The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has launched a new parliamentary inquiry into flexible working and disability, examining why the widespread shift towards remote and hybrid working has not substantially narrowed the disability employment gap in the UK. The inquiry is likely to increase scrutiny of employers’ flexible working practices, return-to-office policies and approaches to reasonable adjustments.
The inquiry forms part of the committee’s wider Equality at Work programme and will explore whether current employment laws and workplace cultures are doing enough to support disabled people both entering and remaining in employment.
Why the employment gap remains unchanged
Despite major changes to working practices since the Covid-19 pandemic, official figures show a significant disparity remains. Department for Work and Pensions statistics for Q2 2025 found that the employment rate for working-age disabled people stood at 52.8%, compared with 82.5% for
non-disabled people.
The committee said the increased acceptance of flexible working should have created greater opportunities for disabled people by reducing barriers linked to commuting, rigid working hours and inaccessible workplaces. Flexible arrangements such as home working, hybrid models, adjusted hours and alternative shift patterns can help people manage physical, mental health, cognitive and sensory impairments more effectively while remaining in employment.
The inquiry will examine why these cultural and technological shifts have not translated into more substantial improvements in employment outcomes for disabled people, despite the widespread adoption of flexible and hybrid working since the pandemic. The committee will consider whether further changes to employment law, workplace practices or enforcement measures are needed to improve access to flexible working and reduce barriers facing disabled workers and jobseekers.
Return-to-office policies and workplace obligations
The inquiry will examine disabled people’s experiences across different sectors and professions, including how flexible working affects recruitment, retention and career progression. It will also explore whether experiences differ depending on the nature of a person’s disability or where disability intersects with other protected characteristics such as age, sex, race or ethnicity.
A major focus of the inquiry will be the impact of employers’ return-to-office policies. The committee plans to assess how mandatory office attendance requirements affect disabled workers, particularly those who benefited from remote or hybrid working arrangements introduced during the pandemic.
The WEC will also scrutinise whether the flexible working provisions in the Employment Rights Act 2025 will improve outcomes for disabled people. These provisions will require employers to show that any refusal of a flexible working request is reasonable, as well as relying on one of the statutory grounds for refusal, and explain that reasoning in writing. The WEC will consider whether the government should go further to improve access to flexible working for disabled people.
The committee will also examine how well businesses understand their duty to provide reasonable adjustments, including flexible working arrangements and any related equipment or support employees may need to work effectively.
Scrutiny of enforcement and government support
The WEC will consider how effectively the Equality and Human Rights Commission supports and enforces disabled people’s rights in relation to flexible working, and whether additional measures are needed to improve awareness and compliance among employers.
The government’s Access to Work scheme will also feature in the inquiry. The WEC will explore whether disabled people can access workplace aids, adaptations and equipment quickly enough to support flexible working arrangements, following concerns about delays and administrative barriers.
Alongside identifying shortcomings, the WEC hopes to highlight examples of employers who have successfully implemented inclusive and accessible flexible working policies. The WEC wants to understand how to replicate successful approaches more widely across sectors.
The committee has invited written submissions by 26 June 2026 through its parliamentary website (available here). Employers may wish to monitor the inquiry closely, particularly given the increasing focus on return-to-office policies, reasonable adjustments and flexible working decision-making.
