Negotiating benefits is arguably as much fun as a trip to the dentist. Although it is mostly familiar territory and we know what to expect, the annual benefits planning sessions never get easier. The wants are generally the same and largely predictable. But there’s one benefit everyone wants. And everyone wants it because it positively contributes to so many of the other wants. It’s called hearing wellness. Never heard of it? Yes, that is a bit ironic.

We know over half of all employees will want health insurance and health benefits. Generation X (arguably at their peak age of productivity now) value this above all else. For Millennials, it’s as important as getting a 401(K) match. This is why most companies now have dental care, vision, and coverage for mental health as standard voluntary benefit options.

The Benefits Employees Want

It’s easy to understand why dental and vision inclusions are on the ‘must-have’ list. When they’re not included, it can mean a pretty sizable out of pocket expense. And you can’t put a price on mental health. The interesting thing is they are all (largely) preventative measures. We get our teeth checked to reduce the need for expensive dental work later. We get our eyes checked to protect against deterioration. We know we need to get on top of our mental health because of how much it affects everything we do.

But what about our ears? Those somewhat strange looking things on the side of our head are normally ignored. This is despite putting in a mammoth shift every day. In fact, ears never sleep. This is why we awaken to the crying baby in the middle of the night, the car alarm going off outside…and the partner snoring too loudly. It sure would be nice if they blocked out that last one though.

Your ears also have the smallest bones and smallest muscles in the human body. It’s a big ask to hear, isn’t it? These funny-looking things that are absolutely necessary, powered with tiny muscles on a structure of tiny bones. Used in every workplace, every day, by every employee. Every job description includes some form of ‘excellent communication skills’. And yet, we ignore caring for our hearing.

This is changing though. Forward-thinking employers increasingly see hearing wellness as important as dental, vision and mental health benefits. This is because of the growing recognition that there are now preventive, powerful options to care for hearing throughout a lifetime.

Linking Hearing to Financial and Physical Health

It’s easy to see why we’re keen to focus on dental care. It’s because we look at our teeth every morning. They’re staring back at us in the bathroom mirror as we give them a good scrub. They’re in every wide, open mouthed smile we share on Instagram. So teeth are never far from our consciousness.

Our eyes? Well, the health of our eyes is literally staring us in the face. But at least we are able to ‘rest our eyes’ (like many of us do on weekends); our hearing never gets a rest. Indeed, we often force feed our hearing amplified sound, on these little devices we stick in, on or over our ears. And we do need those things for the increasing number of Zoom meetings, listening to podcasts, or trying to get in an audiobook on the way to work. If we’re being proactive about our health and working out regularly, we’re probably listening to music there, as well. Our hearing is both an entry to, and escape hatch from, everyday life.

But here’s what’s escaped us too easily, until recently. We get our eyes checked regularly as part of a general battery of physical tests. We go to the doctor for an annual checkup. We get our teeth cleaned twice yearly. Yet we ignore our hearing, despite it being just as important. It’s not necessarily our fault either. After the age of 18, most adults never get asked about their hearing during a routine check up. This is despite the obvious and well known connections between hearing and the state of your overall physical health.

Checking our hearing meets the same needs as checking our eyesight, blood pressure, and teeth. We do so in the hope of reducing future problems and future bills. But what about mental health? Is hearing health related to that?

In recent years, mental health has been shifting from an area that was approached with some trepidation to one we tackle head on. The reason is relatively straightforward (although incredibly sobering). Mental health is a predictor of diabetes, cancer and coronary artery disease. For the workplace, it leads to lost time, diminished productivity and the need for expensive treatment. So we know mental health is related to a string of physical health ailments, and will affect relationships and performance at work.

It’s the exact same thing with hearing. Did you know there is a connection between diabetes and hearing loss? Diabetics are twice as likely to suffer from hearing loss and that’s why regular hearing screening is recommended. When untreated, hearing loss takes a terrible toll on an individual’s mental health. It is alienating, makes meetings and social situations frustrating, and can lead to isolation and depression. And that might just be the start of the problems. Hearing health has an incredibly strong connection with mental health. A report from researchers at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, showed that for people with untreated hearing loss healthcare costs increase by 46% — or by $22,434 per person over a period of 10 years, compared to people without a hearing loss.

On top of additional spending, data from the MarkeTrak survey shows those with untreated hearing loss typically have annual incomes that are $10,000 per year below that of those with normal hearing. The same research shows this gap can be reduced by up to 100% with treatment and an amplification device. Combined, what do you think this does for an employee’s mental health?

Hearing is critical to effective communication in the workforce. Most jobs require proficiency in spoken communication in order to engage effectively in business, and in dealing with others. Those with a hearing problem can’t perform and get moved away from those positions to lower paid positions. That’s bad for them. It’s bad for the employer too and just adds to the company burden through lost productivity and increased recruitment costs.

Getting on top of hearing wellness in the beginning will save anguish. It’ll improve work performance. It’ll save healthcare costs. And boy does it save both employers and employees in costs.

What Does This All Mean?

It’s proven that employees want dental, vision and mental health benefits. They want them because they can help save costs now and prevent problems later. They want them because they’ll help maintain a quality of life. It helps at work and at play.

Hearing wellness meets all the same needs. Companies who are making hearing wellness accessible are meeting the needs of their employees and reaping the benefits from improved performance and retention. They also have a point of difference for recruitment. At the time of the ‘great resignation’ and as inflation continues to complicate negotiations, hearing wellness offers an extremely cost effective advantage for employers.

Hearing wellness really is the new employee benefit everyone wants: we know, because over half of employees with access to Tuned take advantage of the program.

For more information on how Tuned can work at your workplace, check out tunedcare.com

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