Replication of an experiment simulating working with hearing difficulties.

Workers were left amazed after participating in an unexpected experiment, which aimed to simulate the challenges of dealing with hearing difficulties in the workplace. They were provided with specially designed earplugs that partially impeded their hearing and then asked to engage in everyday office scenarios to gauge the extent of the impact on their ability to interact with colleagues.

Wearing the earplugs, they were measured on how much of the office conversation they could comprehend. This experiment was carried out under Hidden Hearing’s Love Your Ears campaign, aimed at raising awareness of hearing issues in the workplace. Dr. Hilary Jones, a medical broadcaster and GP was present on the set to witness the social experiment take place.

He commented that “hearing difficulties can significantly influence the way colleagues interact with each other. It can undermine self-confidence, create anxiety, and interfere with one’s professional development and ability to pursue career advancement. The experiment revealed how participants missed vital details, negatively affecting their behavioral and emotional well-being. They felt insecure and surprised that they withdrew from conversations occurring around them.”

According to research, one out of five employees finds it difficult to hear everything said in critical meetings and believes that hearing issues have hindered their progress at work. Among the 2,000 workers surveyed, 34% reported struggling to understand what their colleagues said in meetings, attributed to background noise (38%), people mumbling (36%), or speaking softly (33%). Only 41% would be willing to raise concerns about this difficulty during the meeting. The remaining 40% of people would refrain from bringing it up, fearing that others would perceive them as inattentive.

Additionally, 37% of people would not want to offend anyone, 29% would be too shy to request a repeat, 28% felt perplexed, while others felt concerned (23%), worried (20%), shy (16%), or irritated (17%). Although 21% of the survey respondents feared that hearing problems had hindered their career growth, only 35% of staff had received a check-up by healthcare professionals. Among them, 22% had hearing loss or believed they had hearing loss that required help.

Dr. Hilary said, “Hearing loss is more common in the UK workforce than people understand, impacting 40% of individuals aged over 50, and has increased incidence among young adults in their 30s and 40s.

One out of eight working-aged people suffers from hearing loss, and many struggle to hear in conversations or avoid mentioning it, which can affect stress, job satisfaction, and productivity. People with impaired hearing typically earn less and retire before their peers.”

The survey revealed that 16% said they never had to ask their colleagues to speak louder or repeat themselves at work. Approximately, 61% worried about their hearing some of the time, while 10% were concerned all of the time. Three out of ten employees felt that their workplace culture did not address issues such as hearing. Dr. Hilary suggested that employers and employees could follow a seven-step action plan found in the new Better Hearing at Work guide in support of the Love Your Ears campaign to promote better hearing in the workplace. If individuals observe changes in their hearing at work, they should get tested and talk about it openly.