When people are at an age where they are still working, their job is often a big part of their self-worth. They base their self-image on what type of job they do, what position they hold, and how much they make.
What’s the first thing you think when someone asks, “So what do you do”? It probably has something to do with what you do for a living.
It’s not pleasant to consider what you would do if something took your career away. 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 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 loss. If someone isn’t working full time or has marketable skills that their not using and their not making as much money as they should be, that’s defined as underemployed.
Those who have neglected hearing loss face lots of challenges in almost any occupation. 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 hard to help library patrons.
Lots of people stay in the same occupation their entire lives. They know it really well. For them, if they can’t hear well, it would be hard to switch to a different job and make a respectable living.
The Potential Hearing Impairment Wage Gap
Somebody with hearing loss makes only around 75 cents to every dollar that somebody with normal hearing earns. Many 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 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 Challenges do Those Who Suffer From Hearing Loss Confront on The Job?
Somebody with neglected hearing loss is 5 times more likely to take a sick day as a result of job stress.
From moment to moment, somebody with hearing loss experiences stresses that co-workers never recognize. Picture being in a meeting and struggling to hear while everyone else is taking their hearing for granted. Now imagine the anxiety of missing something significant.
That’s even worse.
While on or off the job, it’s three times more likely that someone with neglected hearing loss will suffer from a fall. Your ability to work is impacted.
In addition to on the job issues, individuals with untreated hearing loss are at increased danger of:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Dementia
- Social Isolation
- Paranoia
Decreased productivity is the result of all this. People with 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.
Luckily, this sad career outlook has an upside.
A Career Strategy That Works
Studies also reveal that getting hearing loss treated can cancel out the unemployment and the wage gap.
According to a Better Hearing Institute study, someone with mild hearing loss who uses hearing aids can erase the wage gap by as much as 90-100%.
About 77% of that gap can be mitigated for somebody with moderate hearing loss. That gets them almost up to the earning of an individual in the same field with normal hearing.
Despite this positive news, many people fail to treat their hearing loss during those working years. They think that losing their hearing is embarrassing. It makes them feel old.
Hearing aids may seem too costly. They most likely don’t recognize that if hearing loss is neglected, it worsens more quickly in addition to triggering the other health concerns pointed out above.
Considering these common objections, these studies hold added significance. Leaving your hearing unaddressed is likely more expensive than you recognize. It’s time to have a hearing test if you’re trying to determine if you should use hearing aids at work. Give us a call and we can help you decide whether hearing aids would help.
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References
https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2013/02001/Hearing_Loss_Linked_to_Unemployment,_Lower_Income.2.aspx