During the normal working years, many individuals 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 have, and how much they earn.
What’s the first thing you think when someone asks, “So what do you do”? It’s most likely to tell them about your occupation.
People don’t want to have to think about what they’d do if their livelihood was hindered. But if you value your job, then you should be aware of this career-buster.
The troubling connection between career success and untreated hearing loss is precisely that career killer.
Unemployment Rate is Higher With Untreated Hearing Loss
A person is over 200% more likely to be unemployed or underemployed if they have neglected hearing impairment. If someone isn’t working full time or has marketable capabilities that their not making use of and their not earning as much as they should be, that’s defined as underemployed.
Those with untreated hearing loss face many obstacles in almost any occupation. 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 hard to help library patrons.
Lots of individuals stay in the same line of work their whole lives. They become quite good at what they do. If they can no longer do that job well due to untreated hearing loss, it’s difficult to make a living doing something else.
The Wage Gap Caused by Hearing Impairment
In addition to unemployment, those with hearing loss all tend to suffer a significant wage gap, making around 75 cents for every dollar a person with normal hearing earns. Numerous independent studies support this wage gap and show that that gap averages out at about $12,000 lost wages every year.
The degree of hearing loss is closely associated with how much they lose. According to a study conducted on 80,000 participants, even people with moderate hearing loss are potentially losing money.
What Are Some on The Job Challenges That People With Hearing Loss Experience?
Job stress causes a person with hearing loss to take sick days 5 times more often than someone with normal hearing.
From moment to moment, someone with hearing loss copes with stresses that co-workers never see. Picture needing to concentrate on hearing and understanding in team meetings while others simply take hearing for granted. Now imagine the stress of missing something important.
That’s even worse.
Those with untreated hearing loss are also 3 times as likely to have a significant fall or other accident while on or off the job. Both impact your ability to do the work.
On top of on the job concerns, people with neglected hearing loss are at increased risk of:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
- Social Isolation
- Dementia
All of this results in decreased productivity. People with hearing loss experience so many difficulties, both at work and in their personal lives, regrettably being passed over for a promotion is also a very real possibility.
Fortunately, this sad career outlook has a silver lining.
A Career Solution That Works
Studies also show that getting hearing loss treated can cancel out the unemployment and the wage gap.
According to a Better Hearing Institute study, a person with mild hearing loss who uses hearing aids can get rid of the wage gap by as much as 90-100%.
A person with moderate hearing loss can get rid of about 77% of the gap. That gets them almost up to the earning of a person in the same job with normal hearing.
In spite of this positive news, many people fail to treat their hearing loss during those working years. They think that losing their hearing is embarrassing. They don’t want to seem “older” because of their hearing loss.
Hearing aids might seem too expensive. They most likely don’t recognize that if hearing loss is neglected, it progresses more quickly in addition to causing the other health concerns discussed above.
In light of these common objections, these studies hold added significance. Leaving your hearing unaddressed is probably more costly than you realize. It’s time to get a hearing exam if you’re trying to determine if you should use hearing aids at work. Contact us and we can help you figure out whether hearing aids would help.
References
https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2013/02001/Hearing_Loss_Linked_to_Unemployment,_Lower_Income.2.aspx