Personal Advancement
Bad hearing could cost youWorkers with hearing problems are losing more than snippets of conversation; they're losing money. |
|
 [ 2007-06-13 ] |
To find out, take this test by eCareerFit, the career assessment experts.
© 2007 Jupiterimages Corporation
Two-thirds of people who suffer from hearing loss are below retirement age and still working. If you're one of them, trying to hide or ignore the problem could cost you, a new study found.
Untreated hearing loss, depending on severity, cut household income by an average of nearly $23,000 per year, according to the study by the not-for-profit Better Hearing Institute.
Hearing loss prevents employees from fully engaging in meetings and conversation, which fuels anger, instability and anxiety, while giving co-workers the impression that they're less competent, said Sergei Kochkin, the institute's executive director.
People with untreated hearing problems are more likely to work into their 70s and 80s because lower salaries along the way add up to thinner retirement and investment savings in the end, Kochkin said.
The use of hearing aids mitigated the effects of hearing loss on income by about 50%, the survey found.
"Hearing loss is much more noticeable than hearing aids," Kochkin said.
How many hours a week do you work?