Hearing loss at work: Employer insights
12 million people of working age have some form of hearing loss. They are also more likely to be unemployed, face daily challenges at work due to a lack of support, and be at risk of early retirement.
Our report explores the gaps in knowledge and resources that employers felt impacts their ability to support staff with hearing loss, and how these gaps might be addressed.
It highlights differences between views from senior leaders and those in operational management roles, and gives some key recommendations for how organisations can start to take action.
Download the report for free.
Highlights
The report highlights four key lessons:
Lack of disclosure of hearing loss in the workplace makes it difficult to address
The issue of disclosure featured heavily in the roundtable discussions. The senior leaders we spoke to were very concerned that the levels of staff formally disclosing a hearing loss were very low, compared to the suggested prevalence rates.
Role-modelling by senior leaders is critical
The roundtable feedback demonstrated that senior leaders are critical in role-modelling positive acceptance of hearing loss at work.
Lack of confidence among line managers prevents action from being taken
The role of line managers is becoming ever more complex, as they need to be able to navigate and support diversity and inclusion issues within their
teams.
Organisations need a range of support to achieve results
From training to resources and signposting; it’s clear that employers need different types of support across an organisation to achieve results.
Recommendations
The report draws out four recommendations that support employers across the UK to improve the experiences of deaf people and those with hearing loss and tinnitus at work.