Should an employer allow their employees to play music?
Please give pros and cons to allowing employees to play their own music (at a respectful volume, of course).
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M$6 Answers
That brings me to the "pro" - having happy employees. Letting workers play their own music while they work, provided it doesn't detract from work being done, might make for happier workers.
Now? The con (and it is a doozy).I had a colleague who was great about using his headphones when he listened to his music. Not a problem there - none of us could hear that...but what we could hear was his singing. It was horrible! I don't think he realized he was singing along, but every now and then our nice, peaceful office would get blasted by his tune belting (off key, mind you). That's definitely a con.
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M$
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M$Con: some employees could be distracted and not be more productive if the music bothers them.
I love going into a store with upbeat music playing...it puts me in the mood to shop...just like Christmas music puts a person in good spirits while shopping...as with anything...if it becomes a problem, eliminate it.
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M$
Music is great for minimise distraction from surrounding sounds (colleague chats, ringing phones and etc.). Especially important this is for knowledge workers. I can't image getting so much done if I wouldn't create my inner environment to concentrate and avoid interruptions.
Imants
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M$
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M$
The main point I’d like to make is that I think in general most people use music to lift their mood. There is nothing worse than listening to the radio or listening to a colleagues choice of music on a shared player. There is always someone who won’t enjoy what they listen to.
I have a distinct taste in music but it helps to motivate me and generally reduce the boredom of some of the more menial tasks I have to do during my working day…
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M$
We allow our employees to listen to music for a couple of reasons: It inspires them to be creative and allows for free thought. We are also in an open environment and sometimes we need to drown out phone conversations and other internal conversations.
A couple of guidelines we've added: make sure you can still hear your phone so you can answer it. Singing along is prohibited. Play it at a level so if someone does approach you or asks you a question from behind you, they can still somewhat hear. One of our staff actually announces they are putting their headphones in - I appreciate it as I know she is going into concentration mode when she does it.
The only position I would caution allowing music or headphones is at the front reception. Those who are greeting other people would never want to miss the opportunity of a phone call or someone coming in. But at the same time, if she/he follows the guidelines above, she/he should be okay.
It's been proven time and time again - happy employees = engaged employees = higher operating efficiency and overall profitability.