Dr Christine Grant and Dr Maria Charalampous attended the 16th European Association Occupational Health Conference in Granada. The theme for the 2024 conference was ‘Contributions of OHP to social justice’. The programme will include oral and poster presentations as well as a number of invited and special symposia in line with the multidisciplinary conference theme. Dr Grant presented in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion session, whilst Dr Charalampous presented in the Neurodiversity and the Workplace theme.

In recent years, following the Covid-19 pandemic, the conversation around hybrid working has intensified, with organisations globally grappling with the transition and its implications on productivity and employee well-being.

Prompted by a gap in the research, Dr Christine Grant, an Associate Professor at the university’s Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities, led the Remote4All project which involved collecting data in 2021-22 from remote workers, in particular people with a disability or neurodivergence. The project looked at the benefits and challenges of remote working for this population and sought to discover what might be needed to address any concerns.

This project aimed to fill a gap in understanding the impact of remote e-working for disabled and neurodivergent workers (DNW)*. This population of workers might be overlooked by employers, therefore becoming invisible and unable to work in a way that best supports their needs and capabilities.

Disability occurs in many different forms. An invisible disability, or non-visible disability, is an impairment or health condition that is not immediately obvious. This POSTnote provides an overview of invisible disability in the UK. It outlines types of invisible disabilities and relevant legislation and policy. It also discusses the experiences of adults with invisible disabilities, and strategies aimed at increasing access and inclusion for adults with invisible disabilities, focusing on employment, and higher and further education.

A new research study led by Coventry University highlights the need for an overarching government policy on remote working to help level the playing field for disabled and neurodivergent workers.