid were the least likely to consider jobs without remote options (only 12% would), while those with hearing difficulties were somewhat more open to fully in-person roles (24% would consider them).

Proven benefits

When well-implemented, remote work delivers significant advantages:

Health management: A remarkable 80% of disabled people in fully remote roles reported positive impacts on their ability to manage their health conditions. This advantage diminishes significantly for those working remotely less than half the time, with positive impacts reported by only 38% of these workers.

Productivity: Most participants reported being more productive at home, aligning with a 2022 study finding that 85% of disabled workers felt more productive when working remotely.

Retention: Flexibility plays a crucial role in long-term employment sustainability. A related Work Foundation study found that access to flexibility makes it four times less likely for individuals to leave their job following a health decline.

Work-life balance: 59% of respondents with caring and parenting responsibilities reported that remote work positively affected their ability to manage these alongside their health conditions.

It's not difficult to imagine how working from home means people can design my environment to minimise any pain triggers. They can take short rest breaks when needed without the stigma that often comes in an office setting, and they don't waste precious energy on a commute that would leave them exhausted before the workday even begins.

Overlooked challenges

Despite these benefits, remote work isn't without complications:

Career progression concerns: 24% of disabled workers perceived negative impacts on their career advancement opportunities when working remotely or in a hybrid model.

Condition-based disparities: The study uncovered troubling differences in employer support based on the type of condition. Only 51% of workers with Long-Covid reported feeling appreciated by their managers, compared to 71% of those with hearing impairments. This suggests support levels may correlate with the visibility, public understanding, and perceived "legitimacy" of different conditions.

Isolation and boundaries: Some respondents noted feeling disconnected from colleagues and experiencing difficulty "switching off" without a physical commute to create separation between work and home life.

Technological barriers: Inadequate equipment and inaccessible technology for hybrid meetings often resulted in remote workers feeling excluded from proceedings compared to in-office colleagues.

The supply-demand gap

Despite high demand, truly flexible remote and hybrid jobs remain scarce. The study revealed a significant "advertising gap" in job listings—only 3.8% of vacancies on the UK Department for Work and Pensions' Find a Job portal included remote or hybrid options.

This shortage disproportionately affects disabled job seekers who often need to know in advance whether flexible working arrangements are available before even applying.

The availability of remote and hybrid jobs also varies significantly by region, with 26% of such positions concentrated in London and the South East of England. This geographic disparity further entrenches labor market inequalities, particularly for disabled workers facing transportation barriers.

These trends are mirrored globally. A 2023 report by Linkedin found that only about 10% of job listings worldwide explicitly mentioned flexible work arrangements, despite surveys showing that over 40% of workers would prefer such options.

Making remote work accessible to all

For remote and hybrid work to truly serve as bridges to employment for disabled people, several key issues must be addressed:

1. Thoughtful Design

Remote work arrangements must be carefully designed with disabled workers' needs in mind. This includes:

• Regular consultation with workers on their preferences, ensuring adequate autonomy and choice

• Appropriate equipment and procedures, with workplace adjustments implemented across all work locations

• Clear policies on working hours and disconnecting from work to prevent burnout

• Support for teams to collaborate effectively regardless of location

"One size definitely doesn't fit all" notes Dr. Paula Holland, the study's lead researcher. "While 30% of our survey respondents wanted more remote working, 12% actually wanted less. What's crucial is giving workers agency in these decisions."

2. Legal frameworks and enforcement

While the UK's Equality Act 2010 mandates reasonable adjustments for disabled workers, many struggle to secure these accommodations due to employer hesitancy, stigma, and slow implementation. Some avoid making requests entirely, fearing negative career impacts.

Shifting the responsibility for initiating reasonable adjustments from employees to employers would be transformative. Currently, the burden falls almost entirely on disabled workers to navigate complex bureaucratic processes.

This parallels developments in the EU, where the European Accessibility Act aims to strengthen requirements for employers across member states. In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides similar protections, though enforcement remains inconsistent.

3. Support programs and public policy

Government programs like the UK's Access to Work scheme provide vital support but are hampered by long delays, poor awareness, and difficulties in transferring support between employers. Similar challenges exist with parallel programs in other countries.

The report recommends several policy improvements:

• Increased funding to clear backlogs and speed up decisions

• Enhanced outreach to boost awareness among workers and employers

• Allowing benefit claimants to apply before securing employment

• Strengthening accreditation schemes like Disability Confident with meaningful enforcement mechanisms

  
  

The business case for inclusive remote work

Companies implementing thoughtfully designed flexible work policies report reduced absenteeism, higher retention rates, and access to a broader talent pool.

A study by Accenture with DisabilityIN highlighted 45 “Disability Inclusion Champions” companies that were assessed as providing leading-edge disability programs and initiatives that can be potentially implemented by others.

Unilever, for example, implemented its "U-Work" flexible employment model, allowing employees to work on specific projects with benefits while maintaining the freedom to work when and where they choose. The program has been particularly beneficial for disabled employees and those with caregiving responsibilities, resulting in a 34% increase in applications from disabled candidates and significantly improved retention rates.

Beyond accommodation: A framework for inclusive remote work

Based on the study's findings and broader research, here's a framework for organisations looking to develop truly inclusive remote work policies:

1. Proactive assessment and design

Rather than waiting for accommodation requests:

• Audit job roles to identify which can be performed remotely or in hybrid models

• Explicitly advertise flexible working options in job postings

• Involve disabled employees in designing remote work policies and practices

• Invest in accessible digital infrastructure that works for everyone

  
  

2. Manager enablement

Managers are the critical link in making remote work successful:

• Train managers to recognise and support the diverse needs of disabled team members

• Emphasise outcomes over presence or work styles

• Provide clear guidance on implementing reasonable adjustments

• Create accountability mechanisms for inclusive leadership

  
  

3. Accessible communication and collaboration

In distributed teams:

• Use multiple communication channels to accommodate different needs

• Ensure meeting platforms have accessibility features like live captioning

• Create structured opportunities for social connection

• Document decisions and discussions to create equitable access to information

  
  

4. Ongoing adaptation

Inclusive remote work requires continuous improvement:

• Regularly collect feedback from disabled employees about their experiences

• Monitor for unintended consequences, such as career advancement disparities

• Adapt policies as technology evolves and best practices emerge

• Share successes and lessons learned across the organisation

  
  

For employers, the message is clear: embracing inclusive remote and hybrid work is about untapped potential in a significant segment of the workforce.

The debate shouldn't be about whether we return to the office or not, it should be about how we design work to be accessible to everyone. Remote and hybrid models, when done right, represent one of our most powerful tools for building truly inclusive workplaces."

As we navigate the future of work, the insights from this research challenge us to move beyond simplistic debates about location and focus instead on creating employment models that work for everyone. By doing so, we have an unprecedented opportunity to close employment gaps that have persisted for far too long, benefiting individuals, businesses, and society as a whole.

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Join us May 15th at FAIR 2 - Europe's premier Workplace Inclusion Conference in Barcelona where expert - Neil Milliken, VP  of Accessibility & Digital Inclusion - ATOS, who will share with us more than a decade of practical insights in his keynote:

Building Accessible Digital Ecosystems That Scale Globally​

Drawing from his experience chairing the ILO Global Business Disability Network and developing ESG-aligned frameworks, discover how to scale accessibility initiatives across global operations, measure their business impact, and create sustainable change that benefits both diverse users and your business.

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