During the typical working years, many people build much of their perceived self-worth up around their job. They base their self-image on what type of job they do, what position they hold, 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.
It’s not enjoyable to consider what you would do if something took your living away. But if you like your job, then you should be aware of this career-buster.
The troubling connection between job success and neglected hearing loss is precisely that career killer.
Unemployment Rate is Higher With Untreated Hearing Loss
A person is over 200% more likely to be underemployed or unemployed if they have untreated hearing loss. Underemployment is commonly defined as the condition of employees not earning up to their potential, either because they are not working full time or because the work doesn’t utilize all of their marketable capabilities.
Those who have untreated hearing loss face many obstacles in nearly any line of work. Doctors need to be capable of hearing their patients. A construction worker has to hear his co-workers in order to work with each other on a job. And without the ability to hear, even a librarian would find it difficult to help library patrons.
Many individuals work their entire lives in one line of work. They become extremely good at what they do. If they can no longer do that job well due to neglected hearing loss, it’s tough to make a living doing something else.
The Potential Hearing Impairment Wage Gap
In addition to unemployment, those with hearing impairment all tend to experience a substantial wage gap, making about 75 cents for every dollar somebody with normal hearing makes. Numerous independent studies support this wage gap and show that that gap averages out at about $12,000 lost wages every year.
How much they lose closely correlates with the extent of the hearing impairment. According to a study conducted on 80,000 participants, even people with moderate hearing loss are potentially losing money.
What Challenges do People Who Suffer From Hearing Loss Confront on The Job?
Someone with untreated hearing loss is 5 times more likely to take a sick day caused by job stress.
From moment to moment, somebody with hearing loss copes with stresses that co-workers never recognize. Envision being in a meeting and struggling to hear while everybody else is taking their hearing for granted. And missing an essential piece of information is always a concern.
That’s even more stressful.
While on or off the job, it’s three times more likely that someone with untreated hearing loss will suffer from a fall. Both impact your ability to do the work.
Someone with neglected hearing loss is at an increased danger, in addition to job challenges, of the following:
- Anxiety
- Dementia
- Depression
- Paranoia
- Social Isolation
Reduced productivity is the consequence of all this. And given the obstacles that someone with hearing loss confronts at work and in life, they may also not be considered for an available promotion.
Luckily, this sad career prospect has a silver lining.
A Career Approach That Works
The unemployment and wage gap can be eliminated by getting hearing aids according to some studies.
According to a Better Hearing Institute study, someone with minor hearing loss who uses hearing aids can eliminate the wage gap by as much as 90-100%.
Someone with moderate hearing loss can get rid of about 77% of the gap. That’s about the earning level of someone with normal hearing.
Even though hearing loss can be corrected it isn’t uncommon for people to neglect it during their working years. They think that losing their hearing is embarrassing. They don’t want to appear “older” because of their hearing loss.
They may think that hearing aids are just too expensive for them. They probably don’t comprehend that if hearing loss is neglected, it advances more quickly in addition to triggering the other health problems discussed above.
Considering these common objections, these studies hold additional significance. Leaving your hearing untreated is probably more costly than you realize. It’s time to have a hearing test 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