Birmingham man says undiagnosed hearing loss caused anxiety at work
It's as new stats reveal hearing loss affects 4.4 million of the country's workforce
Last updated 10th Nov 2024
A Birmingham man says undiagnosed-hearing loss led to him feeling anxious at work and at greater risk of accidents.
It's as new stats reveal hearing loss affects 4.4 million of the UK’s workforce with two fifths who retire early saying it was one of the causes.
Chris Kent, who's from Sutton Coldfield and works in events, tells us how hearing loss has impacted him at work.
"I work in an environment where things very much have to be done quickly, so you'd have carpet fitters shouting at me because I was on the carpet and I couldn't hear them properly.
"You've got people asking you to move out the way when they've got a forklift and you're again not hearing that," he says.
"It was difficult because it's something you're embarrassed about if you're asking people to repeat themselves a lot. It also then created anxiety for when I was going into meetings," he says."
The report by Specsavers also found 35% of employees face hearing difficulties at work, but most haven’t had their hearing checked.
It found hearing loss could sometimes lead to changes in treatment by employers, exclusion from meetings, and job performance concerns.
Chris says he thinks employers could do more to help their staff with hearing loss.
"A lot of employers offer to pay for eye tests for their employees, and I think there could be that sort of offer around hearing tests as well."
He tells us having hearing aids fitted made a huge difference.
"When I'm in meetings or presentations I can hear people more clearly - it's made a huge difference.
"The moment I put the hearing aid in I could hear things so much more clearly and it made me realise what I'd been missing."
Chris says he thinks more could be done to reduce the stigma around hearing loss.
"I think there is an embarrassment around not being able to hear but also wearing a hearing aid as well. There could be campaigns to highlight it can be cool and trendy."