During the typical working years, many individuals build a lot 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.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone asks, “So what do you do”? It’s probably 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-buster out there that should make anyone who loves their work perk up and listen.
The troubling connection between career success and neglected hearing loss is precisely that career killer.
Unemployment Rate is Higher With Untreated Hearing Loss
A person is over 200% more likely to be unemployed or underemployed if they have untreated hearing loss. Underemployment is generally defined as the condition of employees not earning up to their potential, either because they are not working full time or because the work does not utilize all of their marketable capabilities.
In practically any occupation, people with neglected hearing loss experience many challenges. A doctor needs to hear her patients. If they’re going to efficiently 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.
Many people work their entire lives in one occupation. They know it very well. For them, if they can’t hear well, it would be hard to switch to a different job and make a decent living.
The Potential Hearing Loss Wage Gap
In addition to unemployment, those with hearing impairment all have the tendency to suffer a substantial wage gap, making around 75 cents for every dollar a person with normal hearing earns. Numerous independent studies support this wage gap and demonstrate that that gap averages out at around $12,000 lost wages per year.
The extent of hearing loss is closely linked with how much they lose. Even individuals with moderate hearing loss are potentially losing money, based on a study of 80,000 people.
What Are Some on The Job Struggles That Individuals With Hearing Loss Deal With?
Job stress causes someone with hearing loss to take sick days 5 times more frequently than somebody with normal hearing.
From moment to moment, somebody with hearing loss copes with stresses that co-workers never see. Picture having to concentrate on hearing and comprehending in team meetings while others simply take hearing for granted. Now think about the anxiety of missing something significant.
That’s even more stressful.
While on or off the job, it’s three times more likely that somebody with neglected hearing loss will have a fall. Both impact your ability to do the work.
Someone with neglected hearing loss is at an increased danger, in addition to job concerns, of the following:
- Dementia
- Depression
- Social Isolation
- Paranoia
- Anxiety
All of this results in reduced productivity. People who have hearing loss experience so many difficulties, both at work and in their personal lives, regrettably being passed over for a promotion is also a very real possibility.
Luckily, this sad career outlook has a silver lining.
A Career Solution That Works
Studies also reveal that getting hearing loss treated can eliminate the unemployment and the wage gap.
The wage gap can be erased by 90 – 100% for someone with minor hearing loss who uses hearing aids, as revealed by a study done by Better Hearing Institute.
A person with moderate hearing loss can get rid of about 77% of the gap. That’s nearly the earning level of somebody with normal hearing.
Even though hearing loss can be managed it isn’t uncommon for people to ignore it during their working years. They might feel embarrassed about losing their hearing. It makes them feel old.
They may assume that hearing aids are just too costly for them. Most likely, they’re not aware that hearing loss gets worse faster if neglected, not to mention the previously discussed health challenges.
These studies are even more significant when these common objections are taken into consideration. Leaving your hearing untreated is likely more expensive than you know. If you’ve been undecided about using hearing aids at work, it’s time to have a hearing exam. Call us and we can help you determine whether hearing aids would help.
References
https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2013/02001/Hearing_Loss_Linked_to_Unemployment,_Lower_Income.2.aspx