Talking to your employer about hearing loss

If you have hearing loss, it can be helpful to speak to your employer so they can get you the support and equipment you need at work.

Signs of hearing loss at work

If your hearing loss develops slowly over time, you may not realise it has an impact on your work straight away.

You might find that you:

have difficulties following what people say during meetings
often ask colleagues to repeat themselves
often misunderstand what is being said
find it hard to understand speech over the phone
avoid socialising with colleagues
often get confused about which direction sound is coming from

You can take our 3-minute online hearing check to find out if you have hearing loss and what to do next.

Telling your employer about your hearing loss

Making your employer aware of your hearing loss gives them the opportunity to support you.

Try to find a time and place where you feel comfortable to talk to your manager directly. It can be helpful to share:

examples of how your hearing loss affects you at work
how you prefer to communicate, and what would make it easier for you
what others can do to make you feel included and supported

It’s up to you how much you share. If you decide to speak to your manager or HR department, anything you tell them is confidential, and you should agree with them if any information will be shared further.

Ask your manager about the next steps to make sure you get the support you need. This could include:

exploring what adjustments could be made to help you in your role
getting a workplace assessment – a specialist can visit your workplace and suggest adjustments and equipment to help you
applying to the Access to Work scheme to help pay for things like equipment or communication support
writing down any support or changes that you need – you could do this using an Adjustment Passport

If your employer does not offer you support

Your employer has legal responsibilities to support you in the workplace. They must make reasonable adjustments so that you’re not at a disadvantage.

If they do not support you or give you access to the same opportunities as others because of your hearing loss, this could be discrimination.

There are steps you can take to try to resolve the issue.

Step 1: Raise your concerns informally

Discuss the issue with your manager, or with your HR department. Ask about your employer’s policy on supporting employees with a disability or health condition.

Raise your concerns about how they’ve responded to your hearing loss, and explain how you need them to support you.

If you’re a member of a trade union, you can also speak to your union representative for support. They can come with you to meetings to make sure your employer is following the law.

Step 2: Request a mediation meeting

If talking to your employer does not solve the issue, you can ask for a mediation meeting. This is where a neutral third party, called a mediator, helps both sides to agree on a solution.

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, find out about mediation through ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service).

If you live in Northern Ireland, find out about mediation through the Labour Relations Agency.

Step 3: Make a formal complaint

You can complain using your employer’s internal complaints or grievance system.

If you follow these steps and still aren’t happy with the outcome, you could consider taking your case to an employment tribunal.

This can be a long and stressful process. It’s best to get advice from an organisation specialising in disability or employment law before going to the tribunal.

You can contact these organisations for free advice or search for a local adviser:

Contact us

If you are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus and need free confidential and impartial information and support, contact RNID.

We’re open 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.