CW: Ableism
In the UK, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said while working remotely had produced “exciting opportunities”, he was worried about “the loss of creativity” when it is permanent.
“The default will be you work in the office unless there’s a good reason not to be in the office,” he said. Since the pandemic began, flexible work arrangements have been commonplace for many employees.
However, there has been a disparity between different sectors after lockdown limitations were relaxed. Some companies told their employees they needed to return to work, while others opted for so-called “hybrid” working patterns, in which employees may come into offices on certain days and work remotely on others.
Other businesses permitted employees to work from home on a permanent basis. According to the most recent official data, 63.9% of people never work from home, whereas 21.4% work from the office and remotely. According to the poll, just 7.8% of workers were continuously working from home.
Remote work has made employment more accessible for disabled people. Beka Anardi was paralyzed in 2009. She rejoined the workforce thanks to a remote recruiting job. She now works full-time from her home in Washington.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 21.3 percent of disabled people were employed last year, up from 19.1% in 2021. This is the highest percentage ever recorded. Unfortunately, we are still more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people. The unemployment rate for disabled people is still triple that of non-disabled people.
During the beginning of the pandemic, remote work, remote schooling, and telemedicine suddenly became the norm. These are accommodations that disabled people must fight for and are frequently denied, although they would benefit them greatly. Remote work should become permanent for disabled employees.
Sources:
Ceron, Ella. “Remote Work Helps Push Disabled Employment to a Record High of 21%. but the Gain Is Imperiled by Return to the Office Mandates.” Fortune, Fortune Media Group Holdings, 25 Feb. 2023, https://fortune.com/2023/02/24/remote-work-disabled-employment-record-high-remote-work-office-mandates/.
Race, Michael. “Chancellor Jeremy Hunt: Office Working Should Be Default.” BBC News, BBC, 17 May 2023, http://www.bbc.com/news business-65621081#:~:text=Jeremy%20Hunt%20said%20while%20working,the%20office%2C%22%20he%20said.
Smith, Molly. “Disabled US Workers See Highest-Ever Employment Figures from Remote Work.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 3 Oct. 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-03/disabled-us-workers-see-highest-ever-employment-figures-from-remote-work.