Let Your Supervisor Know Of Your Hearing Needs

Noise is causing more and more Americans in the workforce to lose their hearing

. Loss of hearing is currently a problem for about 22 million Americans. In the next 25 years, 28% of working Americans are estimated to lost a certain part of their hearing, says the National Institute on Aging.

There are different reasons for why there are more cases of hearing loss in the workplace now. We live in a noisy environment, claims the director of career counseling and job placement services at the New York League for the hard of hearing.

More people are still full of life and don't retire until much later. Noise is just everywhere in the workplace.

A workplace is not complete without different machines and the noises they produce. These are not at levels above the limit, but they are factors above communication level.

The loudness of noise allowed in the workplace is 85 decibels. Several organizations provide assistance to the hearing impaired employees and their employers.

There are, she says, few things that hard of hearing people can't do in the workplace, and employers in most cases can easily accommodate them. Two possible things that can be done are to provide amplified phones and to put desks away from areas with lots of noise. Letting someone else answer the phone is also an idea.

Things like these have to be explained to the employer. Just because you are not being provided for to meet your needs doesn't mean that your supervisors don't care.

She instructs the employee to voice out what needs to be changed in office arrangements. If the employee needs a piece of equipment, such as a gain handset for the phone, he can find out model numbers and costs and pass that information to the supervisor for approval and action. In cases where areas can be too noisy, the employee can request to be transferred to a different work area.

The steps to job searching for the hearing impaired are not different, with the exception that their impairment may usually get in the way. She sees anxiety as a stumbling block. The person may think his occupations options would be limited and he is not sure what he wants to even do.

Making an appointment for an interview by phone is an obstacle the hearing impaired also has to face. There is also a question of when the applicant should bring into the open the fact that he has an impairment.

Fears of the established employee include losing the job and getting demoted. Choosing to hide the impairment, he may choose not to talk to other employees. His actions could be misinterpreted as being unmotivated.

The best way is to simply be open. She says that it is better to reveal the impairment during the interview instead of writing it on the resume.

The supervisor is unable to inquire about it, but the candidate can help clear the air by talking about it. Organizations provide employees with the opportunity to help educate their employers about the impact of hearing impairment. While employees receive help through workshops from the League, employers receive counsel from the same.

by: John Chambers

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