When people are at an age where they are still working, their job is often a big part of their self-worth. Their self-image is frequently based on what job they have, their position, and how much they make.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone asks, “So what do you do”? It’s most likely to tell them about what you do for a living.
It’s not enjoyable to consider what you would do if something took your career away. But there’s a career-breaker out there that should make anyone who loves their work perk up and listen.
The troubling link between career success and neglected hearing loss is precisely that career killer.
Untreated Hearing Loss Raises Unemployment Rates
A person is over 200% more likely to be unemployed or underemployed if they have neglected hearing loss. If somebody isn’t working full time or has marketable capabilities that their not using and their not earning as much money as they should be, that’s defined as underemployed.
In almost any career, people with untreated hearing loss face lots of challenges. A doctor needs to hear her patients. If they’re going to efficiently work together, construction workers have to be able to communicate. Even a librarian would find it hard to help library patrons without her hearing.
Many people work their entire lives in one occupation. They become quite good at what they do. For them, if they can’t hear well, it would be difficult to change to a different job and make a respectable living.
The Wage Gap Caused by Hearing Impairment
Somebody with hearing loss makes only around 75 cents to every dollar that someone with normal hearing earns. This wage gap is backed by numerous independent studies that reveal that a person loses as much as $12,000 in wages each year.
The extent of hearing loss is closely linked with how much they lose. 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 Individuals With Hearing Loss Face?
Somebody with untreated hearing loss is 5 times more likely to take a sick day due to 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 straining to hear while everybody else is taking their hearing for granted. Now think about the stress of missing something significant.
That’s even worse.
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 risk, in addition to job challenges, of the following:
- Depression
- Social Isolation
- Paranoia
- Dementia
- Anxiety
All of this adds up to reduced productivity. People with hearing loss face so many difficulties, both at work and in their personal lives, regrettably being passed over for a promotion is also a very real possibility.
Thankfully, there’s a very bright silver lining to this dismal career outlook.
An Effective Career Strategy
Studies also show that getting hearing loss treated can eliminate the unemployment and the wage gap.
According to a Better Hearing Institute study, somebody with slight hearing loss who uses hearing aids can get rid of the wage gap by up to 90-100%.
Somebody with moderate hearing loss can eliminate about 77% of the gap. That gets them almost up to the earning of an individual in the same job with normal hearing.
Despite this positive news, many individuals leave their hearing loss untreated during those working years. They might feel embarrassed about losing their hearing. It makes them feel old.
Hearing aids may seem too expensive. Most likely, they don’t know that hearing loss gets worse faster if neglected, not to mention the previously mentioned health challenges.
These studies are even more compelling when these common objections are taken into account. Leaving your hearing untreated is probably more expensive than you recognize. It’s time to get a hearing exam if you’re trying to decide if you should use hearing aids at work. Call us and we can help you decide whether hearing aids would help.
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2013/02001/Hearing_Loss_Linked_to_Unemployment,_Lower_Income.2.aspx