For just a second, picture that you’re working as a salesperson. Now picture that you have a call scheduled today with a really important client. Multiple agents from their offices have gathered to discuss whether to employ your company for the job. As the call continues, voices rise and fall…and are sometimes hard to hear. But you’re hearing most of it.
Cranking up the speaker just makes it sound more distorted. So you simply make do, reading between the lines. You’re very good at that.
There comes a point in the discussion where things become particularly hard to hear. This is the point where the potential client says “so precisely how will your firm help us solve this?””
You freeze. You didn’t hear the last few minutes and aren’t certain what problem they’re attempting to resolve. Your boss is depending on you to seal this deal. So now what?
Should you confess you didn’t hear them and ask them to repeat what they said? They may think you weren’t paying attention. What about resorting to some slippery sales jargon? No, that will be too conspicuous.
Every single day, individuals everywhere go through scenarios like this at work. They try to read between the lines and cope.
But how is untreated hearing loss really impacting your work as a whole? Let’s see.
Unequal pay
The Better Hearing Institute questioned 80,000 individuals utilizing the same method the Census Bureau uses to get a representative sampling.
They discovered that individuals who have neglected hearing loss earn around $12,000 less per year than people who can hear.
That doesn’t seem fair!
Hearing loss effects your general performance so it isn’t difficult to understand the above example. Sadly, he didn’t close the deal. When they got the impression that the salesperson wasn’t listening to them, they pulled out. They decided to go with a company that listens better.
His commission on this deal would have been more than $1000.
It was only a misunderstanding. But that doesn’t change the impact on his career. How may things have been different if he were using his hearing aids?
On the Job Injuries
A study revealed in the Journal of The American Medical Association discovered that people with untreated hearing loss are nearly 30% more likely to have a significant work accident. And, your chance of ending up in the emergency room after a significant fall goes up by 300% according to other research.
And people with only mild hearing loss were at the greatest risk, surprisingly! Maybe they don’t grasp that hearing loss of any type impairs an individual at work.
Even if you have hearing loss, you can still have a successful career
Your employer has a great deal to gain from you:
- Empathy
- Skills
- Experience
- Confidence
- Personality
These positive attributes shouldn’t be dominated by hearing loss. But it is often a factor. It may be affecting your job more than you recognize. Here are a few ways to reduce that impact:
- Wear your hearing aids at work every day, at all times. When you do this, lots of of the accommodations won’t be necessary.
- When you’re talking to people, make certain you face them. Try not to talk on the phone as much as you can.
- Know that you aren’t required to reveal that you have hearing loss during an interview. And the interviewer may not ask. But the other consideration is whether your hearing loss will have an effect on your ability to have a successful interview. You will probably need to make the interviewer aware of your condition if that’s the case.
- Requesting a written outline/agenda before attending a meeting. Conversations will be easier to follow.
- Be certain your work area is well lit. Even if you don’t read lips, being able to see them can help you understand what’s being said.
- If a task is going to be beyond your capability you need to speak up. For instance, your boss may ask you to cover for someone who works in a really loud area. In order to make up for it, offer to take on a different job. By doing that, your boss won’t think you’re coping out.
- So that you have it in writing, it’s a good plan to draft up a respectful accommodations letter for your boss.
- Request that you get a hearing aid compatible (HAC) phone. The sound goes straight into your ear instead of through background noise. In order to use this technology you will require a hearing aid that’s compatible.
Hearing loss at work
Hearing loss can effect your work, even if it’s slight. But getting it treated will frequently eliminate any obstacles you face with untreated hearing loss. We can help so contact us!