How to support deaf employees in the workplace

Today in the UK, more than 11 million people are living with hearing loss, ranging from partial to complete deafness.

With so many people suffering from hearing loss, it’s not unlikely that a medium-to-large company will have at least one employee who has difficulty hearing.

Unfortunately, research shows that more than half of employees with hearing loss put off telling their employer about it, for fear of a negative reaction.

But deafness need not be a barrier to a successful career, all that’s needed is understanding and support from managers and colleagues. A lack of understanding and support can lead to talented individuals missing out on job opportunities and promotions, which is just as harmful to the company as it is to the person.

Workplace assessments

Offering employees a workplace assessment will help identify simple changes you can make in the office to remove barriers so people can perform at their best.

An assessor looks at the employee’s needs and recommends the most appropriate support and equipment – usually, some very simple, low-cost adjustments that can make a big difference.

After these changes have been implemented, employers should schedule regular catch-ups with employees to check how the adjustments are working and whether or not they need amending.

The Equality Act 2010 states that employers are legally required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure their disabled employees are not at an unfair disadvantage while performing their tasks.

Many of these adjustments will be simple, so don’t panic about the cost of implementing these changes, just know that the long-term benefits are worth it.

Tips for improving the working environment

To help deaf employees and anyone with trouble hearing, there are a few simple things you can do to improve their work environment.

The acoustics in an office are a big issue, so any effort to minimize background noise or unnecessary sounds goes a long way.

Use soft furnishings such as carpets instead of hardwood, install acoustic panels, and fit rubber caps on chair and table legs to avoid squealing.

Where a person sits is also important, so position an employee with hearing loss in a work area that has good acoustics and where they can see the rest of the room. Many people find lipreading the easiest way to keep up, so adjust the layout of a meeting room and use good lighting to help everybody see each other clearly.

Although it’s nice for some to have background music or the radio playing, either turn this off or down. If someone really wants music, then they can use headphones.

Captions for meetings

The best thing a company can do for it’s deaf and hard of hearing employees is live captions.

Live captions are a transcription of what’s being said appearing across the bottom of a screen in real time. Usually there’s a stenographer in the room typing at an incredible 300 words per minute, but with remote captions, they can be anywhere in the world.

All the stenographer needs is a good internet connection and a microphone for the speaker. They simply listen to what’s being said and type it out really fast for everyone else to read.

With live captioning, deaf employees can keep up with their peers, feel welcomed in the office, and don’t have to stress about upcoming meetings.

If you think you can benefit from live captioning, then please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

Our friendly, professional staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.