After a client event, my coworkers and I went for a group dinner. The restaurant was crowded and noisy. But only one of my colleagues knew about my hearing loss. 

Halfway through our dinner, my colleague turned to me and said, “You can’t hear a thing, can you?” To which I replied, “No.”

I am far from alone in this experience. Around 40 million Americans over the age of 20 have some level of hearing loss, and that statistic is on the rise. But as organizations continue to require workers to return to the office, the options for those with hearing loss, such as turning up the volume on their computers during virtual meetings, or wearing headphones and other assistive devices, are more complex. 

For those with some form of hearing loss, this return to an in-office environment, filled with large spaces and poor auditory surroundings along with the stigma that comes with hearing deficits, is a veritable minefield of stress and anxiety. These challenges make it more difficult to do your job to the best of your ability. 

But it doesn’t have to be like this. If you know or think that your work colleague has some sort of hearing issue, there are strategies to help them not only cope with their challenges, but to thrive in the workplace by being a supportive colleague. “Having an office environment where everyone can hear and communicate clearly, goes to the health of the company,” says audiologist Heather Malyuk. “And a healthy company is one where people are more productive and happier.”

If you haven’t experienced a hearing issue, it can be difficult to approach someone who you think does. But it is important to make all workers feel supported. An organization with good communication—including hearing—is one where everyone is on a level playing field. 

I interviewed leading audiologists and workers with hearing challenges to better understand how we can build workplaces that empower workers with hearing loss to succeed. Here are four ways you can support your colleague hearing loss.

Educate yourself about hearing loss

The first step of better supporting your colleagues with hearing loss is to educate yourself about hearing loss. For instance, if you notice a coworker is having difficulty hearing you (maybe they keep asking you to repeat yourself) you might want to research different hearing loss conditions. That way you can better support them, without asking them to educate you. 

You can also attend an audiologist yourself. Even a mild cold can impact hearing, and a hearing test with an audiologist is not only a great way to check on your own hearing health, but it’s also an opportunity to educate yourself on audiology issues. As data demonstrates, most people don’t disclose their hearing loss at work, so an audiology visit is a great place to share your observations and ask questions about hearing loss and how you can help. 

Provide support, not pity 

The stress and stigma around hearing loss can be significant. No one wants to feel like they are at a professional disadvantage due to a hearing deficiency. So it is best to approach your colleague with care and support, while being mindful that they might not want to recognize (or disclose) their own hearing loss. 

A friend of mine, who asked to remain anonymous and works in the legal and compliance field, who also has a hearing impairment, explained to me that in a professional setting, it can be hard to advocate for yourself. “No one likes to admit that kind of vulnerability and risk being excluded from important conversions and opportunities,” he says. 

And a colleague recently shared a story about being at a leadership meeting in a conference room where she struggled to hear what was going on. Such rooms, generally speaking, are acoustic minefields because they typically lack noise absorbing materials. After her presentation, a peer asked her a question, to which she responded, “I’m sorry, I can’t quite hear you.” When he repeated his question, she once again shared how she could not hear his query. The third time, he opened with “Well, let’s hope the third time’s a charm.” 

This kind of dismissive language demonstrates why those with hearing loss struggle and feel stigmatized in the workplace. But after speaking with my colleague about her experience, I asked how she would have reacted if someone approached her after that exchange and attempted to address the issue. For instance, you could share that you also had difficulties hearing, and could offer to speak with management in advance and ensure that there are microphones during the next meeting.

That approach would have made her more confident for the next meeting, and would have relieved her sense of isolation, in that a peer and friend experienced the same auditory challenge. Remember, if you are even mildly struggling to hear, your colleague with hearing loss is really struggling, so nothing prevents you from proactively sharing with your peer that you also experienced the same sub-optional conditions, and that you plan to take action.  

But it does not always have to be about a conference room. You might notice a friend isolating in their cubicle, with headphones on all day and not being very communicative. That might or might not be indicative of a hearing issue. But there is no harm in saying something like, “Wow, those are such cool headphones. Tell me more about them. I’m not a big fan of the ones I use on virtual meetings, so would love to hear more about your experience.” That conversation just might be an opener for your work friend to share that those devices assist with their hearing, and your approach will not only demonstrate camaraderie and care, but will also provide you with awareness for opportunities to help in the future.

As demonstrated, thinking in advance as to how you can approach your coworker to offer support without imposing yourself, or invading someone’s desire for privacy, is critical to showing support while not making someone feel like they are somehow professionally struggling or less capable.  

Don’t keep support a secret 

Today, there are great support resources teams can offer workers with hearing loss, including speech to text apps and hearing health benefits. The challenge is that there is not often sensitivity and knowledge that these tools and technologies exist. If your organization does offer support for those who are hearing impaired, approach management to discuss how to increase awareness. There are also external peer support groups to help those with hearing loss, so consider asking management to advertise those as well. 

Audiologist Craig A. Kasper tells me that workplace improvements don’t always need to be overly complex. It can be as simple as “including some soft surfaces—think big cushions, carpet, and sound absorbing tiles—in meeting rooms to make for a much better listening environment.”

To be sure, there are also technical and assistive support devices including amplified telephones, as well as microphones that stream to hearing aids, which are also extremely helpful, and this technology continues to significantly advance. Making sure that everyone knows about these resources and doing whatever you can to improve awareness, isn’t just about hearing. 

“It’s about inclusivity and showing that you care by having a workplace where everyone has an opportunity to communicate effectively,” says Malyuk.

Communicating and hearing are partners 

When we think of someone with hearing loss we may frame the challenge in terms of the individual with the hearing issue, but might not consider our own communication skills. A colleague of mine once lamented to me that their supervisor is very soft spoken, and even though everyone on their team knows they have a hearing issue and are great at communicating with me, it still feels intimidating to ask a senior executive to speak up or repeat themselves.

Many leaders don’t appreciate how intimidating they might be and just assume that everyone understands. But as my colleague’s case demonstrates, that’s not always the case. And given the magnitude of important information being exchanged on any given day, the resulting consequences of the right people not getting those action items and not being able to act upon them could be significant.  

While you can’t necessarily change the audiological condition of your coworker, you can make them feel more empowered to speak up and ease their anxiety of listening, by considering the following  communication steps. 

First, you could have, what I call a “hearing preamble.” Shari Eberts, a hearing health advocate and author states that “as a leader, you have the opportunity to set your meeting up for success and to be the person who creates a communication environment that’s good for everyone.” For example, stay away from saying something like, “I have a loud voice so if you don’t mind, I’m not going to use the microphone.” Instead, you can say, “I know the sound here is not optimal. So if anyone needs to move around to align with the sound, feel free to do so now.”

Next, you can become an expert in any technology you are using. For example, if you are speaking virtually, test the distance between you and the microphone in advance to make sure it’s properly calibrated to your voice level.

Another thing you can do to support your colleagues with hearing loss is to consider your hands and mouth. Seeing someone speak is an important complement to hearing. So a good rule is to always make sure your audience can see your entire face while you speak. 

Lastly, leaders should set ground rules before any event to ensure all workers are able to participate. At interactive meetings with larger groups, for example, make it clear that questions will be asked via a microphone and if one is not available, have the main speaker repeat the question so everyone can hear it. Those with hearing challenges often cannot fully participate during Q&A sessions, so make sure that they are accessible to all workers. For virtual meetings, establish question protocols and turn on closed captions. 

While many of these strategies are geared towards those with hearing loss, they all can lead to stronger communication skills, inclusivity, and caring for employees. When we are better communicators, as both speakers and listeners, all of our interactions benefit. When we demonstrate that we want everyone to succeed, including those with hearing challenges, and that makes for a great work environment. Leading with empathy and kindness, and appreciating that all personnel deserve an opportunity to thrive, isn’t a hearing issue: it’s a healthy, happy and productive workplace issue. 

Fast Company

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