During the typical working years, many individuals build much of their perceived self-worth up around their job. Their self-image is frequently based on what job they have, their position, and their pay.
What’s the first thing you think 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 job was hindered. But if you like your job, then you should be aware of this career-buster.
That livelihood killer is the disturbing link between neglected hearing loss and job success.
Untreated Hearing Loss Raises Unemployment Rates
A person with untreated hearing problems is over 200% more likely to be unemployed or underemployed. Underemployment is typically defined as the condition of employees not earning up to their potential, either because they aren’t working full time or because the work does not utilize all of their marketable capabilities.
Those who have neglected hearing loss face lots of obstacles in nearly any occupation. A doctor needs to hear her patients. A construction worker needs to hear his co-workers in order to work with each other on a job. And without the ability to hear, even a librarian would find it hard to help library patrons.
Lots of people stay in the same line of work their entire lives. They become quite good at what they do. If they can no longer do that job well due to untreated hearing loss, it’s tough to make a living doing something different.
The Potential Hearing Loss Wage Gap
Somebody with hearing loss makes only about 75 cents to every dollar that somebody with normal hearing earns. Many independent studies support this wage gap and show that that gap averages out at around $12,000 lost wages every year.
The extent of hearing loss is directly associated with how much they lose. According to a study conducted on 80,000 participants, even people with mild hearing loss are potentially losing money.
What Are Some on The Job Challenges That Individuals With Hearing Loss Deal With?
Somebody with neglected hearing loss is 5 times more likely to take a sick day due to job stress.
From moment to moment, someone with hearing loss copes with stresses that co-workers never see. Picture being in a meeting and straining to hear while everyone else is taking their hearing for granted. And missing out on an important piece of information is always a worry.
That’s even more stressful.
While at work or at home, 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.
Somebody with untreated hearing loss is at an increased danger, in addition to job challenges, of the following:
- Depression
- Paranoia
- Dementia
- Anxiety
- Social Isolation
Decreased productivity is the result of all this. People who have hearing loss face so many obstacles, 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 an upside.
An Effective Career Strategy
Studies also reveal that having your hearing loss treated can cancel out the unemployment and the wage gap.
According to a Better Hearing Institute study, somebody with slight hearing loss who wears hearing aids can eliminate the wage gap by up to 90-100%.
Someone with moderate hearing loss can eliminate 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 disregard it during their working years. They think that losing their hearing is embarrassing. It makes them feel old.
They may assume that hearing aids are just too expensive for them. They probably don’t recognize that if hearing loss is neglected, it advances more quickly in addition to causing the other health problems mentioned above.
In light of these common objections, these studies hold additional significance. Not addressing your hearing loss might be costing you more than you recognize. It’s time to have a hearing test if you’re trying to decide if you should wear hearing aids at work. 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