Telework contributes to anxiety for people with hearing loss.
Due to the effects of the new coronavirus, the number of companies introducing telework is increasing dramatically.
Through TV commercials and other media, you may have seen products and services that promote the spread of telework. I'm sure you have more opportunities to do so."With the creation of subsidies such as the "Work Method Reform Subsidy" and other subsidies, the government and local governments are pushing for the spread of the system. The number of companies (with 10,000 or more employees) that have introduced telework has increased to 43.0%.
So much attention is being paid to telework. Did you know that there are people who are afraid of this widespread use of telework?
The negative aspects of telework that lead to "promotion of work-life balance" and "business efficiency (Disadvantages) and how to deal with them.
Author：Tsuyoshi Komoto
freecle Inc. / Exective Officer
Contents
Negative aspects of telework (disadvantages of its spread)
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, telework is "the use of information and communication devices (ICT) to deliver time and place It refers to "a way of working that is not confined to Under the influence of the new coronavirus, "Telework = video conferencing (e.g., Zoom, Skype, The concept of "video conferencing" (or "teams") seems to be gaining ground.
Did you know that videoconferencing is not easy for people with hearing impairments? Depending on the severity of their hearing loss, many people with hearing loss have problems with the following
＜Voice of the Hard of Hearing (example)＞
- It's hard to concentrate on a conversation because of the noise from the computer.
- I can't hear you because the sound is bad.
- The image is too coarse to see the mouth.
- It is difficult to understand the content of the training videos without subtitles.
- The other person's voice is too low for me to hear.
Noise that may not be a problem for those who can hear well can be a big problem for those with hearing loss .
If you can't keep up with the conversation, you won't be able to say the right thing.
This can lead to fewer opportunities to perform, which is why people fear the spread of telework. There are many people with a hearing loss who have a hearing loss.
A must for anyone with a hearing loss! How to deal with telework (3 articles)
In this article, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association introduces some coping strategies. The key points are sharing advance information, sharing visual information, and noise suppression.
＜I can't hear you! How to deal with the telework problem＞
①：Share information in advance
- Share your agenda and decide on the order in which you will speak before you go!
- Share the information with the participants! (Especially if you've never met the guy before.)
②：Sharing of visual information
- Display/get participants' faces on the screen! (so that you can see the mouth movements.)
③：Noise suppression
- Mandatory microphone mute for all but the speaker! (noise suppression)
- Use noise-canceling earphones! (Ibid.)
Summary (author's thoughts)
I've been using video conferencing frequently since before the new coronavirus made telework popular.
I'm not hard of hearing, but if I don't pay attention to "speaking slowly" and "speaking loudly", I'll be able to speak well Unable to communicate.
In the midst of all of this, I looked at a paper from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASAH) and found that people with hearing loss are having trouble I created this article after learning about it and feeling like I'm no stranger to it.
The above mentioned methods of dealing with telework can never be done alone.
For example, when the first time you talk to someone who is turning off the camera on their PC, everyone says, "Please turn it on! ! Can we say, "I can't see your mouth"?
In order to tackle this drastically, I think it is important to make it a "common rule in the company."
This article will reach as many people as possible and make them aware of the negative aspects (disadvantages) of telework. May it lead to a catalyst.
Source
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Subsidy for promoting work-related reforms Friday (Telework Course)”
Parsol Research Institute, "Emergency Survey on the Impact of the New Coronavirus Countermeasures on Telework: Second Survey（2020）
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association “Working remotely with hearing loss: Tips for virtual meetings"
