Few things elicit such passionate debate quite as the topic of music at work. Should it be played at all, are headphones acceptable? What kind of music is ok?
Research has found that 61% of employees listen to music at work and believe that it makes them happier and more productive. And, it seems 90% of workers actually perform better while listening to their favourite tunes. So what are you waiting for? Turn up the volume!
But, hold on just a second, what if you have those few employees who don’t benefit from the soulful sounds bursting from the communal speaker? For some, music at work is far too distracting to allow them to be able to produce anything of value, this is particularly true for music with lyrics as some find the presence of lyrics the distracting part.
If you’re in the pro music at work camp, good news, the odds are in your favour. Studies have shown that 77% of SME business owners believe music increases employee morale, while 65% believe it makes their workers more productive.
Regardless of what this research proves isn’t it fair to say that as long as there are at least some people in your workplace who prefer to work in silence you should be considerate of that? Science has found that it all depends on the kind of music that is played in relation to the task at hand. Science says that listening to music with lyrics can interfere with our ability to learn new information, and if your job requires any kind of linguistic processing then it’s definitely best to steer clear of lyrics all together. That doesn’t mean you have to skip music all together, classical music, jazz, or music with lyrics in another language (one that you don’t speak of course) is far less distracting.
So, how does any of this help a team in an open plan office, all with varying duties? Some may find their work accuracy and focus greatly improved by listening to dance music at work while others may find that same music distracting, and will struggle to perform. Sadly, nobody has invented ear muffs that block out all surrounding sound (yet!), and the irony is that noise cancelling headphones are only really completely effective while playing music, so if you’re after silence, you’re out of luck!
The good news is that today there’s really no reason that anyone’s productivity should be negatively affected when it comes to music at work. If you have a team that are all on the same page music wise, great! There are a number of handy speakers out there, some small enough to pop into your pocket, ideal for the hot deskers among us. On the flip side, if you have a team that can’t agree on the tunes, or that prefers a bit of occasional quiet perhaps it’s best to introduce headphones. With so many different varieties available, you can easily keep everyone happy, focused and at optimal productivity levels.
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