When people are at an age where they are still working, their job is frequently a big part of their self-worth. Their self-image is often based on what job they have, their position, and how much they make.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone asks, “So what do you do”? It’s probably to tell them about what you do for a living.
People don’t want to have to think about what they’d do if their job was hindered. But if you like your job, then you should take note of this career-buster.
That livelihood killer is the troublesome link between untreated hearing loss and career success.
Unemployment Rate is Higher With Untreated Hearing Loss
A person is over 200% more likely to be underemployed or unemployed if they have neglected hearing impairment. Underemployment is typically defined as the condition of employees not earning up to their potential, either because they aren’t working full time or because the work does not use all of their marketable capabilities.
Those with untreated hearing loss face many challenges in nearly any line of work. A doctor needs to hear her patients. A construction worker has to hear his co-workers in order to work with each other on a job. Even a librarian would find it hard to help library patrons without her hearing.
Lots of people remain in the same line of work their whole lives. They become very good at what they do. For them, if they can’t hear well, it would be hard to switch to a different career and make a respectable living.
The Wage Gap Caused by Hearing Loss
Someone with hearing loss earns only around 75 cents to every dollar that someone with normal hearing earns. Many independent studies support this wage gap and show that that gap averages out at around $12,000 lost wages per year.
How much they lose directly correlates with the severity of the hearing impairment. Even individuals with mild hearing loss are potentially losing money, based on a study of 80,000 people.
What Struggles do People With Hearing Loss Confront on The Job?
Job stress causes someone with hearing loss to take sick days 5 times more frequently than someone with functional hearing.
Being incapable of hearing causes added stress that other workers don’t endure on a moment-to-moment basis. Envision being in a meeting and straining to hear while everybody else is taking their hearing for granted. Now think about the anxiety of missing something significant.
That’s even more stressful.
While on or off the job, it’s three times more likely that someone with untreated hearing loss will have a fall. Both impact your ability to do the work.
In addition to on the job challenges, people with neglected hearing loss are at increased danger of:
- Dementia
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
- Social Isolation
Reduced productivity is the consequence of all this. And given the challenges that someone with hearing loss experiences at work and in life, they may also not be considered for an upcoming promotion.
Fortunately, there’s a very bright upside to this dismal career outlook.
An Effective Career Strategy
The unemployment and wage gap can be eliminated by using hearing aids according to some studies.
The wage gap can be erased by 90 – 100% for somebody with mild hearing loss who wears hearing aids, as revealed by a study done by Better Hearing Institute.
Somebody with moderate hearing loss can eliminate about 77% of the gap. That’s about the earning level of somebody who has normal hearing.
Even though hearing loss can be managed it isn’t uncommon for people to ignore it during their working years. They may feel embarrassed about losing their hearing. It makes them feel old.
They may think that hearing aids are just too expensive for them. They most likely don’t comprehend that if hearing loss is left untreated, it advances more quickly in addition to causing the other health concerns mentioned above.
These studies are even more significant when these common objections are taken into consideration. Not addressing your hearing loss may be costing you more than you recognize. It’s time to have a hearing exam if you’re trying to decide if you should wear hearing aids at work. Contact us so we can help you make that decision.
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References
https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2013/02001/Hearing_Loss_Linked_to_Unemployment,_Lower_Income.2.aspx