Hearing loss is easy to miss at work. A person who nods through a meeting, asks for things to be repeated or avoids the telephone may simply seem quiet or disengaged. In Ireland an employer has a legal duty to take appropriate measures for an employee with a disability, and for hearing loss the practical changes are often modest. The harder part is usually noticing, asking, and following through. This guide is for HR and occupational health teams in Irish workplaces.
The legal duty
Section 16 of the Employment Equality Act 1998, as amended, requires an employer to take appropriate measures, where needed in a particular case, to enable a person with a disability to access employment, take part in it, advance in it and undergo training, unless the measures would impose a disproportionate burden. Appropriate measures are effective and practical changes, such as adapting premises or equipment, changing working patterns, redistributing tasks, or providing training. They exclude anything the person could ordinarily or reasonably provide for themselves, which is why a personal hearing aid is not normally something the employer is expected to supply.
In deciding whether a measure is a disproportionate burden, an employer must consider the financial and other costs, the size and resources of the business, and the possibility of public funding. The Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in Nano Nagle School v Daly, as summarised by commentators, describes a test of reasonableness and proportionality, in which the employer considers all appropriate measures, weighs the burden, and is advised to engage with the employee.
No Irish decision specific to hearing loss was reviewed for this article, so the principles above are general ones. Recent Workplace Relations Commission decisions on other disabilities show that delay in acting on a known need can itself be a problem.
Noticing the signs without assuming
Chime, the national charity for deafness and hearing loss, lists signs managers may notice, including repeatedly asking for things to be repeated, mistakes from misheard instructions, difficulty following conversations, avoiding noisy events, and straining to listen. None of these proves that someone has hearing loss, and none should be treated as a reason to question someone’s ability. They are a reason to ask, kindly and privately, what would make the work easier. Chime also notes that employees may worry about the effect on their career if they say anything, so a clear, positive policy makes it easier for people to speak.
What adjustments commonly involve
Meetings are the main pressure point. Useful practices include using a microphone in every meeting, even small ones, asking people to speak one at a time and face the group, repeating questions from the room, keeping cameras on in video calls so faces can be seen, and circulating agendas and papers beforehand. Live captioning or an Irish Sign Language interpreter may suit some employees and not others, so ask what works for the person.
The working environment matters as well. A seat away from noisy equipment, busy roads and echoing spaces can make a considerable difference, because background noise can be amplified along with speech for people who use hearing aids. Where an induction loop is available, check that it is switched on and that the employee knows how to use it.
Communication habits can be adjusted. Where possible, offer text, email or messaging as an alternative to telephone calls, particularly for routine tasks. Where telephone work is part of the role, amplified handsets, captioned calls and other technology may help, and a workplace assessment can look at what fits the job.
Safety deserves attention too. Think about how the employee will know that an alarm has sounded if they cannot hear it, and make sure that arrangements are written into their evacuation plan. Visual alarms and other alerts exist for this purpose.
Communication support and funding
Work and Access, run by the Department of Social Protection, includes Communication Support and Irish Sign Language support for employees. For an assessment, the scheme can fund up to ten hours of Communication Support or ISL alongside a grant of up to €2,500 towards a Workplace Needs Assessment. Further supports, including Workplace Adaptation of up to €25,000, depend on an assessment having recommended them, and approval must be in place before anything is purchased. Confirm the current rules with the Department before relying on any figure.
As the law asks employers to consider public funding when assessing burden, the existence of these supports is relevant to what an employer can reasonably be expected to do.
What this means for HR and occupational health
Begin with a private conversation about which situations are hardest, such as meetings, phone calls or noisy areas, and what already helps. Agree a few changes, make them quickly, and review them after a few weeks, as hearing can vary with fatigue and environment. Record the discussion, name the person who owns the follow-up, and tell the employee when they will hear next. If the person uses an interpreter or captioning, book it ahead and check that it worked.
An occupational health report that states the diagnosis but not the workplace situations gives a manager little to act on. What helps is a description of the person, the job and the setting, with practical recommendations that can be costed and reviewed.
This article is general information and not legal advice. Whether an adjustment is reasonable depends on the circumstances of the individual case.
Summary
Reasonable accommodation for hearing loss is usually a matter of meetings, noise, communication habits and safety, and most of the changes are inexpensive. The legal duty rests with the employer, public funding is one of the factors the law asks employers to consider, and the most reliable approach is to ask early, act quickly and review what you have put in place.
Watch the short film
This short film follows an employee with hearing loss who nodded through meetings for years, guessing the ends of sentences, until one wrong guess led to a missed deadline. Now one person speaks at a time, notes are shared afterwards and they can ask for something to be repeated. The film lasts under a minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Employment Equality Act excludes from appropriate measures anything the person could ordinarily or reasonably provide for themselves, so a personal hearing aid is not normally expected. Workplace equipment and changes are a different matter.
Better meeting practices, microphones and loops, text-based alternatives to calls, a quieter working position, captioning or interpreter support where it suits the person, and visual alerts for alarms.
Work and Access includes Communication Support and ISL support, and the scheme can fund up to ten hours alongside a Workplace Needs Assessment. Confirm the current rules with the Department of Social Protection.
Ask privately which situations are hardest and what would help. Avoid questioning the person's ability, and explain that the conversation is about making the work easier.
The employer's duty is not conditional on a grant. Where funding takes time, agree interim measures and review them.
If you or someone in your team is deaf or has hearing loss and would like expert, tailored support to stay productive and comfortable at work, visit https://visualisetrainingandconsultancy.com/workplace-assessments/hearing-loss-workplace-assessment/ to arrange a hearing loss workplace assessment.
Sources
Chime, Workplace Deaf Awareness Training: https://www.chime.ie/Training-Landing/Workplace-Deaf-Awareness-Training
Irish Times, The silent taboo of hearing loss in the workplace (18 April 2019, written by a Chime representative): https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/the-silent-taboo-of-hearing-loss-in-the-workplace-1.3856930
Employment Equality Act 1998, section 16 (revised act): https://revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/1998/act/21/section/16/revised/en/html
Disability and reasonable accommodation, employer factsheet: https://www.ihrec.ie/guides-and-tools/human-rights-and-equality-for-employers/what-does-the-law-say/disability-and-reasonable-accommodation
HR Headquarters, Supreme Court clarifies the test for reasonable accommodation (Nano Nagle School v Daly, 2019): https://hrheadquarters.ie/legal/disability-discrimination-supreme-court-clarifies-the-test-for-reasonable-accommodation
Citizens Information, Work and Access employment programme (edited 27 August 2026): https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment-and-disability/work-and-access-programme/