REWARD
Andy Shanks, co-founder of Eargym discusses the importance of looking after our hearing, and implications for businesses and individuals where this doesn’t happen Love your hearing
W hen was the last time you had a hearing test? You probably remember getting your eyes and teeth checked recently, but not your ears. Research shows that unaddressed hearing loss could increase the rate of cognitive decline by up to 40%, so why are we not doing more? It’s far too easy to dismiss hearing loss, thinking it’s something that only affects us in later life, but this isn’t the case at all. In the UK, one in six adults of working age are affected, costing the UK economy £25 billion in lost productivity and unemployment every year 1 . These numbers are on the rise, too. The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts that by 2050, one in four of us will be impacted by hearing loss. How does our hearing affect us? One of the first signs of hearing loss is a difficulty to understand what is being said. We can still hear the conversations around us, but it becomes harder to apply meaning to what we hear. This is particularly challenging in the workplace and social settings where there are lots of distractions competing for our attention. When we’re struggling to hear, it can become a source of stress in both personal and professional life. It’s very common to feel isolated when we’re struggling to keep up with conversations, as we worry about missing out or feel anxious about under-performing. Compounded with an
hearing loss from noisy workplaces. The WHO estimates that 16% of hearing loss in adults results from exposure to excessive noise levels in the workplace 3 . But not all noisy workplaces look the same. The rise of remote working and noisy, shared office spaces means more people are using headphones at work than ever before. Often people turn the sound up to block out background noise, not knowing that headphone misuse has the potential to permanently damage your hearing. With 50% of young adults now at risk of avoidable hearing loss from noise exposure, there’s a very real duty of care for employers to educate their teams about good hearing health practices 4 . Clearly, it’s never been more important to take hearing health seriously. Hearing loss is not an age issue, it’s an awareness issue As more people are staying in the workforce for longer, helping employees care for their hearing health is now an essential part of human resources (HR) and a growing inclusivity challenge. So, why does hearing health need to be on your team’s agenda? It could help you attract and retain the right people Creating a more inclusive workplace where the health and well-being of your team are paramount is not only a commercially viable thing to do, but it can help you
increased listening effort, this can leave us feeling drained and have a huge toll on our mental well-being. But even more surprisingly, unaddressed hearing loss is correlated with social isolation, mild cognitive impairment and could increase the risk of dementia by up to five times 2 . “Currently, hearing loss costs the UK economy £25 billion in lost productivity, sick days and early retirement / recruitment costs every year” Why is hearing health important in the workplace? Good communication stems from being a good listener and this is an essential skill in any workplace. Taking meaning from what we hear is key to building relationships, working efficiently as a team and providing good customer service. When we struggle with our hearing, it can lead to miscommunications, feelings of fatigue and frustration and even increase loneliness. Lots of workers may be at risk of
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | September 2023 | Issue 93 36
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