Make working from home with hearing loss easier than ever.
Whether attending online classes for your school or university, working remotely from home, or starting up your own business, more people than ever are conducting at least part of their business or studies from home.
While we’ve all tried to “make do” during the pandemic, it may be time to upgrade your at-home arrangements to create a more productive, dedicated workspace as a permanent option.
If you’re working or studying from home with hearing loss, there are a few important factors to keep in mind when creating a hearing loss-friendly workspace. Try incorporating these features into your home office, and make working remotely less stressful:
- Noise-canceling headphones
- Good lighting (for you and your colleagues)
- A strong internet connection
- Notification system for chat and email
- Meeting recordings
Read on to learn more about each tip.
Noise-canceling headphones
Recommending noise-canceling headphones to a person with hearing loss may seem counterproductive, but excess background noise is one of the most challenging obstacles for anyone working from home, particularly when there are others in your household. For example, it can be more difficult to hear when someone in your family is watching TV, cooking, or taking their own work calls nearby. Noise-canceling headphones can block out ambient noise and help you to stay focused.
Also, ask fellow employees to use the mute feature during conference calls and video calls when they’re not speaking. That way, you do not have to sift through everyone’s background noise as you are trying to focus on the meeting.
Good lighting (for you and your colleagues)
If you use lip reading to help understand your colleagues, a grainy or dark video call won’t be much help. Ask that your co-workers arrange their video calls somewhere that’s well-lit and free from obstructions so you can collaborate effectively.
Good lighting is also good for you as well! You can help reduce your risk of eye strain and stay alert with a well-lit workspace.
In addition to good lighting, if the software for your video call has it, ask the moderator to turn on the closed captions so you can read anything you may miss.
A strong internet connection
Video calls help those with hearing loss follow along in a meeting while controlling the volume, watching the speaker, and as we mentioned, sometimes even adding closed captions.
Unfortunately, if you have a spotty internet connection that keeps cutting out, it’s not as easy to follow along on calls or get your work done. Invest in a good internet connection and make sure your workspace is somewhere in your home where you receive a strong signal.
Notification system for chat and email
Many people rely on an audible ding from their computer to be alerted that a co-worker is trying to reach them. Consider setting up a flashing light or buzz notification to alert you whenever you receive a message. That way, you will not miss a vital conversation during work.
Meeting recordings
Try recording your meetings as they happen. Many video call providers allow you to store video recordings on your computer or in the cloud. That way, if you miss a snippet of a meeting or the call becomes challenging to understand, you can refer back to your recording later and make sure you didn’t miss a word.
Another way to make sure you’re effectively communicating with your colleagues while working from home is with a CapTel captioned telephone that allows you to read what the person on the other line is saying as they say it.
For more tips about navigating work with hearing loss, check out our blog posts on hearing loss advocacy in the workplace and creating a hearing loss-friendly in-person work environment.
