Listening to sound advice
WE’RE OFTEN given advice on our wellbeing at work, notably mental health, while many employers even offer free eye tests, especially if we spend many hours staring at a screen.
But so often overlooked is our hearing, even though it’s essential, whether for video calls and phone calls, serious meetings or relaxed client catch-ups.
Employers – as well as employees – seem to place little, if any, importance on our ability to hear well and yet the consequences for individuals, businesses and the wider economy are huge.
Hearing loss affects one in five UK adults yet only a quarter of us realise just how widespread it is, and how it can be due to a number of reasons, either age (40 per cent of over-50s have some degree of hearing loss), genetic factors or prolonged exposure to loud noises.
WHAT IT MEANS
Lower quality of life, lost productivity and unemployment from hearing loss costs the UK economy an estimated £25 billion per year. People who suffer from some degree of hearing loss are paid less, on average, and tend to retire earlier.
Hearing loss is linked to sleeping disorders, social isolation and even depression and anxiety, any one of which can have serious consequences on workplace stress and wellbeing.
Yet, 89 per cent of UK employees with hearing loss say that it’s never been discussed as a wellbeing issue at work.
FIGHTING THE STIGMA
Hearing loss is a sensitive issue as it is often associated with getting old.
Even though not all cases of hearing loss are age-related, those that are can start as early as our 40s.
We’re three times more likely to get our eyes tested than our ears, despite overwhelming evidence that early action on hearing can lead to a happier, healthier life.
THE NEXT STEP
Hidden Hearing is a specialist in hearing and hearing aids with more than 300 clinics across England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands.
For more information about hearing loss in the workplace, download a free e-guide Love Your Ears At Work at hiddenhearing.co.uk/work. The website also has a free, five-minute hearing test.