During the standard working years, many people build much of their perceived self-worth up around their occupation. Their self-image is often based on what job they have, their position, and their pay.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when somebody asks, “So what do you do”? 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 hampered. But if you like your job, then you should be aware of this career-breaker.
The troubling connection between career success and neglected hearing loss is precisely that livelihood killer.
Untreated Hearing Loss Raises Unemployment Rates
A person is over 200% more likely to be unemployed or underemployed if they have untreated 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.
In practically any career, individuals with untreated hearing loss experience many challenges. A doctor needs to hear her 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 hard to help library patrons.
Many people work their whole lives in one line of work. They know it really well. For them, if they can’t hear well, it would be hard to switch to a different career and make a respectable living.
The Wage Gap Caused by Hearing Impairment
Somebody with hearing loss earns only about 75 cents to every dollar that somebody with normal hearing earns. Numerous independent studies back this wage gap and demonstrate that that gap averages out at around $12,000 lost wages per year.
The degree of hearing loss is directly associated with how much they lose. Even individuals with mild hearing loss are potentially losing money, according to a study of 80,000 people.
What Are Some on The Job Struggles That People With Hearing Loss Deal With?
Job stress causes a person with hearing loss to take sick days 5 times more frequently than someone with normal hearing.
Being incapable of hearing causes added stress that peers don’t endure on a moment-to-moment basis. Envision having to focus on hearing and understanding in team meetings while others just take hearing for granted. Now think about the stress of missing something significant.
That’s even more stressful.
While on or off the job, it’s three times more likely that somebody with untreated hearing loss will suffer from a fall. Your ability to work is impacted.
Someone with untreated hearing loss is at an increased risk, in addition to job concerns, of the following:
- Social Isolation
- Paranoia
- Dementia
- Anxiety
- Depression
Decreased productivity is the result of all this. People with hearing loss experience so many obstacles, both at work and in their personal lives, regrettably being passed over for a promotion is also a very real possibility.
Luckily, there’s a really bright silver lining to this dismal career outlook.
A Career Solution That Works
Studies also reveal that having your hearing loss treated can eliminate the unemployment and the wage gap.
According to a Better Hearing Institute study, someone with slight hearing loss who wears hearing aids can get rid of the wage gap by as much as 90-100%.
A person with moderate hearing loss can eliminate about 77% of the gap. That’s about the earning level of somebody with normal hearing.
Even though hearing loss can be corrected it’s not uncommon for people to disregard 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.
Hearing aids may seem too costly. They most likely don’t comprehend that if hearing loss is neglected, it advances more quickly in addition to triggering the other health concerns pointed out above.
In light of these common objections, these studies hold added significance. Leaving your hearing untreated is probably more costly than you recognize. It’s time to have a hearing exam if you’re trying to determine if you should wear hearing aids at work. Call us and we can help you decide whether hearing aids would help.
References
https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2013/02001/Hearing_Loss_Linked_to_Unemployment,_Lower_Income.2.aspx