Many businesses are now pushing for a full return to the office, calling for the end of remote, hybrid, and flexible roles in favour of traditional, office-based work. But this shift could have serious health and wellbeing consequences for over a million disabled workers who rely on flexible arrangements to thrive.
Since the pandemic, homeworking has evolved from being a niche perk to a widespread norm. During this period, employers gradually discovered that many jobs were performed as well, if not better from an individual’s home setting. More importantly, home working increased productivity, provided greater work-life balance, and gave access to a broader talent pool unconstrained by physical location.
Today, as a result of this workplace revolution, hybrid working and flexibility continues to be particularly important to the younger generation, where there is a very high demand for this approach to work. According to research by McKinsey, working-age Gen-Z’ers and Millennials are 59% more willing to leave a job in comparison to their older counterparts, if the option of hybrid working is taken away.
Despite the demand and the ever-growing field of research to demonstrate the benefits of hybrid roles and flexibility, a growing number of companies including the likes of Santander, J.D Sports, Amazon, Boots and JP Morgan, (to mention just a few), are demanding that workers return to the office permanently. As of September 2024, 83% of UK CEOs said they expect a full return to office-based work within the next three years.
The question is, what are the implications for the many businesses now demanding their remote workers return to the office? Beyond pushing back against the expectations of younger generations, this shift poses huge risks in sidelining those who rely the most on flexible work arrangements. That group is of course, people with disabilities.
The Impact of Change
The demand for people to be physically present in the traditional office setting not only means that companies may inadvertently exclude valuable talent, (thus undermining their inclusivity efforts in the workplace), but more importantly, this will almost certainly have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of existing staff with disabilities who rely on flexible/ remote working or hybrid roles.
If you consider that there are around 6.64 million people who primarily work from home, and that 25% of people in the UK are registered as having a disability, it goes without saying that many people will be impacted. In fact, it is thought that well over a million workers with a disability will be affected by this change.
For many of these people the option to work remotely would have levelled the playing field, with hybrid or remote options most likely being the reason they applied for and accepted their job in the first place. It is also highly likely that this working option would have significantly improved their overall health and wellbeing.
Recent research from The Work Foundation (a leading think tank at Lancaster University), proved this revealing that 80% of disabled workers in fully remote roles reported a positive impact on their health and wellbeing since working from home. An incredible 70% of these workers also said that if their employer did not allow them to work remotely, it would negatively impact their physical or mental health.
As well as highlight the critical impact on health and wellbeing, the study also revealed that 85% of disabled workers surveyed felt that access to remote and hybrid working is ‘very important or essential’ when looking for a new job, meaning that RTO mandates can also potentially have a huge negative impact on the overall disability employment gap.
The Power of Environment
For many people with disabilities, homeworking is not just a convenience, a workplace benefit, or way of improving work/life balance: it’s a reasonable adjustment that enables equal participation in the workplace.
The ability to work from home is often a fundamental tool in allowing people with disabilities to work to their best ability. It enables individuals to utilise their environment which has already been tailored to their specific physical, sensory, or mental health needs, which may not be accommodated in a traditional office setting.
A home setup can include a person’s existing adaptive technology, ergonomic furniture, areas tailored for mobility issues, or environments that can be controlled to aid sensitivity around lighting and noise levels. All of this can be difficult or even impossible to replicate in a shared traditional working office environment.
Then there’s the commute. For those with chronic health conditions, mobility challenges, or any form of disability whereby stress is prevalent- commutes can be difficult or even impossible. Avoiding lengthy and exhausting commutes, tackling public transport at rush hour and negotiating parking issues can be especially challenging, increasing stress, depleting energy and reducing productivity.
Remote work and flexibility also present a much easier approach when an individual may have a disability that requires rest breaks and regular medical appointments close to home, essentially making full-time employment much more sustainable and inclusive.
Reasonable Adjustments
It should also be remembered that under the UK’s Equality Act 2010, employers are legally required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that employees with a disability are not placed at a disadvantage compared to their non-disabled peers. Whilst largescale campaigns to get staff back in the office may appear to have certain advantages, it will certainly put many staff with a disability at a disadvantage.
Homeworking is the most commonly requested reasonable adjustment, and one of the simplest changes to make, especially with the prevalence of technology and tools that support this method of working.
Remote or flexible home working offers a simple solution for managing many issues such as pain management, fatigue, sensory sensitivities and general accessibility, to mention a few. When shutting down access to such methods of working, employers should always be cautious about falling short of their legal obligations, or they may well land in an employment tribunal.
There has already been an influx of tribunals based around the RTO mandates, with staff having been asked unexpectedly or immediately to come back to the office, when the positions they were originally offered were sold as ‘remote’.
Employers must take care to assess each individual case on its own merits, rather than issuing blanket policies that blatantly ignore the many ways in which disability can affect a person’s working life. On the other hand, people with disabilities also have the right to return to the workplace if they wish meaning that forcing them to remain at home because the office isn’t accessible is not the answer either.
Final Thoughts
In summary, the methods of how we work are everchanging, but inclusivity, equality, health and wellbeing must always remain at the forefront of our decisions. In an already competitive talent market, businesses enforcing inflexible working models could find themselves excluding a significant and skilled talent pool, to the detriment of the disability employment gap.
Whilst a permanent widespread office presence may work for many, it can come at the cost of poorer wellbeing, mental and physical health for many workers with disabilities, and reasonable adjustment and the Equality Act 2010, should not be ignored. We must remember that this isn’t simply about a preference, but as a vital means of ensuring health, wellbeing, and equal opportunity is achieved for all.
Chris Jay
Chris Jay is the Founder and Managing Director of the disability awareness training provider, Bascule Disability Training. Born with cerebral palsy, Chris has been a wheelchair user for over 25 years and has used his life experience of disability to provide user-led, awareness training packages and consultation services. As a speaker, author and disability inclusion advocate, Chris' career has been built around his passion for developing accessibility and inclusivity for people with disabilities.