Fear of a potential negative effect on their career is preventing people with hearing loss from disclosing their condition to their employers.

More than half of people living with deafness and hearing loss feel they can’t be open about it in the workplace, according to a new survey by charity Action on Hearing Loss.

The new research has been conducted as part of the charity’s Working for Change campaign, which wants to change attitudes to deafness and hearing loss in the workplace.

A third of those who felt they could not be open about their hearing loss said it was due to the fear that they would be treated unfairly at work. A further 61 per cent felt that that others would assume they weren’t competent and 42 per cent saw no point because their workplace wouldn’t be able to help them.

In addition, 84 per cent of respondents have felt stressed and over two-thirds have experienced isolation in the workplace. 

Paul Breckell, chief executive at Action on Hearing Loss, said: “This new research shows that despite there being 11 million – that’s one in six - people in the UK living with some form of deafness and hearing loss, many of these in employment are struggling unnecessarily."

Visit actiononhearingloss.org.uk/workingforchange