Help employees with hearing loss unleash their superpowers!

Wondering how to help an employee with hearing loss? Here are 10 simple and cost-effective ways you can unlock their superpowers and help them thrive at work. Follow these and in return you’ll get a happy and productive employee with a particular set of skills that will be an asset to any team.

1. Treat employees with hearing loss as you would do any other employee – with the same high expectations about what they are capable of achieving.
2. Make simple adjustments to help them manage their hearing loss. They don’t need to be expensive and can be as simple as talking to them via email rather than the phone, or arranging remote captioning for a conference call.
3. Review where they sit. If the office is open plan are they right next to the staff member who talks loudly non-stop? Is the space behind their chair the main thoroughfare for everyone on the floor?
4. Keep the team bond strong by involving your employee with hearing loss in all conversations, whether they’re social or work-related. The same goes for impromptu drinks or lunch breaks.
5. Give them first choice of chairs in any meetings so they can position themselves best to see and hear everyone.
6. Update your meeting etiquette. Circulate an agenda beforehand, and appoint a chair to make sure people speak one at a time. It’s not just those with hearing loss who will benefit.
7. If their hearing loss is making meetings really challenging, offer your employee remote captioning. The meeting will be streamed live to your employee’s phone, tablet or laptop plus you’ll all benefit from a real-time transcript emailed afterwards.
8. Think health and safety. Does your employee need a pager or flashing light to ‘hear’ the fire alarm?
9. Check in with your employee regularly, say at monthly reviews, to ensure they’re managing ok. Some employees with hearing loss don’t feel comfortable asking for more help, but would take it if offered.
10. Offer mentoring with someone outside your team who your employee trusts and feels comfortable with. If you don’t have a programme in place, consider using 121 Captions who specialises in supporting employees with hearing loss.

We know that you’ll want to make these changes from the goodness of your heart and out of respect for your employee. But just in case someone else queries why they should change how they work for the sake of an employee with hearing loss, here are the amazing things that a few adjustments can unlock:

• A happy and productive employee.
• A team member whose hearing loss means they are expert at finding solutions to problems.
• A member of staff who is independent, flexible and adaptable and has learnt through hearing loss to take responsibility for themselves.
• Gratitude for the adjustments you continue to make for them, demonstrated through excellent work and loyalty to the organisation.

What one small change could you make today that would cost you nothing, but mean the world to an employee with hearing loss?