Inaccessible workplaces and employers’ reluctance to make reasonable adjustments have ensured that work is “a hostile environment” for too many disabled people, the cross-party Work and Pensions Committee of MPs stated in a report published on Thursday (21 May).
The committee of MPs called for the introduction of a two-week legal deadline for employers to respond to reasonable adjustments requests from disabled workers.
The report’s contributors also advocated for employers to be required to provide written explanations when they refuse requests for adjustments, and urged that the government require employers to inform all employees about the rights of disabled people at work.
Diversity and inclusion consultant Toby Mildon welcomed the recommendations, describing the proposed two-week deadline for responding to reasonable adjustment requests as sensible. In exclusive comments to HR magazine, he added: “[The] deadline should be seen as the bare minimum, not the ambition.
“Too many disabled people wait months for basic adjustments that would help them perform their jobs well. This is not always a process problem. It is a leadership and respect problem.”
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Citing survey results published by the TUC in May 2025, the MPs’ report highlighted that more than eight in 10 (82%) disabled workers wait between four months and over a year to have their agreed adjustments put in place.
Advising on how employers could speed up the assessment of reasonable adjustment requests, Jamie Cater, senior policy manager – employment and skills for Make UK, which represents UK manufacturing and engineering businesses, told HR magazine: “Employers [should invest] in strong line management, accessible technologies and more flexible job design. Skilled managers are essential to handling sensitive conversations, supporting employees effectively and ensuring that adjustments are implemented quickly and consistently.”
Mildon agreed that employers should focus on flexible job design, to improve the employee experience for disabled workers. “Employers should build accessibility into recruitment, job design, technology, policies and working patterns from the outset,” he argued, and added that adjustment requests should be treated “like any other business request”, for example using a ticketing system similar to that of IT helpdesks.
Read more: Reasonable adjustments for disabled workers in the age of hybrid working
“[Disabled people] need a clear route for making requests, named decision-makers, trained line managers and written timescales for each stage,” said Mildon. “HR teams should track requests, delays and outcomes, so that delays become visible.”
The MPs’ report noted that “too many workplaces [are] inaccessible by default, leaving people unnecessarily reliant on reasonable adjustments”.
To make work more accessible for disabled people, Cater noted: “Technology and automation can help reduce physical strain, and make roles more accessible for people with long-term health conditions or disabilities. In addition, workplace ‘passports’ can help ensure that agreed adjustments follow employees across different roles or teams, reducing delays and unnecessary reassessments.
“Government support systems must also work more effectively. Delays in Access to Work and issues with fit notes can slow down employers’ ability to respond, even where they are committed to being proactive.”
The TUC surveyed 1,000 adult disabled UK workers between 22 January 2025 and 4 February 2025.
