A influential House of Lords committee has called on the government to harness the power of hybrid and remote working to help get more disabled people and carers into the workforce.
The Push for Inclusive Working Practices
The cross-party Home-Based Working Committee, established in January to investigate the impact of remote work on the UK economy, has published a significant report. It suggests that ministers should actively encourage employers to adopt more flexible working models. The committee specifically wants the government to clarify if it has considered including remote and hybrid working in its back-to-work initiatives, arguing this would offer vital flexibility to individuals with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Evidence presented to the committee revealed that the ability to work from home makes it significantly easier for disabled people to manage their conditions, not least by avoiding the daily commute. The report states, “Many disabled people, parents and carers may have an improved experience of work or may even be able to work where this would otherwise not be possible.”
The New Normal and its Inequalities
Hybrid working, where employees split their time between the office and another location like home, is now the norm for a substantial part of the workforce. According to the Office for National Statistics, 28% of UK working adults now work in a hybrid pattern.
However, the committee uncovered a stark inequality in access to this new normal. It found that home working is more readily available to professionals, university graduates, and those living in London, leaving others behind. Despite this, the report champions a hybrid approach as offering the “best of both worlds,” improving work-life balance for staff while still allowing for crucial in-person collaboration.
Training Gaps and Employer Preferences
The report also highlights a critical lack of investment in training managers to lead hybrid teams effectively. It calls on the government to incentivise employers to invest in management training to properly support remote workers.
Amid high-profile return-to-office mandates from some large firms, the committee found that most employers and employees are broadly in favour of hybrid working. A “preference gap” does exist, however. While most workers desire a two-day office week, employers typically prefer a three-day presence.
Baroness Rosalind Scott, the committee's chair, emphasised the mutual benefits: “There are obvious advantages for employees not having to commute in every day... But there are also ways it’s really working for employers. They told us they can recruit from slightly further afield, they get more job applicants if they advertise hybrid working and there is also some evidence sickness absence is reduced.”
The committee noted that most company policies ordering staff back to the office effectively “amount to formalising hybrid working,” with only a few outlier firms like Amazon demanding full-time office attendance. It recommended that the government avoid legislating on hybrid arrangements, instead believing ministers should provide clearer guidance, leaving employers and employees to manage the details themselves.
