Communication is crucial in the workplace. With staff scattered across various locations, everyone communicates in a way that is easier for them.
But what if not all staff are comfortable with calls and voice notes? With my hearing loss, this lack of accommodation causes misunderstandings and unnecessary delays.
I work at a small business with a unique setup. I work alone from a small office. My boss and his wife run the branch in another province. The managers all work on site.
Inside the World of an Employee with Hearing Loss
You would think that is heaven for an introvert with hearing loss. There are many benefits. It is quiet, and I can manage and schedule my work. I don’t have the daily activity and noise from working with others. It is more of an occasional burst of activity when a site manager shows up to pick up some forms or collect the workers’ payslips.
But there are many challenges.
It is as if everybody lives on their own planet, focusing only on their responsibilities and blind to how their actions affect others. I hear from my boss or his wife occasionally when they need my help with tasks, like completing claim forms or typing letters.
This physical setup and lack of communication create a sense of isolation. When you lose connection with people, you forget who they are. It is then easy for your mind to run rampant and overthink situations. You doubt yourself and your role in the business. You feel you make no difference, and you don’t matter.
Struggling with Phone Calls
Phone calls have always been a struggle, but have lately become even more challenging after my last hearing aid upgrade. My boss’s wife often leaves me voice notes or calls me on WhatsApp. My boss prefers to call me directly. I can manage WhatsApp calls on my laptop and direct calls on speakerphone. But they don’t realise how much focus and concentration it takes and how exhausted it leaves me.
Explaining how Hearing Aids Work
I have explained my new hearing aids and the six-month adjustment period to them. I have also casually mentioned it during conversations. Even a WhatsApp message explaining how I struggled on the phone was read and ignored.
That is my reality. I work for a company that expects me to perform, but with no regard for my challenges. As an introvert, it is easier to keep quiet than to confront. I fight my battles alone.
Listening Fatigue and the Mental Toll
And still I show up. I fight the anxiety, depression, and sense of futility. I rein in my thoughts and focus on my daily tasks. But in those moments of fretful activity, battling to catch offhand remarks thrown at me, I despair, asking myself: “Is this really worth it?”
When people make you feel small and disregard your struggles, should you stay?
Many people with hearing loss face similar workplace challenges. Besides communication struggles, people don’t understand the exhaustion of focused listening and the effects of noise fatigue.
For them, listening is automatic, and they don’t realise we first have to switch to listening mode, which often causes us to miss the first part of a conversation. Stress, fatigue, and illness affect our hearing, and a bad hearing day is usually followed by another the next day due to cognitive overload.
Accommodation Requests and Advocacy
The transcription function on your phone’s keyboard is useful when you are in a rush. You can still speak, but the person with hearing loss will receive a written message. Written communication means we don’t miss critical details, and it lets us clarify anything we don’t understand. When we get tired from listening effort, allow us to take quiet breaks to recover.
Constant educating and advocating also takes a toll, and when accommodation requests are consistently ignored, it leads to intense emotional fatigue. It is easy to give up and withdraw, engaging in only the most essential conversations, meetings, and events. But the resilience built through many years of living with hearing loss won’t let you.
A Gentle Reminder to Care for Yourself
You find peace and comfort in your daily rhythms.
Your first cup of coffee. A short walk to stretch your legs. Journaling to calm your thoughts.
It is these daily rituals that keep you grounded.
Be kind to yourself. Take time to rest. Embrace your unique strengths.
Tomorrow, you’ll rise again — Rambo style.
