Several years ago, I went to a meeting of SHRM professionals (Society for Human Resource Management) and asked what accommodations they had for the people in their organizations that have hearing loss. They all answered that their organizations didn’t have any people with hearing loss.
Statistically I know that’s not possible. Twenty percent of our population has hearing loss, and of that 20%, 60% are in the workforce. So, 12%* of our workforce has some degree of hearing loss. Contrary to the stereotype, hearing loss is not just an “old” people’s thing. Hearing Loss is in the workplace.
I was one of the 12%. People may have noticed my hearing aids or wondered why I said “what” so often. But since I didn’t self-identify and ask for accommodations, it went under the radar.
Would I have improved my sales performance and so my company’s bottom line if I was up front about my hearing loss and asked for some accommodations? Of course, I’ll never know, but thinking back on events, I bet I would have.
Improve productivity through self-identification and accommodations
One situation especially comes to mind. As I used the phone in our office to follow up with customers a few days a week, I could have asked for some accommodations. But no. Instead, I stayed in an open office where it was noisy and challenging to hear. If it was too noisy, I just held back on my phone calls, losing productivity. You can read more about that here.
Based on the feedback I got from SHRM, I know that people with hearing loss seldom go to HR and ask for accommodations. I’m not even talking about expensive accommodations but simple ones, like asking people to look at them when they speak or to be placed in a quiet room if they need to make phone calls? Why?
I know for myself, I was scared – always scared that people would associate me with the negative stereotypes of those with hearing loss as being not quite as smart or “out of it”. Of course, today I realize they may have wondered why I asked them to repeat themselves so often or misheard them. Many times they probably thought I was “out of it”.
Laws and Openness for Hearing Loss in the Workplace
The ADA became law over 30 years ago putting people with disabilities on the radar. It was a great first step, but more needed to be done. In 2021, President Biden made Executive Order 14035 which added Accessibility to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Management, be it the CEO, HR, DEI manager or the manager of departments or groups, are the ones who set the tone for people to feel safe to self-identify. When they feel safe to self-identify, they are more likely to ask for accommodations. The end result is a more productive and a content workforce.
What about your organization? Do people with disabilities feel safe to self-identify?
References for Hearing Loss in the Workplace
Hearing Loss Statistics: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
