For just a second, picture that you’re working as a salesperson. Now picture that you have a call scheduled today with a really valuable client. Multiple representatives from their offices have gathered to talk about whether to employ your company for the job. As the call goes on, voices rise and fall…and are sometimes difficult to hear. But you’re getting most of it.
Cranking up the speaker just makes it sound more distorted. So you just do your best at filling in the blanks. You’ve become fairly good at that.
There comes a point in the discussion where things get particularly difficult to hear. Then all of a sudden you hear, “so what can your company do to assist us with this”?”
You freeze. You didn’t hear the last few minutes and aren’t sure what issue they’re trying to solve. This is your contract and your boss is counting on you. So now what?
Do you request they repeat themselves? They might think you weren’t paying attention. What about relying on some slick sales jargon? No, that will be too obvious.
Individuals go through scenarios like this every day when they are at work. Oftentimes, they try to pretend they’re fine and wing it.
But how is neglected hearing loss actually impacting your work in general? Let’s see.
Unequal pay
The Better Hearing Institute surveyed 80,000 people using the same approach the Census Bureau uses to obtain a representative sampling.
They discovered that people who have neglected hearing loss make around $12,000 less per year than people who can hear.
Hey, that isn’t fair!
Hearing loss effects your general performance so it’s not difficult to understand the above example. Unfortunately, he couldn’t close the deal. Everything was going excellently until the client thought he wasn’t listening to them. They didn’t want to deal with a firm that doesn’t listen.
He missed out on a $1000 commission.
The circumstances were misconstrued. But how do you think this affected his career? If he was using hearing aids, imagine how different things could have been.
Injuries on at work
A study reported in the Journal of The American Medical Association discovered that individuals with neglected hearing loss are nearly 30% more likely to suffer a serious work accident. And, your chance of ending up in the emergency room after a serious fall goes up by 300% according to other research.
And individuals with only slight hearing loss were at the highest risk, surprisingly! Perhaps they don’t grasp that hearing loss of any kind impairs an individual at work.
How to have a prosperous career with hearing loss
Your employer has a lot to gain from you:
- Skills
- Confidence
- Empathy
- Personality
- Experience
Hearing loss shouldn’t dominate these. But it is frequently a factor. You may not even realize how big an effect on your job it’s having. Take actions to lessen the impact like:
- Understand that during a job interview, you’re not required to disclose that you have hearing loss. And it isn’t okay for the interviewer to ask. Conversely, you might need to consider if your neglected hearing loss will impact your ability to interview well. You will most likely need to inform the interviewer of your condition if that’s the situation.
- Be certain your work space is well lit. Being able to see lips can help you follow even if you don’t read lips.
- Write a respectful accommodations letter to your boss. This way, you have it in writing.
- Request a phone that is HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible). The sound doesn’t go through background noise but instead goes directly into your ear. You will require hearing aids that will work with this technology to use one.
- Before a meeting, find out if you can get a written agenda and outline. It will be easier to follow the conversation.
- When you’re talking with people, make sure you look directly at them. Try not to have phone conversations as much as possible.
- Speak up when a job is beyond your abilities. Your boss may, for instance, ask you to go and do some work in an area of the building that can be really loud. So that you can make up for it, offer to undertake a different job. That way, it will never seem like you’re not doing your part.
- Wear your hearing aids at work every day, at all times. If you’re wearing your hearing aids you might not even require many of the accommodations.
Working with hearing loss
Even if you have slight hearing loss, it can still impact your work performance. But having it treated will frequently minimize any obstacles you face with neglected hearing loss. Call us right away – we can help!
