Search
Coventry University researcher aims to help employers support disabled and neurodivergent home-based workers
Dr Christine Grant
University news / Research news
Tuesday 29 April 2025
Press contact
A new toolkit designed to help organisations support disabled and/or neurodivergent staff to work from home has been produced by a Coventry University researcher.
The guidance has been produced by Dr Christine Grant following extensive research into the impact of remote working on disabled and/or neurodivergent people through the Remote4All Project- funded by the Economic and Social Research Council’s Centre for Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit).
She found a gap in the knowledge of line managers when supporting disabled and/or neurodivergent workers.
Dr Grant, who presented her research before MPs in Parliament last year, believes disabled and neurodivergent people can be better supported to start and stay in employment and that remote working can play a key part in this.
It offers advice to line managers on areas such as how to initiate and support key conversations about remote working, how meetings are conducted and what steps can be taken to ensure those working from home do not feel isolated.
Tips to avoid micromanagement, building trust in a remote environment and signposting to a range of resources and support services are also included.
The development of the toolkit has also been supported by funding from the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council' and is supported by organisations such as Vodafone, NHS Employers, Costain, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and neurobox.
During Covid there was the big move towards remote working, but since then there’s been a bit of a shift back to being in the office and to some extent a stigma has returned around remote working. During my research it was clear that without remote working, a significant proportion of disabled and/or neurodivergent people would find it very difficult or impossible to work.
There are huge benefits in home working for many in this group. There are also some downsides such as the potential for increased isolation that is acknowledged in the toolkit, however this is why the role of the line manager is so important in supporting people. There is a lack of understanding around remote working as a key adjustment and knowledge of the support services that are available - which is why I decided to put together the toolkit with the key stakeholders.
It will be adopted by the external stakeholder organisations involved and my hope is that other businesses and organisations will adopt this guidance.
Dr Christine Grant from Coventry University's Dr Grant, from Coventry University's Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities
Creating psychologically safe environments where both staff and managers feel comfortable talking about disability, neurodiversity and adjustments is essential. This toolkit aims to bridge that gap and will help educate and empower managers so they can support their staff, allowing them to flourish in their roles.
Paul Deemer, Head of Diversity & Inclusion at NHS Employers
This toolkit is a powerful resource that helps managers and colleagues create truly inclusive, flexible workplaces where every individual has the opportunity to thrive and perform at their best.
Carl Clarke, Director of Vodafone Learning Organisation
Find out more about the toolkit and Dr Grant's work.
As part of the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit), this work was supported by the UK Economic and Social Research Council [grant number ES/S012532/1], which is gratefully acknowledged.
We gratefully acknowledge the receipt of funding from Coventry University's ESRC Impact Acceleration Account in enabling this project.
