For just a second, picture that you have a job as a salesperson. Now imagine that you have a call scheduled today with a really valuable client. Your company is being considered for a job and a number of people from your business have come together on a conference call. As the call proceeds, voices rise and fall…and are at times difficult to hear. But you’re pretty certain you got the gist of it.
Cranking the speaker up 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 conversation where things become particularly hard to hear. This is the point where the potential client says “so precisely how will your company help us solve this?””
You freeze. You didn’t catch the last few minutes and aren’t sure what problem they’re attempting to solve. This is your contract and your boss is depending on you. So now what?
Do you ask them to repeat themselves? They may think you weren’t paying attention. Do you begin using a lot of sales jargon? No, that will be too conspicuous.
Individuals go through situations like this every day when they are at work. They try to read between the lines and cope.
But how is untreated hearing loss actually affecting your work as a whole? Let’s see.
Unequal pay
A representative sampling of 80,000 individuals was collected by The Better Hearing Institute using the same method that the Census Bureau uses.
People who have disregarded hearing loss earn, on average, $12,000 less per year.
Hey, that isn’t fair!
We could dig deep to try to find out what the cause is, but as the illustration above shows, hearing loss can impact your general performance. The deal couldn’t be closed, sadly. When they got the impression that the salesperson wasn’t paying attention to them, they pulled out. They didn’t want to deal with a firm that doesn’t listen.
He missed out on a $1000 commission.
The circumstances were misinterpreted. But how do you think this impacted his career? If he was using hearing aids, think about how different things could have been.
On the Job Injuries
A study revealed in the Journal of The American Medical Association discovered that people with neglected hearing loss are almost 30% more likely to have a serious work accident. Studies have also revealed a 300% increased chance of having a significant fall and ending up in the emergency room.
And people with only minor hearing loss were at the greatest risk, unexpectedly! Perhaps they don’t recognize that hearing loss of any kind 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:
- Skills
- Experience
- Personality
- Confidence
- Empathy
Hearing loss shouldn’t dominate these. But it is frequently a factor. It could be having an effect on your job more than you realize. Take actions to minimize the impact like:
- Know that you’re not required to reveal that you have hearing loss during an interview. And it isn’t okay for the interviewer to ask. But the other side is whether your hearing loss will have an effect on your ability to have a successful interview. In that case, you might choose to disclose this before the interview.
- When you’re talking with people, make sure you look directly at them. Try not to talk on the phone as much as you can.
- Be certain your work space is brightly lit. Even if you don’t read lips, looking directly at them can help you understand what’s being said.
- Requesting a written overview/agenda before a meeting. Discussions will be easier to keep up with.
- Write a sincere 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 pass through background noise but rather goes directly into your ear. In order to utilize this technology you will require a hearing aid that’s compatible.
- Never neglect using your hearing aids at work and all of the rest of the time. When you do this, many of the accommodations aren’t necessary.
- Speak up when a task surpasses your abilities. For instance, your boss may want you to cover for somebody who works in a really loud part of the building. In order to make up for it, offer to take on a different task. By doing that, your boss won’t think you’re coping out.
Hearing loss at work
Hearing loss can effect your work, even if it’s mild. But having it treated will often minimize any barriers you face with neglected hearing impairment. Give us a call right away – we can help!