During the normal working years, many people build a lot of their perceived self-worth up around their job. Their self-image is frequently based on what job they have, their position, and their pay.
When somebody asks “so what do you do?”, what’s the first thing you think. It most likely has something to do with what you do for a living.
It’s not enjoyable to consider what would happen if something took your career away. But there’s a career-breaker out there that should make anybody who loves their work pay attention.
That career killer is the troublesome link between untreated hearing loss and job success.
Unemployment Rate is Higher With Untreated Hearing Loss
A person with untreated hearing problems is over 200% more likely to be unemployed or underemployed. If someone isn’t working full time or has marketable skills that their not making use of and their not making as much as they should be, that’s defined as underemployed.
In practically any career, individuals with untreated hearing loss face lots of challenges. Doctors need to be able to hear their 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 difficult to assist library patrons without her hearing.
Lots of people stay in the same occupation their whole lives. They become extremely good at what they do. For them, if they can’t hear well, it would be hard to change to a different career and make a decent living.
The Potential Hearing Loss Wage Gap
Somebody with hearing loss earns only around 75 cents to every dollar that somebody with normal hearing earns. This wage gap is supported by many independent studies that reveal that an individual loses as much as $12,000 in wages every year.
How much they lose strongly correlates with the extent of the hearing loss. Even people with moderate hearing loss are potentially losing money, according to a study of 80,000 people.
What Are Some on The Job Challenges That People With Hearing Loss Experience?
A person with untreated hearing loss is 5 times more likely to take a sick day caused by job stress.
Being unable to hear causes added stress that other workers don’t endure on a moment-to-moment basis. Envision being in a meeting and struggling to hear while everyone else is taking their hearing for granted. And missing out on an important piece of information is always a worry.
That’s even worse.
While on or off the job, it’s three times more likely that someone with neglected hearing loss will have a fall. Your ability to work is impacted.
On top of on the job issues, individuals with neglected hearing loss are at increased risk of:
- Paranoia
- Dementia
- Depression
- Social Isolation
- Anxiety
Decreased productivity is the consequence of all this. People with hearing loss face so many challenges, both at work and in their personal lives, unfortunately being passed over for a promotion is also a very real possibility.
Fortunately, this sad career prospect has a silver lining.
An Effective Career Strategy
The unemployment and wage gap can be eliminated by using hearing aids according to some studies.
According to a Better Hearing Institute study, someone with slight hearing loss who uses hearing aids can erase the wage gap by up to 90-100%.
About 77% of that gap can be mitigated for somebody with moderate hearing loss. That gets them almost up to the earning of an individual in the same job with normal hearing.
Despite this positive news, many individuals fail to treat their hearing loss during those working years. They think that losing their hearing is embarrassing. They don’t want to look “older” because of their hearing loss.
They may think that hearing aids are simply too costly for them. Most likely, they’re not aware that hearing loss gets worse faster if neglected, not to mention the previously discussed health challenges.
These studies are even more compelling when these common objections are taken into consideration. Leaving your hearing unaddressed is probably more expensive than you recognize. It’s time to have a hearing test if you’re trying to determine if you should wear hearing aids at work. Get in touch with 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