Can You Hear Me Now? How Companies Can Ensure That Employees With Hearing Loss Are Supported

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Jun 25, 2021,08:55am EDT|

Can You Hear Me Now? How Companies Can Ensure That Employees With Hearing Loss Are Supported

Cheryl Goodman
Forbes Councils Member

Forbes Communications Council

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Expertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author.

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Head of Corporate Communications/Corporate Social Responsibility, Sony. Previously: Qualcomm and MP3.com. Former journalist & nonprofit CEO.

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Unfortunately, hearing loss is a growing problem around the world. According to the World Health Organization, by 2050, approximately 2.5 billion globally are “projected to have some degree of hearing loss.”

As hearing loss cases increase, forward-looking companies are taking steps to ensure their products are accessible to those with this or other medical issues. TikTok, for example, added automated captions to videos on its platforms in April 2021. Instagram followed similarly by offering a captions sticker for its “Stories” feature.

These are commendable product decisions, and all companies should make their products and services accessible to those with hearing loss. However, companies should also be designing internal systems that make their employees with hearing loss feel supported. Employers have a moral duty and, depending on where in the world they [...]