During the normal working years, many individuals build a lot of their perceived self-worth up around their occupation. Their self-image is frequently based on what job they have, their position, and their pay.

When somebody asks “so what do you do?”, what’s the first thing you think. It’s probably to tell them about your occupation.

People don’t like to have to think about what they’d do if their job was hampered. But there’s a career-breaker out there that should make anybody who loves putting in a good day’s work perk up and listen.

The troubling link 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 underemployed or unemployed if they have neglected hearing impairment. If somebody isn’t working full time or has marketable skills that their not using and their not earning as much as they should be, that’s defined as underemployed.

In almost any career, individuals with untreated hearing loss experience many challenges. Doctors need to be able to hear their patients. If they’re going to safely work together, construction workers need to be able to communicate. And without the ability to hear, even a librarian would find it hard to help library patrons.

Lots of individuals remain in the same occupation their whole lives. They become very good at what they do. If they can no longer do that job well due to neglected hearing loss, it’s hard to make a living doing something different.

The Potential Hearing Impairment Wage Gap

Somebody with hearing loss makes only around 75 cents to every dollar that someone with normal hearing earns. Many independent studies support this wage gap and demonstrate that that gap averages out at about $12,000 lost wages per year.

The extent 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 Struggles do Individuals Who Suffer From Hearing Loss Deal With on The Job?

Job stress causes a person with hearing loss to take sick days 5 times more often than someone with functional hearing.

Being incapable of hearing causes additional stress that peers don’t experience on a moment-to-moment basis. Imagine having to focus on hearing and comprehending in team meetings while others simply take hearing for granted. Now imagine the anxiety of missing something significant.

That’s even more stressful.

While on or off the job, it’s three times more likely that someone with neglected hearing loss will have a fall. Both impact your ability to do the work.

In addition to on the job issues, individuals with untreated hearing loss are at increased risk of:

• Social Isolation
• Depression
• Dementia
• Anxiety
• Paranoia

Reduced productivity is the consequence of all this. People who have hearing loss face so many difficulties, both at work and in their personal lives, unfortunately being passed over for a promotion is also a very real possibility.

Fortunately, this sad career outlook has a silver lining.

A Career Strategy That Works

The unemployment and wage gap can be mitigated by using hearing aids according to some studies.

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 remove about 77% of the gap. That gets them almost up to the earning of an individual in the same job with normal hearing.

Even though hearing loss can be managed it isn’t uncommon for people to neglect it during their working years. They may feel embarrassed about losing their hearing. They don’t want to appear “older” because of their hearing loss.

Hearing aids may seem too expensive. They probably don’t comprehend that if hearing loss is neglected, it progresses more quickly in addition to causing the other health concerns mentioned above.

In light of these common objections, these studies hold additional significance. Leaving your hearing untreated is probably more costly than you know. It’s time to have a hearing test if you’re trying to determine if you should wear hearing aids at work. Contact us and we can help you figure out 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