The final report of the Inclusive Remote and Hybrid Working Studyindicates that six years on from the first Covid-19 lockdown, access to remote and hybrid work has become essential to many people who are disabled or have long-term health conditions, enabling them to stay in work.

The study undertook a UK-wide survey of 1,221 disabled people, in-depth interviews with survey participants; and interviews and case studies with human resources professionals, managers and company owners. The study was led by Lancaster University, the Work Foundation, Manchester Metropolitan University and Universal Inclusion – and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Most of the disabled people who participated in the study reported a strong preference for continuing to work remotely or in a hybrid way, and positive impacts on their health, employment and personal circumstances. Key findings included:

• 64% of fully remote disabled workers said their work pattern positively affected their physical health, compared to 31% of those working remotely less than half the time
• 46% of participants wanted to work remotely all the time. There was also demand for hybrid working: 25% wanted to work from home four days a week and 27% for three days or less. Only 1.6% wanted to stop working from home
• Women, carers and people with multiple or severely limiting impairments/health conditions were particularly likely to report they only wanted to work from home
• 85% of participants said that having access to remote/hybrid working would be essential or very important if looking for a new job. 79% would not apply for a job without remote options
• Black and ethnic minority workers and less affluent workers were significantly less likely than white or more affluent workers to report remote/hybrid working had positive outcomes for their health and employment.

Policy recommendations

Disabled people currently represent one in four workers in the UK workforce, but the disability employment gap – the difference between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people – remains at 29.8 percentage points.

To help reduce the disability employment gap, the study calls on the UK Government to:

1. Expand access to remote and hybrid jobs by making these and other forms of flexible working a core part of efforts to increase disabled people’s employment, including through clearing Access to Work backlogs
2. Encourage employers to advertise flexibility upfront, including remote and hybrid options, particularly on the DWP’s Find a Job portal.
3. Address regional inequalities in access to hybrid work through the Government’s Industrial Strategy.
4. Strengthen reasonable adjustments, ensuring employers properly consider remote and hybrid working and meet their duties under the Equality Act 2010.
5. Improve accountability, including requiring large employers to report on outcomes for disabled workers.

Read the full briefing here.

Sign-up for the online event on 24 March 2026 at 11.00 - 12.00 on Zoom to hear Dr Paula Holland speak about the research: Is the rise in remote and hybrid work in the UK now under threat?

Further resources:

• Watch Inclusive Remote and Hybrid Working Study film
• Watch Beyond the Office? Disabled workers’ experiences of remote and hybrid work webinar.

Related Reports

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  A Divided Workforce? Worker views on health and employment in 2025

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  No Compromises: Supporting people with MS to thrive in and out of work

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  Beyond the Office? How remote and hybrid working can help close the disability employment gap