workWorkplace Tips

When hearing loss isn’t recognised or supported, people can miss key information, feel left out of chats and meetings, and become tired from constant listening effort. Inclusive communication isn’t just “being nice” – it’s part of good teamwork, professional behaviour, and equality under the Equality Act 2010.

You might notice that a colleague:

• Struggles to follow fast group discussions or noisy meetings.
• Often asks for repetition or says “sorry, I missed that”.
• Avoids social events where sound is chaotic (after‑work drinks, busy cafés).
• Watches your lips or face closely when you talk.

These can be signs of hearing loss, not of disinterest or poor performance.

If you want to offer support:

• Choose a private moment: Pick a calm, 1-to-1 setting rather than asking in front of others.
• Focus on solutions: Ask: “Are there any changes that would make meetings easier to follow?”
• Avoid assumptions or jokes: Keep the tone professional, supportive, and kind.
• Ask what works: Lipreading, captions, written summaries, sitting in a specific spot, or assistive technology (e.g. Phonak Roger mics).

• Get their attention and face them: Say their name or catch their eye before speaking. Face them directly; don’t talk while turning away or walking off. Keep your mouth visible – avoid covering it with hands, hair, or objects.
• Keep speech clear and natural: Speak at a normal pace and volume; shouting or over‑slow speech can distort lip shapes. Use everyday words and short sentences; rephrase if they don’t understand rather than just repeating. Pause after key points to give time for processing.
• Reduce background noise when you can: For 1‑to‑1 conversations, move to a quieter space with good lighting. In open‑plan offices, avoid talking right next to loud equipment or busy walkways. In meetings, ask people not to talk over each other and to mute microphones on video calls when not speaking.
• Use visual support: Share written agendas and slides before and during meetings so colleagues can follow the structure. Summarise decisions in writing – email, chat message or shared document – after the meeting. Use captions in video calls where available.

Meetings can be the hardest part of the workday for someone with hearing loss:

• Pre-meeting sound check: Start by checking: “Can everyone hear OK? Anything we can adjust before we begin?”
• Sightlines: Sit or arrange seating so the colleague can see the main speakers and any presentations clearly.
• Agree turn‑taking: One person speaking at a time; the chair can invite people to speak rather than letting conversation overlap.
• Meeting chat box: Use the chat box in video calls to repeat key figures, dates and decisions, which are easy to mishear.

The UK Government’s Access to Work grant can fully fund workplace assistive listening devices and software for employees with hearing loss:

Wireless Table Microphones (Roger On)

Places directly on meeting room tables to beam speech straight into hearing aids while filtering office hum.

AI Live Transcription & Meeting Notes

Real-time automated captions and meeting summaries via Otter.ai, Microsoft Teams, and Google Live Transcribe.