Hearing Loss in the Workplace: Tips, Rights, and Technology

Welcome back to the Peter Byrom Audiology blog! In this installment, we’re looking at hearing loss in the workplace. Hearing loss can be tricky at the best of times, but add meetings, open-plan offices, and background noise, and it can be really daunting.

In this blog, we’ll be exploring your rights, sharing tips and tricks, and highlighting some useful technology to help you navigate hearing loss at work.

Your Rights

First of all, it’s important to understand that your employer has a duty of care to make reasonable adjustments for you. What could these be?

• Adjusting Your Workspace: Consider if there is a quieter spot that would make hearing others easier.
• Communication Methods: Let your colleagues know you might be struggling. Would it help if they emailed rather than phoned you?
• Working From Home: Does your role allow for working from home from time to time?

The RNID has some great resources for yourself and your employer about making changes. You can check them out here.

Meetings

If all employers approached meetings considering the needs of those with hearing loss, we would all enjoy them more! Here are some suggestions:

• Streamlined Attendees: Do you really need to invite everyone? The more people present, the harder it can be to lipread.
• Meeting Etiquette: Establish house rules to ensure people aren’t talking over each other.
• Online Meetings: Can the meeting be moved online? Online meetings can be easier for those with hearing loss as they can stream the sound directly to their hearing aids.

What Can You Do for Yourself?

Make sure that you have given your audiologist as much detail as possible about your working environment. This helps us understand how best to fine-tune your hearing aids. We might add an extra programme or recommend additional devices to connect to your hearing aids. Let’s take a look at what technology could help in the work environment.

Technology

Using additional accessories can give a boost to your hearing aids' performance when you need it most. Here are a few of our favourites:

• Roger Table Mic from Phonak: This device is designed specifically for meetings and connects wirelessly to your hearing aids. Place the Table Mic in the middle of the table, and it will pick up all voices present and stream the sound directly to your hearing aids. You can use 2 or 3 in a network to cover larger spaces. Learn more here.
• Streamline Mic from Signia: For presentations by one speaker, a remote or lapel microphone can be very effective. The speaker clips it onto their top, and you’ll hear their voice directly into your hearing aids. Find out more here.

These are just two examples of the types of accessories available to support you in challenging work environments.

Funding

Think you might benefit from one of these accessories? Good news: there is funding available through the government’s Access To Work scheme. Check out if you are eligible for some support here.

In Clinic

Here in the clinic, we provide everything you need to succeed at work and at home regardless of your hearing loss. Do get in touch if you think we can help, but for now, it’s back to work!

Take care,

Peter & Nicole