my hard-of-hearing employee won’t wear her hearing aids

A reader writes:

One of my direct reports is a sweet woman who has mentioned that she has hearing loss but that she doesn’t like to wear her hearing aids at work because they make everything louder. It is noticeable that she needs them though. When you speak to her, she frequently will get a blank look on her face or have to have things repeated, and she speaks quite loudly. How do I ask her to wear her hearing aids without seeming ableist or creating any potential legal situations?

I answer this question — and two others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here.

Other questions I’m answering there today include:

• My coworker won’t stop buying me gifts
• Candidate submitted a reference letter from former boss/current romantic partner

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