Imagine for a minute you’re a salesperson. Now picture that you have a call scheduled today with a very valuable client. Numerous agents from their offices have gathered to talk about whether to hire your business for the job. All of the various voices get a little muddled and difficult to understand. But you’re getting most of it.
And it sounds distorted and even less clear when you keep turning the volume up. So you simply do your best, reading between the lines. You’ve become pretty 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 asks “so exactly how will your firm help us solve this?””
You panic. You have no idea what their company’s issue is because you didn’t hear the last portion of the discussion. This is your deal and your boss is depending on you. What do you do?
Do you request they repeat themselves? They’ll think you were distracted. What about resorting to some slippery sales jargon? No, that will be too obvious.
Individuals go through situations like this every day when they are at work. Oftentimes, they try to pretend they’re okay and wing it.
So in general, how is your work being impacted by your hearing loss? Let’s find out.
Lower wages
A representative sampling of 80,000 people was obtained by The Better Hearing Institute utilizing the same technique that the Census Bureau uses.
People who have neglected hearing loss earn, on average, $12,000 less per year.
Hey, that isn’t fair!
We could dig deep to attempt to find out what the cause is, but as the example above demonstrates, hearing loss can impact your overall performance. The deal couldn’t be closed, regrettably. Everything was going great until the client thought he wasn’t listening to them. They decided to work with a company that listens better.
He lost out on a commission of $1000.
The situation was misinterpreted. But how do you think this impacted his career? How might things have been different if he were using his hearing aids?
Injuries on at work
People who have untreated hearing loss are nearly 30% more likely to incur a significant on-the-job injury according to a study conducted by the American Medical Association. Studies have also revealed a 300% increased danger of having a significant fall and ending up in the emergency room.
And it might come as a surprise that individuals with minor hearing loss had the highest danger among those with hearing loss. Perhaps, their hearing loss is mild enough that they don’t even know about it.
Even if you have hearing loss, you can still be successful at work
You have so much to offer an employer:
- Skills
- Empathy
- Confidence
- Personality
- Experience
These positive attributes shouldn’t be overshadowed by hearing loss. But it is frequently a factor. You may not even recognize how great an effect on your job it’s having. Here are a few ways to lessen that impact:
- When you’re talking to people, make certain you face them. Try not to talk on the phone as much as you can.
- Keep a brightly lit work space. Even if you’re not a lip reader, looking directly at them can help you make out what’s being said.
- Know that you aren’t required to disclose that you have hearing loss when you’re interviewing. And the interviewer may not ask. However, you might need to consider if your untreated hearing loss will affect your ability to interview well. You will probably need to inform the interviewer of your condition if that’s the situation.
- Use your hearing aids while you’re at work every day, all the time. When you do, lots of of the accommodations won’t be necessary.
- Ask for a phone that is HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible). The sound goes straight into your ear and not through background noise. In order to use this technology you will need a hearing aid that’s appropriate.
- Asking for a written overview/agenda before attending a meeting. It will be easier to keep up with the conversation.
- Write a respectful accommodations letter to your boss. This way, you have it in writing.
- If a job is going to surpass your capability you need to speak up. Your boss may, for example, ask you to go and do some work in a part of the building that can be very loud. So that you can make up for it, offer to take on a different job. This way, it never seems as if you’re not doing your part.
Hearing loss at work
Even if you have mild hearing loss, it can still impact your performance at work. But many of the obstacles that untreated hearing loss can present will be resolved by getting it treated. We can help so call us!