Hearing loss can take a toll on your life in more ways than one. You may notice relationships suffering, feelings of isolation and depression, and anger and frustration. You may notice an impact on your career, too. Working effectively in the workplace requires you to communicate with clients and coworkers; experiencing hearing loss can make that difficult.
The Impact of Hearing Loss at Work
Hearing loss can make a job that you once loved and exceled at feel challenging and frustrating. That’s because hearing loss requires your brain to work harder to discern important sounds—such as conversations—from background sounds. This can be tiring, and it requires immense focus. It can begin to take a toll and impact how well you perform your daily work tasks. This can be extremely stressful.
If you are frequently mishearing your coworkers, you may be more likely to misunderstand what they’re asking of you. That can lead to missed deadlines and unmet expectations, which can all lead to conflict or profit loss. It’s important you take steps to remove the communication barrier.
Inform your Coworkers
Ultimately, your hearing impairment should not have to play a role in how effective you are at your job or how comfortable you feel performing it. If you feel comfortable, open up to your coworkers about your hearing impairment and talk to them about ways you can communicate effectively with one another. This can include holding meetings in a private, quiet conference room instead of a loud public space, speaking clearly, and facing each other while you talk. When possible, schedule in-person meetings rather than Zoom calls or phone calls. In-person meetings will allow you to read lips and understand facial expressions and body cues. All these strategies can help improve workplace communication and avoid conflict.
Move your Desk
The office layout may be causing unnecessary barriers for you. If you work in an open space, you may be easily distracted by background noise. If you’re in a high-traffic area, you may be exposed to a lot of passing conversations and other noises. This can be incredibly distracting. See if you can move to quieter part of the office to avoid distractions.
Hearing Aids
Hearing aids offer countless benefits to a number of individuals who suffer from a hearing impairment. If you have hearing loss that is mild or moderate, hearing aids can be a great way to help you focus and perform better in the workplace. Your audiologist will work with you to ensure you have the proper hearing aids to give you an optimal hearing experience.
If you’ve ever had to strain to hear a conversation or you’ve pretended to hear something a coworker said, it’s time to explore your hearing aid options. At Amdahl Hearing, we’re happy to provide the support and resources you need to get your life back.