Tinnitus — Working at a Call Center?

Hi Guys,

I have a question and really nervous writing this thread.

I have suffered from tinnitus for years, I think from about 2009 to be precise.

I believe it was caused by loud noise which I used to listen to headsets on full volume on VLC player. Tinnitus was constant in the coming years.

I would try to avoid headsets and loud volumes since then and got my year checked a year ago for a audiogram test and was normal and got checked again recently and no test conducted and My ENT told me there is nothing to worry about and asked me to ignore it.

And I used to listen to songs and watch movies at night on my bed in the past years and now I feel my tinnitus in my left year is spiked and worst of it I can hear it in my room as there is pin drop silence in my room and this has got me worried to my nerves.

That is still not the question. I was looking for a job and recently i got a job to work in a call center and I don't know if it is the right choice to do so. As I don't want to do anything to jeopardise my ear. I am really a nervous wreck and I need help. And I am really in need of a job.

Thanks.

 

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk.
Well done in coping with tinnitus for so long.
You need natural sounds to play through the night to help you sleep but also set it below your tinnitus sound so your brain will work hard pick up the sound you are playing and help your brains natural filter build up and not focus on your tinnitus.
Also if not sleeping and feeling depressed or low mood your doctor can help you and arange counselling.
Tinnitus comes from the part of your brain that your emotions come from and easy to see why tinnitus can make us feel a bit out of sorts.
We are here around the clock to support you so try stay calm .
Love glynis

Headsets can irritate your ears for some people.

 

I would think it all comes down to the volume of the sound rather than the source. Is the centre loud? Make sure to keep your headset at a safe volume, and ask your manager if you could sit in a quieter part of the centre (even on the outside of a row of desks) due to your T. Good luck and God bless!

 

My advice is to find another job

 

@Pradeep naidu I agree with Paul10.

First off your T and your anxiety around it getting worse are to different things from my point of view. Your brain will trick you and it's common. Some use masking to help to sleep specially in a "silent" room and if you have a T spike, the brain trying for everything in the world to correct the sounds it input with the output and when it can't it will increase the strength of the T sound(s) and you will feel a panic sensation and all you want is to pull that off switch.

As a T survivor i would guess you had your checkups at medical professionals, introduced to different therapy types (CBT etc.) - My recommendation as a fellow T survivor is to use masking in such a way that it doesn't take over the T sounds, just as a background sound or you will have what i said before a increase of T sound(s) under that moment you are aware it's there.

For the second part, don't be afraid for getting a job in a workplace with lots of sound around you but do come prepared to make the working hours to function for you. And for that part Paul10 said it perfectly, see quote:

To be a T survivor are like being a urban type of Macgyver, you use the enviroment for you, so you can live a life that are so normal that you are use to since before you got T. It can be hard for sure, but you pick up advices and tricks a long the way and in the end you will find your own way to handle your T in most situation.

Hope you get that job you looking for!

-Fred

 

I worked in call centers, most of them are quite and the cubicles help adsorb the sound.

However, headphones are annoying to wear because your tinnitus will always be pronounced. Since you are limiting natural external sounds.

Not to mention since a lot of people use speaker phone when they call in and speak away from the phone you will increase the volume to hear them. Then they'll turn off speaker phone and now
they are coming through too loud.

You can buy a limiter that reduces a spike in decibels above 85 decibels. I read that the limiter doesn't protect from acoustic shock. Which is a phenomenom that call centers systems can get which I guess it is feedback in the phone sustem.

I've only heard about acoustic shock happening in England. I never experienced that working in a call center in the 7 years I've been in one.

But, you will infrequently can get a loud echo on your voice. This isn't anything that is long in duration our excessively loud. But it's annoying even if you keep your volume at a safe moderate level. There is still chance for digital interference. If i were to guess the digital interference might get to 85 db which isn't that loud. (Acoustic shcck is different, I guess that is really loud up to 100 db)

I like to wear single sided head phones so I can hear external noises. My opinion on call centers is as long as they are not too loud and you keep the volume at a reasonable volume you will not make your tinnitus worse.

But, since your ears are now covered your tinnitus will be in the forefront if you have high frequency unmaskable tinnitus. If you have moderate success masking your T then working at a call center is no problem.

I however have very high pitched tinnitus and when I cover my ear it's like my brain sometimes increases the gain on my tinnitus. But that doesn't always happen. Tinnitus is so unpredicatble I noticed there is no consistency on what helps or aggrevates it.

I can tell you this, if you are in a sales environment over the phone jobs suck. There is too much stress and the supervisors can pull any call. They state they are random, but if they don't like you it's really easy for someone to target you for disciplinary reasons. Remember every call is recorded.

The expectations of most call center jobs is to get the person off the phone as fast as possible. They go off of so many different metrics. They are usually very stressful jobs and if you are working with so many people it's hard to maintain consistent working relationships with the same people.

I wouldn't recommend working in a call center for anyone that has anxiety issues. I'm not going to sugar coat it but they suck.

Not to mention you will be sitting all day and not moving you'll put on weight.

Where do you live Pradeep?

 

Thanks every one for replying and for the support I am less nervous now regarding my T.

@DT, I live in bangalore - My T usually irritates me when I am in my room but when I am outside I cannot hear it unless I focus on it.

Until a couple of weeks ago it was slightly below normal level could not have heard it even if I focused on it and had learnt to ignore it but now I think it has spiked a bit above normal hence having difficulty sleeping in the night. Now I have downloaded a Tinnitus app from the play store and will be using it to mask that noise.

Meanwhile I am also reconsidering my job and probably will look for a job that does not involve answering calls. Just to be on a safer side.

Also I was researching a few stuff related to tinnitus and for people with hearing loss. I hope this is the answer for the Tinnitus issue. But the following link is for hearing loss but again T is caused due to several reasons one of the main ones being due to damaged/bent hair cells inside the inner ear.

http://entcolumbia.org/world-s-first-gene-therapy-trial-hearing-loss

 

Well knowing your tinnitus is mild that is a good thing for sure. Naturally you don't want to make it worse. Here is my question to you: Is your tinnitus more annoying when you are wear headphones? If not go for it! My tinnitus is highly annoying when my ears are enclosed, so I wouldn't work at a call centre because for me I'll focus more on my tinnitus.

Would you be taking calls from U.S. based customers? I know some U.S. customers can get really cruel once they hear an accent. They are opposed to large companies out sourcing call centres outside of the U.S.

Most headsets give you additional protection from loud noises. You can also purchase a Plantronics AL10 Inline limiter https://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-...=8-1&keywords=Plantronics+AL10+Inline+limiter that will prevent any noise 85 db or more from entering your headset. This limiter supposedly doesn't work for acoustic shock.

I wouldn't be concerned about the risk of acoustic shock because it is extremely rare. From my memory nobody on this board stated they got tinnitus because of "acoustic shock" it seems to be a made up claim by a union in the U.K. based off of this article.

http://blogs.plantronics.com/contac...ck-and-hearing-damage-with-call-centre-agents

 

@DT thank you for link I have looked up the product and will purchase it once I assess my work environment. Also I dont think my tinnitus is mild anymore it is audible every now and then even when am outside but there are a few people who complained about their tinnitus which spiked and gradually decreased in a different thread . So I have decided to change my life style I will stop drinking caffeine products, exercise more and reduce my intake of suger and salty and oily food. I wish I could bring down the volume a little bit. Its driving me crazy.

 

Hello all; This is my first forum I have engaged with; ever. Please, this is NOT a “ misery loves company”. Having a increasingly worsening Tinnitus; while working in a call center ( Mortgages) for the last 4 years; I resolved to myself; I could no longer do. I love the industry; been in it for over 12 years. Well when it was face to face or on a “Telephone “ and not a headset. I had tried numerous solutions, let my Mgr, know that I am having a real hard time just trying to”hear” what a customer is saying; Tinnitus is not “Life Threatening “; It can impact your livelihood.

I resigned a month ago; I was not on any administrative action or warning. I feel much better; though not employed yet;

I promise to all; if I find a solution that helps ( I see a Neurologist for Migraines) elevate or mitigate the effects of Tinnitus; I will share with all.

Wished? I had not ignored it earlier. Wished? “ I didn’t remember what making a living “ not in a call center.

Wish for you all; You find something to smile about today; OR; you make someone else smile.

 

Hope you find a quieter job soon. This T can definitely impact one's livelihood.

 

To be brutally honest, a call center is one of the worst places to work at if you suffer from hearing problems. Actually a call center is a place where you are prone to get Accoustic Shock Damage, which in turn triggers hyperacusis, tinnitus, etc, or makes them worse.