Discussing Hearing Problems with Older Employees
Posted on September 22, 2009
Filed Under General |
It can be a delicate business, bringing up hearing problems with an older employee. Many people tend to be resistant to believing their hearing is going as they age. That’s why it’s so common to see older people who refuse to wear their hearing aids, or keep them turned down all the time, forcing everyone who talks to them to speak loudly and repeat things frequently.
Of course, that kind of behavior isn’t good for business, so it’s important to bring it up if you think hearing problems are making it difficult for your older employee to do his or her job correctly.
You can’t really require that an older employee go to a hearing clinic, but you can definitely bring up to them the fact that their hearing seems to be affecting their quality of work. Theoretically, if you bring up your concerns and make it clear that their job performance is suffering, most people should be able to make the connection themselves and go see a doctor uncoerced.
The Americans with Disabilities Act makes it illegal to discriminate against someone with a disability, as long as they can still do the important parts of the job. This is another part of why the topic of hearing problems is such a delicate one. However, you are only required to make concessions for your disabled employees that do not pose an undue hardship — and only if they request it. So if your employee is still refusing to get help, and their hearing problems are significantly affecting the quality of their work, you are not obligated to continue to employ them.
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