16 May 2012
America's Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is raising
awareness of the importance of addressing hearing problems, in
recognition of May being Better Hearing month.
In a recent press release (April 16th), the BHI drew attention
to the financial and emotional costs of unaddressed hearing
problems for workers.
In America, over 34 million people currently experience hearing
loss and 60 per cent of these are workers, therefore, the BHI has
urged employers to include hearing health in their initiatives to
maintain the health of their workforce.
The cost of hearing problems is clear: research reveals that
workers with hearing loss are absent more frequently than those
without. The BHI believes this is because it takes up a lot of an
employee's energy to compensate for the difficulties they face as a
result of their hearing problem.
In addition to increased absenteeism, on-going research has also
connected hearing loss to a drop in productivity when employees
aren't present in the workplace.
The BHI says hearing loss in the workplace should be addressed
in order combat a lack of morale, threats to personal safety, and
poor job performance that can be associated with the condition.
BHI's executive director Sergei Kochkin PhD said: "Hearing
loss is far more serious than people realise. When left
unaddressed, hearing loss negatively affects virtually every aspect
of an individual's life. In the workplace especially, this can take
a significant toll in terms of stress, dampened morale, lost
productivity, weakened performance, and diminished earnings."
On a more positive note, he added: "In the vast majority of
cases, hearing aids do help."
If you think you may have a hearing loss why not take our
online hearing check questionnaire or make an
appointment to have a free hearing test at your nearest
Amplifon branch.
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