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 have, what position they have, and how much they earn.
When someone asks “so what do you do?”, what’s the first thing you think. It’s most likely to tell them about your occupation.
People don’t like to have to think about what they’d do if their livelihood was hindered. But if you value your job, then you should take note of this career-buster.
The troubling connection between career success and neglected hearing loss is precisely that career killer.
Untreated Hearing Loss Raises Unemployment Rates
A person with neglected hearing trouble is over 200% more likely to be underemployed or unemployed. If a person isn’t working full time or has marketable capabilities that their not using and their not making as much as they should be, that’s defined as underemployed.
Those who have neglected hearing loss face countless challenges in almost any line of work. 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. And without the ability to hear, even a librarian would find it difficult to help library patrons.
Lots of individuals stay in the same occupation their entire lives. They know it really well. For them, if they can’t hear well, it would be difficult to switch to a different job and make a decent living.
The Wage Gap Caused by Hearing Impairment
Somebody with hearing loss earns only around 75 cents to every dollar that somebody with normal hearing earns. Numerous independent studies support this wage gap and show that that gap averages out at about $12,000 lost wages per year.
How much they lose closely correlates with the severity of the hearing loss. According to a study conducted on 80,000 individuals, even people with slight hearing loss are potentially losing money.
What Are Some on The Job Struggles That People With Hearing Loss Experience?
A person with neglected hearing loss is 5 times more likely to take a sick day caused by job stress.
Being incapable of hearing causes additional stress that other workers don’t experience on a moment-to-moment basis. Picture having to concentrate on hearing and understanding in team meetings while others just take hearing for granted. And missing a crucial piece of information is always a concern.
That’s even more stressful.
Those with neglected 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 challenges, individuals with neglected hearing loss are at increased risk of:
- Depression
- Social Isolation
- Dementia
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
Decreased productivity is the result of all this. And given the challenges that someone suffering from hearing loss deals with at work and in life, they may also not be considered for an upcoming promotion.
Thankfully, there’s a very bright upside to this dismal career outlook.
An Effective Career Solution
The unemployment and wage gap can be mitigated by wearing hearing aids according to some studies.
The wage gap can be decreased by 90 – 100% for somebody with mild hearing loss who uses hearing aids, as revealed by a study carried out by Better Hearing Institute.
About 77% of that gap can be eliminated for a person with moderate hearing loss. That gets them nearly up to the income of an individual in the same job with normal hearing.
Even though hearing loss can be corrected it’s not uncommon for people to neglect it during their working years. They feel that losing their hearing is embarrassing. It makes them feel old.
They may think that hearing aids are simply too expensive for them. They most likely don’t comprehend that if hearing loss is left untreated, it advances more quickly in addition to triggering the other health problems mentioned above.
Considering these common objections, these studies hold added significance. Leaving your hearing unaddressed is probably more costly than you recognize. If you’ve been undecided about using hearing aids at work, it’s time to get a hearing exam. 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
