The short answer to the question, “should companies hire deaf and hard of hearing people?” is resounding yes! As we move toward the long answer to this very question, there are many misconceptions among companies and employers about hiring deaf and hard of hearing persons, and they are not aware of the many advantages that deaf and hard of hearing employees can bring to their respective companies.
Countless qualified deaf and hard of hearing people are looking for jobs, but many employers do not give them a chance. Frequently, their applications and resumes are ignored when companies learn that the applicants have hearing loss. Why is that? The lack of awareness among employers or companies is often the culprit. Qualified deaf and hard of hearing individuals can be great workers for any company. How? We will discuss this in this article in-depth, explaining why companies should hire them.
Several advantages that deaf or hard of hearing employees can offer to the companies include:
Versatile
Deaf and hard of hearing employees are versatile as they are adept in working with hearing co-workers. They are so good at finding a way to communicate with their co-workers and can quickly fit into any company of any size. This unique trait gives them an edge when it comes to evaluating the applicant pool.
Diversity
By hiring deaf and hard of hearing personnel, companies get a diverse workforce, which is often a recipe for success. Deaf and hard of hearing employees can easily add the opportunity to enhance the working culture of any company. Moreover, hearing co-workers can gain greater sensitivity and understanding of others when they work with a diverse workforce on a daily basis.
Resourcefulness
Deaf and hard of hearing people can be quite resourceful at their jobs. Companies are always looking for resourceful people in addition to their job qualifications. Being a good employee can mean just getting the job tasks done; being a resourceful employee means going above and beyond and having a positive attitude while doing so. Deaf and hard of hearing employees often fit that profile because they care about their jobs. That said, companies can find resourceful candidates who are deaf and hard of hearing by posting job vacancies on specialized job websites like DeafJobWizard.com.
Employee Retention
Most deaf and hard of hearing employees stay with the same companies for a long time, which will help companies’ employee retention rates. Many companies know that high employee turnover contributes to higher expenses, lower productivity, and hurt morale. Clearly, the retention of optimistic and motivated employees is crucial for the companies’ success in the long term. Having devoted deaf and hard of hearing employees within the company’s workforce can significantly help in keeping the employee retention rate high and improve companies’ bottom lines.
Tax Advantages
Speaking of improving companies’ bottom lines, most of the small companies in the United States can receive a tax credit of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) by hiring deaf and hard of hearing employees. Taking advantage of this tax credit is a win-win situation for both deaf and hard of hearing employees and the companies!
In closing, the advantages of hiring deaf and hard of hearing people are numerous and we only listed a few above. Yes, companies must hire deaf and hard of hearing people and give them an equal chance to succeed in their respective jobs as they do with hearing people. This may include providing accommodations to deaf and hard of hearing employees for them to do their jobs and to succeed. Accommodations are often inexpensive and totally worth it, especially when companies can hire and retain versatile, diverse, devoted, and resourceful deaf and hard of hearing employees, which will help companies to come out as top.
