Music in the Office

[GirlySports]

For those of you who work in offices (or even those who don't), are you allowed to listen to music while working?

I manage a group of 20 people who do various office jobs such as data entry abd random clerical stuff. We are not front desk so we don't have to take phone calls. The groups' average age is 30ish and its 75% women.

I know it's a pretty easy and boring job so I let them listen to music (with headphones) and let them chatter and pretty much let them enjoy this thankless and boring job they have. Even I have my iPod here and listen to it when I'm not so busy or helping them out. Bascially I have my iPod on when I don't want to be distrubed! But they disturb me anyways.

Worst thing happened today. I had the weekly Monday morning meeting with my supervisors and they said that we've had our best month ever when it comes to production and accuracy but he wants us to cut out all the music. No headphones period! I argued that it will lower morale and it's obviously not affecting the work. But that's what they want.

Now I've got a really grumpy and unhappy group, some even think this is my idea when I told them it's from higher up. I have a feeling production will be down from now on and I'll be in trouble in the long run. Hardly anyone has done any work this morning cause they're bitching.



I was really liking this job but now I'm so stresses and sad and don't really know what to do so I decided to come here and complain. :P

Any advice?

[Gozer]

Get decent speakers for a central computer, and stream music over the internet on low volume.

[Tyler]

I work from home and listen to music all day long.

I hated working in an office and not being able to listen to music. The constant hum of keyboards clattering and co-workers blabbing on the phones drove me crazy

[SteveToms]

Call the guy a dick and listen to music anyways

[ken0042]

I've worked places where the music ends up being a greater focus than the work at hand. The best policies I've seen is where the music is officially "not allowed", but management says they will turn a blind eye as long as the work still gets done.

[fatso]

Why would anyone think you mandated this?

It sounds like music is pretty important to generating a positive working environment. Maybe wait for a day or two then re-address it with the higher-ups. Try to have as many arguments possible as to why music is a good thing and also why it hasn't hindered productivity. In fact, it enhances it. I know you've already tried this, but maybe the higher-ups just saw it as you reacting to their policy. With some time, your point might be more effective.

Further, I would ask them to explain why you are now not allowed to listen to music. Seems like an arbitrary reason.

If all else fails, maybe a compromise... speakered radio for everyone to listen to?

[GirlySports]

I actually don't mind a 'no-music' policy. I just wished it had come sooner.
This group has been together on this project for over a year now and all a sudden we've been told to cut it out. It puts me in a difficult position.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

For those of you who work in offices (or even those who don't), are you allowed to listen to music while working?

I manage a group of 20 people who do various office jobs such as data entry abd random clerical stuff. We are not front desk so we don't have to take phone calls. The groups' average age is 30ish and its 75% women.

I know it's a pretty easy and boring job so I let them listen to music (with headphones) and let them chatter and pretty much let them enjoy this thankless and boring job they have. Even I have my iPod here and listen to it when I'm not so busy or helping them out. Bascially I have my iPod on when I don't want to be distrubed! But they disturb me anyways.

Worst thing happened today. I had the weekly Monday morning meeting with my supervisors and they said that we've had our best month ever when it comes to production and accuracy but he wants us to cut out all the music. No headphones period! I argued that it will lower morale and it's obviously not affecting the work. But that's what they want.

Now I've got a really grumpy and unhappy group, some even think this is my idea when I told them it's from higher up. I have a feeling production will be down from now on and I'll be in trouble in the long run. Hardly anyone has done any work this morning cause they're bitching.



I was really liking this job but now I'm so stresses and sad and don't really know what to do so I decided to come here and complain. :P

Any advice?

Not really any advice from me, but from my experience, people don't like change, and the next week or so will likely be miserable because it's fresh in their mind that a somewhat pointless change to be more professional was made. Everyone enjoys working for their own gratification, and for whatever reason management decided personal enjoyment comes second to the appearance of having a more professional work environment. First I would give them a couple days, if it continues, I'd buy them donuts without discussing the topic. Then give it a week, let the bad emotions of losing the perk die down, see how their attitude is then, and if it's still the same, speak with the higher ups without rubbing it in their face saying "I told you so!". Change is change, I don't know why some management feels the need to make such minute decisions, but in time, they should forget about it if you don't bring it up.

[fredr123]

I was told I'm allowed to listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.

[BlackEleven]

I work in a fairly large office. Everyone is allow to listen to music.

My personal view on the matter is that employees should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as it doesn't effect their productivity. I actually find music helps productivity because I can tune out all the background chatter and distractions.

[Tyler]

Im still moving your cubicle Milton.

[DuffMan]

I listen to internet radio in my office, all day every day.
I think your bosses are being dicks, they probably aren't even closeby so how does it effect them. Sometimes bosses just have to be dicks, just so everyone remembers they are the bosses.
You should set an example for everyone, and quit and get a better job.

[Spuds_Buckley]

I would go mental without being able to listen to my iPod at work. The way my office is set up, you can hear everyone within a 20ft radius without much trouble, so it can be very distracting. If I were told I couldn't listen to music I would give my two weeks notice and say sayonara.

I find it surprising your boss would want to make a change after having a productive month. Seems backwards to me... "if it ain't broke don't fix it"... right? Who knows what goes through some Managers heads some times though.

[Buff]

Listening to the radios and/or personal music is allowed, but a person I work with always comments to me how it is wrong for people to listen to music at work, yet this person does it from time to time. Thankfully our boss is open minded and won't suddenly ban music after years of allowing it. However the stick in the mud person has the ear of our boss and the stick in mud seems to be looking for a reason to have music banned.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

I work in a fairly large office. Everyone is allow to listen to music.

My personal view on the matter is that employees should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as it doesn't effect their productivity. I actually find music helps productivity because I can tune out all the background chatter and distractions.

I find that if I'm not listening to music that I actually look for something to distract me (ie, coming to this site), but if I'm listening to music or FAN960 then I stay focused on what I am working on.

[The Yen Man]

Your manager sounds like that Dilbert manager where he does things just for the sake of doing it, and not really for the sake of anything useful. What harm can listening to music be if it doesn't affect productivity.

I actually find I concentrate better while listening to music, and thus am more productive. CP on the otherhand...

[KTown]

With as boring as you make that job out to be, expect people to quit shortly.

I'm sure they all could get better paying jobs anyways.

If they told me no music, I'd just laugh at them and keep doing it.

People need to stop treating people like children, we're adults.

As long as your work gets done people shouldn't care what you do.

This is partially the reason why 've switched to being a contractor, I show up when I want and leave when I want, and as long as the work gets done, the company and there client are happy.

[troutman]

Wherever women work, Don, Joanne and the Coach seem to follow.

[llama64]

Maybe this is generational but if the place where I worked ever started putting in restriction of freedom policies like this, I'd leave within a week. If music doesn't get in the way of production, the policy is asinine, punitive and ultimately counter-productive.

But that's just my personal opinion.

[fatso]

As an aside, I really despise the rhetoric of 'professionalism', particularly as regards issues such as dress, music, etc. (things like safety and respect are obviously important).

Dressing professional, acting professional by turning off music... give me a break. Sure you can't come to work in a thong and nothing else, carrying a boombox blaring N.W.A. But does it really matter if someone wants to have an eyebrow ring? Or listen to Wham! on the desk clock-radio at a reasonable volume? Geez...

Some people will take whatever opportunities they get to exercise what little power they truly have.