Living up to the ideal worker norm: a critical case study about women with invisible disabilities working from home

Purpose The study aims to critically explore, from an organisational perspective, the intersections between where work takes place, invisible disabilities, gender and the prevailing norms around work within a public organisation. Design/methodology/approach Ten participants between 34 and 60 years old, including employees with disabilities, managers with and without disabilities and human resource (HR) officers, shared their experiences of working from home in Sweden. The study used semi-structured interviews, photo-elicitation interviews, a written diary and policy analysis. A thematic analysis was performed. Findings The study shows that working from home was perceived as an important workplace accommodation and an individual strategy about conforming to the norm and living up to the concept of the ideal worker. The organisation did not actively work on disability-related issues. There was also a lack of competence and structure. Practical implications It is important to challenge the ideal worker norm and create organisational competence about the intersection of gender, disability and workplace location to create a sense of inclusion among employees. Originality/value The study highlights the complexity faced by women employees with invisible disabilities when deciding where to perform work (home or co-located office) and explores HR officers' and managers’ experiences regarding working with the inclusion of employees with invisible disabilities.