During the typical working years, many individuals build much of their perceived self-worth up around their occupation. They base their self-image on what type of job they do, what position they hold, and how much they earn.
When someone asks “so what do you do?”, what’s the first thing you think. It’s probably to tell them about what you do for a living.
It’s not enjoyable to think about what would happen if something took your career 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 livelihood killer.
Untreated Hearing Loss Raises Unemployment Rates
Someone with untreated hearing trouble is over 200% more likely to be unemployed or underemployed. If a person 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 who have neglected hearing loss face many challenges in almost any occupation. Doctors need to be capable of hearing their patients. A construction worker needs to hear his co-workers in order to work together on a job. Even a librarian would find it difficult to help library patrons without her hearing.
Many individuals work their whole lives in one occupation. They know it really well. For them, if they can’t hear well, it would be difficult to change to a different career and make a respectable living.
The Wage Gap Caused by Hearing Impairment
Along with unemployment, those with hearing impairment all tend to suffer a significant wage gap, making around 75 cents for every dollar a person with normal hearing earns. This wage gap is backed by many independent studies that show that a person 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 mild hearing loss are potentially losing money, based on a study of 80,000 people.
What Are Some on The Job Struggles That Individuals With Hearing Loss Experience?
Somebody with untreated hearing loss is 5 times more likely to take a sick day as a result of job stress.
Being incapable of hearing causes added stress that peers don’t endure on a moment-to-moment basis. Envision needing to focus on hearing and comprehending in team meetings while others simply take hearing for granted. Now think about the anxiety of missing something important.
That’s even worse.
While on or off the job, it’s three times more likely that someone with untreated hearing loss will have a fall. Your ability to work is impacted.
On top of on the job concerns, individuals with neglected hearing loss are at increased risk of:
- Paranoia
- Dementia
- Social Isolation
- Anxiety
- Depression
All of this results in decreased productivity. And given the challenges that a person suffering from hearing loss deals with at work and in life, they may also not be considered for an upcoming promotion.
Luckily, there’s a very bright silver lining to this dismal career outlook.
An Effective Career Solution
Studies also reveal that getting hearing loss treated can cancel out the unemployment and the wage gap.
The wage gap can be decreased by 90 – 100% for somebody with mild hearing loss who wears hearing aids, as revealed by a study done by Better Hearing Institute.
Someone with moderate hearing loss can remove about 77% of the gap. That gets them almost up to the earning of an individual in the same field with normal hearing.
Even though hearing loss can be managed 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 seem “older” because of their hearing loss.
Hearing aids might seem too expensive. They probably don’t comprehend that if hearing loss is left untreated, it worsens more quickly in addition to triggering the other health problems discussed above.
These studies are even more significant when these common objections are taken into consideration. Not addressing your hearing loss might be costing you more than you recognize. If you’ve been undecided about using hearing aids at work, it’s time to get a hearing test. Get in touch with us so we can help you make that decision.
References
https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2013/02001/Hearing_Loss_Linked_to_Unemployment,_Lower_Income.2.aspx