Rights in work

You have the right to be treated fairly and to be given the same chances as someone who isn’t deaf, whether you’re applying for a job, currently working or are looking to get promoted.

The Equality Act 2010 (England, Scotland, and Wales) and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Northern Ireland) protect you at work. Under these laws, employers can’t treat you unfairly because you’re deaf and they must make reasonable adjustments to support you to work.

What are reasonable adjustments?

Employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to make sure you have access to the same opportunities and are not placed at a disadvantage because of your deafness. Reasonable adjustments are changes that are made to a workplace or practices.

What is considered ‘reasonable’ depends on your needs, the job you’re doing, and the employer. Here are some common reasonable adjustments for deaf people at work:

• deaf awareness training for colleagues
• regular breaks in meetings to avoid concentration fatigue
• sending messages through emails or text instead of phone calls
• colleagues learning some sign language if that’s what you use
• booking meetings and training far enough in advance to make sure there’s time to arrange communication support.

Sometimes the support or equipment you need is expensive or not ‘reasonable’ for your employer to provide. For example, a small business might not be able to afford to improve the acoustics in their building, but a bigger company might.

If the support or equipment you need isn’t ‘reasonable’ for your employer to provide, you may qualify for Access to Work funding. Access to Work funding can be used to pay for things like British Sign Language (BSL) or Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreters, note takers or specialist equipment. Access to Work can also help you and your employer understand what reasonable adjustments they can make to support you. You may also want to direct your employer to our webpages on how to make the workplace deaf-friendly.

If your employer fails to make reasonable adjustments, this is discrimination.

What is discrimination?

Discrimination is when you are treated less favourably compared to a hearing person because of your deafness. Examples of discrimination in the workplace include:

• being turned down for a job because you’re deaf. If you think this has happened to you, see our information on applying for a job for advice.
• not being included in the same training or advancement (promotion) opportunities as your colleagues because you’re deaf
• your employer failing to make reasonable adjustments (for example, insisting you use the phone even though you could do the same task by email or message).

If you think you’ve been discriminated against, contact our Helpline for advice and support on what to do next. You can also contact one of the following:

• Equality Advisory and Support Service (England, Scotland, Wales)
• Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

Do I have to tell an employer I’m deaf?

You don’t have to tell an employer you’re deaf when you apply for a job. Employers also aren’t generally allowed to ask you questions about your health or disability. However, you may need adjustments for the recruitment or interview process. Unless they know about your deafness and what support you might need, they won’t be able to help. This could put you at a significant disadvantage to other applicants or colleagues.

For more information about informing an employer that you’re deaf, visit our page about applying for a job.

What if I’m being harassed at work because I’m deaf?

It’s against the law to bully or harass someone because of a disability, including deafness. Harassment includes any unwanted behaviour that makes you feel intimidated or offended.

Examples of harassment at work might include:

• purposefully whispering so you can’t hear conversations
• taking or removing your hearing technology without your permission
• making offensive comments or jokes about your deafness.

Learn more about different types of harassment on the Acas guide to bullying and harassment at work.

Employers are responsible for preventing bullying and harassment, and they should have a policy on how to recognise, deal with and prevent it. If you’re being harassed, you should talk to your manager, human resources (HR) department or a trade union representative. If this doesn’t work, you can make a formal complaint using your employer’s grievance procedure, if they have one.

If you're still being harassed, you can take legal action at an employment tribunal. In Northern Ireland, you can make a claim to the Office of Industrial Tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal.

If you’re being harassed at work and would like advice and guidance, please contact our Helpline.

What are my health and safety rights at work?

Health and safety legislation shouldn’t prevent you from getting or staying in a job. Employers are responsible for ensuring your health and safety and making reasonable adjustments if necessary. They’re not allowed to use health and safety as an excuse to discriminate against you.

You should talk to your employer about any health or safety concerns you have. Your employer should conduct a regular risk assessment to understand and manage health and safety risks to all employees. This may be a good time to let them know if they need to make adjustments for your deafness.

Examples of reasonable adjustments your employer could make for health and safety might include:

• installing flashing fire alarms along with a pager system
• making sure health and safety training is accessible by providing communication support workers or making sure safety videos have subtitles
• agreeing accessible contact methods for lone workers.

For more information on health and safety at work, see:

• Health and safety for disabled workers (England, Scotland and Wales)
• Health and safety responsibility at work (Northern Ireland)