As many executives plan their return-to-office (RTO) initiatives, now is the time to ensure that your organization's efforts provide valuable support for employees with disabilities. Evaluating potential impacts before finalizing decisions is one of the most effective ways to ensure that the outcomes positively affect everyone.

Collaborate to reduce barriers

People with disabilities have abundant lived experiences that make them the experts of what they do and do not need to work productively after returning to the office. Since many organizations established remote working policies years ago, there’s a good chance that many of your current workers have never gotten work done in physical offices. However, the difficulties faced by employees with disabilities differ depending on individual circumstances. Taking the time to hear about the particulars is essential before working together to address the challenges of RTO.

A 2024 study of knowledge workers in the United States found that a third of respondents had neurodivergent differences, disabilities or health conditions. Additionally, 21% of those mentioned that their conditions made it difficult to attend work in person.