The DWP has been warned that ‘arbitrary’ return-to-office mandates could disadvantage more than a million disabled people in the workforce

Ahead of impending benefits cuts, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been informed that working from home is crucial for disabled people to maintain employment.

A whopping 80% of disabled workers in fully remote roles have reported that working from home has positively impacted their health management.

The DWP has received warnings that “arbitrary” mandates to return to the office could disadvantage over a million disabled individuals in the workforce.

Eight out of ten disabled employees in fully remote positions have told researchers that this arrangement has had a “positive impact” on their health management.

However, this figure drops to 38% for those who work remotely less than half of the time.

Rebecca Florisson, principal analyst at the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, stated: “Remote work is not an ‘optional extra’ for many disabled workers but is vital to enabling them to get into and stay in work.

A significant 85% of disabled workers surveyed described access to remote and hybrid working as “very important” or “essential” when job hunting.

Fully in-person jobs will deter the “vast majority of disabled workers who require access to home-working”, added Florisson.

She further warned: “If employers are shortsighted and ignore the rising demand for flexibility in roles,” they risk missing out on a vast pool of talent that could benefit their organisations while further alienating disabled workers from the UK labour market.”

Sir Keir Starmer recently dubbed the “bulging benefits bill” a societal stain, while a government study revealed that one in four out-of-work health and disability benefit claimants could consider employment if remote work were an option.

Florrison highlighted this point, stating, “Yet 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.”

Lancaster University’s Dr Paula Holland emphasised the importance of closing the disability employment gap, urging policymakers and employers to create inclusive, quality jobs by saying: “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.”