Jeff Pullinger: The challenges of deafness at work

For the second time in three years an employer decided ‘not to renew my contract.’ 

I wasn’t given an official reason either time.  Well actually I was.   The first time, I was told it was management’s decision and the HR guy was clueless as to why (‘I don noa, managa decide’ he said with a big, friendly smile whilst raising his hands in confoundment). 

This was a little baffling because I was very popular with the punters, had had good feedback from three different managers and even more bizarrely was offered a promotion by the new head guy not long before I left.  

More recently I was informed by the top guy that it was due to confidential customer feedback (whatever that means).  Like his HR contemporary above, he would not elaborate at all.  He compensated by repeatedly telling me that, ‘We’re not letting you go, it’s just we are not renewing your contract.’ 

This second time stung a bit because I liked the company, felt like an important part of the team and hoped to progress there.  But it was not meant to be.

Despite the fact that both companies gave me a reason, it was plainly obvious to all of us that there was a pretty big elephant in the room.  The elephant was behaving pretty badly too, trumpeting, knocking things over and even relieving himself wherever he pleased, yet they did not want to acknowledge him.  You see, it is much easier to pretend he doesn’t exist.

This is the problem I have faced in every job I have done since I graduated in 2007, whether voluntary or paid and no matter where in the world.  Most companies just don’t seem able to cope with having a deaf employee.  This is because most jobs rely on having to communicate with so many people.  

So how is it possible to ensure that everyone will react well to me?   That everyone will look at me before talking, then speak clearly?  That no one will mind having to repeat themselves a lot if I mishear or don’t catch what they say?  That people will adapt and email me instead of talking in a loud office?

I’ve dealt with these workplace problems in two ways. 

My first technique is ninja style, I don’t tell my new employer at all about my auditory disadvantage, at any stage during the interview or once I start the job.  I then slowly introduce it to colleagues one on one in the hope they will get used to me.  I did this for my first job after graduating.  

After many years of voluntary work, rejections and dozens and dozens of failed interviews at zoos, I trained as an English Teacher then jumped on a plane to a place I knew nothing about in a country I knew nothing about.  I was so desperate for a job and so scared my employer wouldn’t employ me cos of my hearing, that I didn’t tell him I was deaf.  At the time I had remarkably clear hearing aids, this combined with a very good Skype connection meant the interview flowed well and I could hide it.

This technique worked quite well although he was disappointed I hadn’t told him.  Luckily he was a lovely guy and wasn’t bothered, although of course it could have blown up in my face. 

My second method, and the one I have used since, isn’t as risky but is just as sneaky.  I mention it casually during the interview, once the recruiter is relaxed and has obviously decided they like me. 

An advantage of this is that most people have never met a deaf person so have zero understanding of it, while I can say I told you so if they complain in the future.  Like method number one I hope my co-workers will gradually get used to it.

This way has worked better than the ninja technique although as mentioned I came unstuck during my last two jobs.  And this is exactly the dilemma I have faced since I entered the world of work with hearing aids – how to tell my future employer and colleagues. 

Announcing my deafness officially draws attention to it and may even result in not being offered a job initially, while not telling anyone is also a risk.  So, it seems I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.  

The problem I have is simply not knowing how people will react to me and the communication challenges I bring to a workplace.  I can tell you that this is absolutely terrifying. 

There is a big part of me that wants to prove I am normal and can hear everything, that my disability isn’t a problem, when or course it is.  I suppose I feel like this because of how people respond to my deafness.  

Let’s look at the second example I mentioned above.  The head guy from my department, let’s call him Basil Fawlty, was someone I got on so well with from the off.  He interviewed me and we had a great connection and banter, it was effortless.  I remember walking out of the interview thinking – wow this is a guy I should be able to progress with, maybe this will be the beginning of something good for me.  We often met for lunch or coffee over the next year and a half and had nice chats.

But this all changed in a heartbeat.  It began with an email when he said he wanted to observe me.   Alarm bells started ringing loudly in my head as I looked at the screen because he had only observed me a month or so before (which had been a fantastic lesson).  I dreaded the day of him coming but sucked it up and told myself I was being paranoid.

On the fateful day I noticed an instant difference with him.  He did not smile or laugh and seemed tense.  As I sat in the staffroom talking to my colleagues, he watched me like a hawk which made me very uncomfortable.  I realised that he must have gotten wind of my disability.  I have always been very perceptive but my hearing loss has fine-tuned this because I rely on my eyes a lot more.  

We went for lunch but it was awkward and different, he was also very thoughtful and serious and it was obvious he was mulling something over.  Unfortunately, I struggled to hear him due to the background noise (this is the nemesis of any deaf person).

The lesson was challenging because the girl was at the wrong level.  She was a Beginner 1 but was in an Elementary 6 lesson.  I had to teach her tenses, vocabulary and language that was way beyond her.  But I adapted the lesson to suit her and still managed to teach her.  At the end Basil looked very thoughtful and was staring into the middle distance.  I could see the cogs turning in his head and it was at that moment that he revealed his hand.   

‘I noticed at lunch you couldn’t hear me cos of the background noise.  It must be hard to hear students in the big classes.’  

‘I keep them quiet and control the class so not really.’  

He pressed again.  ‘Hmmm, but surely it is hard with the noise?’  

‘No, it isn’t.  I can hear them and make them put their hands up before speaking.’  

He nodded and returned to the middle distance.  The silence returned.  

I knew things had changed forever and sure enough he told me he wasn’t renewing my contract not long after.

So, this is the elephant I was babbling on about at the beginning.  As one of the upper managers he should have sat down with me and tried to understand my disability, how it affects me, my job and what I do to cope.  And how an earth I can teach successfully with a hearing loss.

This would have opened his mind and helped him to develop not only as a manager but as a person.  It would also have ensured that he and his subordinates treated future disabled staff correctly.  But he chose not to do this because it is much easier to just get rid of something you do not understand.

It’s also a lot simpler to employ a hearing person (like my replacement), who won’t need anyone to act differently, nothing will need to be adapted and everyone can continue to mumble away without any problems.   In short, the boat won’t be rocked.  

Being discriminated has become normal to me since I left university and it has happened during interviews, at work and even when volunteering, but being sacked for my invisible disability is a whole new territory for me.  It has left a very bad taste in my mouth and if I’m honest I don’t really know how to deal with it.  

It did make me reflect.  Could I have done anything differently during my time at both companies?  Was it my fault?  Would announcing my disability have helped or would it have made things worse?  Or was I just unlucky with the management?  

This is a common theme with being disabled, you are constantly looking inward and trying to figure out how to fit in without causing ripples in the pond.  It would be so nice if I could be myself and not have to worry about what other people think.  To be seen as someone called Jeff and not labelled as the deaf guy or the guy who can’t hear.

Am I alone?

From my varied experience in four different countries it is obvious to me that the world of work is a complicated minefield for deaf and hard of hearing people.  Take the wrong step or make the wrong decision and it can all blow up in your face.

This begins when you apply and have to decide whether to check that disability box or not, to the challenges of an interview (particularly if it’s online) and then starting a new job with new people in a new environment.  It can even bring up problems in long term jobs where you think you are safe and accepted, as shown by my examples above.

These issues have been demonstrated by research that has tried to understand what work is like for people with a hearing loss.  While these studies cannot cover the experiences of the more than 11 million people with hearing loss in the UK (with over 4 million of these at working age), they can give us a very good insight into what it is like.

One of these was a survey carried out by Totaljobs in 2016 together with five major UK deaf charities – Action on Hearing Loss, British Deaf Association, SignHealth, Scottish Council on Deafness and Wales Council for Deaf People.   They wanted to learn about the experiences of deaf employees in the workplace and to collect information about the deaf workforce.  They found that: 

‘Discrimination plays a large part in the working lives of deaf people’ 

‘While the majority of deaf people feel qualified for a job, they believe that there isn’t the appropriate support available to help them secure employment.’

‘Furthermore, attitudes of employers and colleagues can prevent deaf people from fulfilling their potential’ 

As the quotes above suggest the statistics were sobering with 56% of deaf or hard of hearing people having experienced discrimination at work (from colleagues, managers or during the interview).  Sadly, this resulted in 25% leaving their jobs due to a difficult work environment.  While almost half did not receive any help or support from their employer for the challenges faced at work.  Lastly, and something that I can relate to, more than one third of people surveyed claimed a lack of deaf awareness is the biggest challenge facing deaf people at work in the UK.    

Gary Cottrell, CEO of SignHealth said ‘The results reveal the significant barriers deaf people face, both in the workplace and when trying to find employment.’

Rob Burley, from Action on Hearing Loss, stated ‘It’s imperative that employers change their attitudes towards both employing people who are deaf or hard of hearing and to supporting those already in the workforce who may have, or might develop, a hearing loss.’

The problem is a potential employer will never be honest with you about what they think, they most likely won’t even be honest with each other if there is a panel interviewing.  This is because people are scared of what they don’t understand.   They won’t say: 

‘John, it was fantastic meeting you.  You’re a brilliant guy and are far and away the best candidate. But unfortunately we think your hearing will make things complicated here.  We noticed you didn’t hear some of the staff as they spoke to you when you walked through the office.  It was also obvious you struggled a bit to hear us during the interview and it was tedious having to repeat ourselves.  It’s much easier for us to employ one of the other 300 applicants who are not deaf.  None of them are as good as you but really who cares?  They will do the job’

Thirteen years after I graduated on a wave of euphoria, after finishing my degree despite nearly dying and losing my hearing, I still seem just as clueless about how to function in a world not designed for deafness.

And at the age of 40 I find myself at a major crossroads in my life and am not really sure what direction to go in.  Every way I turn I seem to be confronted by the same problems which stops me progressing and reaching my potential.  And I am still asking myself the same question after 13 years: how can I earn a living as a deaf person?

The elephant is waiting

So, what are we going to do about that elephant who is currently tapping society on the shoulder to get its attention?  

Deaf Awareness is a good thing and can help but from my experience simply attempting to educate people is not enough.  For example, when I first lost my hearing I used to tell people I met I was deaf and how to communicate with me. 

But despite this, most people didn’t change the way they communicated, regardless of how many times I told them I couldn’t hear them because they were mumbling or not looking at me.  Feeling exasperated I gave up and hoped they would come around through exposure to me.  Many people do but sadly many people don’t, even colleagues I’ve sat next to for years still don’t understand my condition.

I’ve come to realise that people only understand what they experience.  The more experience they have of something or a situation, the better they understand it.   Thus, I think the best way forward would be to have Disabled Days in places of work.  This would be focused around a member of staff’s disability and would help their colleagues to understand them better.  For example, if someone in the office was deaf like me then everyone would wear ear plugs that replicate deafness.  

This is of course not the same as being deaf but it would at least allow them to see life from their disabled colleagues perspective and it would also open their minds, whilst demonstrating how to work better with them.  This could be combined with deaf awareness, training sessions and disabled quizzes to ram the point home.  This would require employers and colleagues who are very open to new things…but it could work.

Let’s end on a more positive note because it isn’t all doom and gloom.  There is always hope and of course there are many nice people out there.  This is proven by the many deaf and hard of hearing people who do have good careers.  This shows us that people are open to change because most of these people would have had to adapt to their deaf colleagues initially.

Ultimately, as I now hope you understand, deafness in the workplace is all about the people within businesses.  Once they are all on board, their colleagues with a hearing loss will finally be able to thrive in the workplace without the worry their disability brings.  And that poor elephant will finally get the care it needs.

Jeff says: “I was studying animals (my passion) at university when I caught meningitis, nearly died and lost my hearing.  But I didn’t let it beat me – I finished my degree, worked as an animal behaviourist and then became an English teacher.  I’ve travelled and lived abroad a lot and while my hearing has made things challenging, I’m a great believer in jumping into the deep end of life.”