When people are at an age where they are still working, their job is frequently a huge part of their self-worth. Their self-image is often based on what job they have, their position, and their pay.
What’s the first thing you think when someone 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 hindered. 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.
That career killer is the troublesome link between untreated hearing loss and career success.
Untreated Hearing Loss Raises Unemployment Rates
A person with untreated hearing problems is over 200% more likely to be unemployed or underemployed. If somebody isn’t working full time or has marketable skills that their not using and their not earning as much money as they should be, that’s defined as underemployed.
In practically any occupation, people with neglected hearing loss face lots of challenges. A doctor needs to hear her patients. A construction worker has 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.
Many individuals work their whole lives in one occupation. They know it very well. If they can no longer do that job well because of untreated hearing loss, it’s difficult to make a living doing something different.
The Wage Gap Caused by Hearing Loss
Along with unemployment, those with hearing loss all have the tendency to suffer a substantial wage gap, making about 75 cents for every dollar someone with normal hearing makes. This wage gap is supported by numerous independent studies that reveal that a person loses as much as $12,000 in wages every year.
The extent of hearing loss is closely associated with how much they lose. According to a study conducted on 80,000 participants, even people with moderate hearing loss are potentially losing money.
What Are Some on The Job Challenges That Individuals With Hearing Loss Face?
A person with untreated hearing loss is 5 times more likely to take a sick day due to job stress.
Being unable to hear causes additional stress that other workers don’t endure on a moment-to-moment basis. Envision having to focus on hearing and comprehending in team meetings while others just take hearing for granted. Now imagine 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 have a fall. Your ability to work is impacted.
Somebody with neglected hearing loss is at an increased danger, in addition to job challenges, of the following:
- Anxiety
- Social Isolation
- Dementia
- Paranoia
- Depression
All of this adds up to reduced productivity. And given the obstacles that a person with hearing loss experiences at work and in life, they may also not be considered for an available promotion.
Luckily, this sad career prospect has an upside.
A Career Solution That Works
Studies also show that having your hearing loss treated can eliminate the unemployment and the wage gap.
The wage gap can be erased by 90 – 100% for a person with minor hearing loss who uses hearing aids, as revealed by a study conducted by Better Hearing Institute.
About 77% of that gap can be eliminated for somebody with moderate hearing loss. That’s nearly the earning level of someone with normal hearing.
Even though hearing loss can be managed it’s not uncommon for people to ignore it during their working years. They might feel embarrassed about losing their hearing. It makes them feel old.
Hearing aids may seem too expensive. They probably don’t comprehend that if hearing loss is left untreated, it progresses more quickly in addition to causing the other health problems mentioned above.
These studies are even more significant when these common objections are taken into consideration. Leaving your hearing untreated is probably more expensive than you know. If you’ve been undecided about wearing hearing aids at work, it’s time to have a hearing test. Contact 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
