Starting a new job can be an exciting yet stressful endeavor. If you have hearing loss, you may be wondering how to navigate your new role. Let’s look at a few ways you maximize your hearing ability and improve your confidence at work.
Use Hearing Aids To Improve Communication
One of the hardest parts about hearing loss is that it impairs your ability to understand speech and communicate with others. This can cause multiple complications in the workplace, from feeling worried you might miss important information at a company meeting to feeling nervous about not being able to converse with your coworkers when out to lunch at Baked Bistro and Pizza.
Hearing aids amplify speech and other sounds and help you to tune out background noise to focus on what you need to hear. They make it easier to communicate with others and allow you to feel confident when giving a presentation or talking with a supervisor.
If you already have hearing aids, make sure to wear them whenever you’re at work. If you have been putting off treating your hearing loss, make an appointment for a hearing test and get the help you need.
Know Your Rights
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that employers make reasonable accommodations to enable applicants and employees with hearing loss so that they enjoy equal employment opportunities unless doing so would be an undue hardship.
When it comes to having hearing loss, you may find it helpful if your employer provides:
- An assistive listening device
- Voice-to-text technology
- Situating you in a quieter part of the office with fewer distractions
- A captioned telephone or telephone headset
- Assistive computer software
If there is anything you feel that would help you perform your job better, don’t hesitate to talk it over with your supervisor or employer.
Communicate Your Hearing Needs With Your Coworkers
Even with the use of hearing aids or other assistive listening devices, there may be times when your hearing loss makes following conversations difficult. Both your employer and fellow coworkers want you to succeed in your role, so being honest with them about your hearing needs can be helpful. This can mean asking people to look directly at you when they speak so that you can read their lips or moving a meeting to a quieter location if possible.
Bottom Line
Hearing loss doesn’t have to hold you back at your new job. If you have questions or wish to have your hearing checked out by one of our experts, call Hampton Roads ENT ~ Allergy today.