A FOUR-DAY working week would make a “transformative difference” to the lives of disabled people and result in productivity and performance gains.

Researchers with Disability Rights UK, Patchwork Hub and The 4 Day Work Week Foundation said switching to a 32-hour working week with no loss of pay would improve health, wellbeing and long-term employment sustainability for disabled workers.

Greater control over working patterns can help people manage impairments, energy-limiting conditions, medical appointments and caring responsibility while maintaining or even improving productivity.

The findings suggested making reduced working hours universal within each organisation normalises flexibility, removing stigma and reducing expectations on disabled workers to request individual exceptions.

Disability Rights UK campaigns and policy officer Dan White said the change would “make a transformative difference to disabled people, giving us the time and flexibility to attend appointments, manage fluctuating conditions, protect mental health and progress in our chosen employment.”

Disabled People Against Cuts co-founder Linda Burnip told the Star: “Reduced hours of work for an equivalent salary would be helpful but for many disabled people by itself still insufficient to enable them to work.

“Adding in the ability to work from home and totally flexible hours of work would also be needed to overcome many of the barriers to work disabled people face.”