Smooth Operations Thanks to Technical Support and Understanding Colleagues
People with hearing loss face unique challenges in the workplace. In addition to technical requirements, their coworkers play a particularly important role.
Katharina Heinrich, a certified industrial clerk, works as a financial and payroll accountant at Cineplex Marburg—and is severely hard of hearing. Although a great deal of information comes together there and much of it is communicated by phone, she is able to perform her duties to the great satisfaction of her colleagues and supervisors.
It’s Not Just About the Technology
This is made possible by both her modern hearing aids and a specially adapted telephone system. “But technology isn’t the only thing that’s important for communication; employees and supervisors should also pay attention to certain things to ensure reliable communication,” explains Petra Hampe, a counselor for people with hearing loss at the Integration Service (FID). She has been advising Katharina Heinrich for several years now and also helped her secure the job at the Cineplex.
“Since hearing aids do not yet fully replace the ability of our ears, people with hearing loss always need to see the speaker’s mouth movements while listening in order to understand what is being said. For employees, this means they should speak clearly, choose a quiet environment, and face the person with hearing loss,” explains Hampe.
“Everything is running as usual”
Thanks to technology and the consideration shown by her colleagues, Katharina Heinrich is able to do her job well. This is also confirmed by Marion Closmann, managing director of Cineplex Marburg: “With the support of technology, the assistance and tips from the IFD, and after some time to adjust, our new colleague’s hearing loss is no longer an issue in our day-to-day operations. Everything is running as usual.”
Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common occupational disease
Even though Katharina Heinrich did not develop hearing loss as a result of her job, noise-induced hearing loss is considered the most commonly recognized occupational disease in Germany. And this is despite the fact that effective preventive measures exist. Peter Hammelbacher, an acoustics expert at the Wood and Metal Workers’ Compensation Association (BGHM), attributes this primarily to the fact that hearing is often impaired by noise over many years without the affected person even noticing a change. That’s why many people don’t start worrying about their hearing until it’s far too late. By then, the hearing loss is often already irreversible, since the dead hair cells in the inner ear do not regrow.
Noise prevention avoids long-term damage
That is why it is important to protect your ears proactively. There are hardly any excuses for not doing so. After all, there is appropriate hearing protection available for every type of noise exposure in the workplace. However, care must be taken to ensure that hearing protection is worn correctly and at all times when the employee is in a noisy area. But even when things get loud in your personal life, you should use hearing protection.
You can learn more about the importance of hearing for our work in our article “Getting Tired of Hearing at Work.” Read here to find out how hearing aids can make it easier to land your dream job.
