Music in the Office 2

[paulcook]

Hey all - hope this isn't inappropriate for an engineering forum, but would love y'alls take.

I've been working at this company for about 4 years. They play music all day, everyday, in the engineering office.

The music plays on a Sonos and is controlled by the hipsters in the marketing department. While their playlist is an improvement on the Top 40 that played for the first year, I don't like it.

*Frankly, I don't like any music playing when I'm working.*

Does your office play music?

Am I being crazy?

Any strong arguments I could use to change management's mind?

Thanks - all thoughts appreciated!

 

[phamENG]

The time to say something probably would have been about 3 years and 364 days ago. Any argument will not have much force since you've obviously been handling it for 4 years. You could ask them to turn it down, or use headphones, or close a door. But other than that, the ship has probably sailed. The company culture is what it is. You could always get ear plugs or noise canceling headphones.

 

[Stick.]

I don't think you're crazy and would generally say that anyone who thinks it's appropriate to play music for the whole office is probably the crazy one. But I don't work in your office, so my opinion doesn't really matter.

Before you do anything, you should probably try to ascertain if you're the only one who doesn't like it, or if the majority actually doesn't like it. If you're the only one/in the minority, then management may ignore your request, or even worse, honor it and then the rest of the office hates you for spoiling their fun.

Unless you think you can actually get them to change without upsetting too many people, I'd probably just go with ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones (they'll probably work better than earplugs if you play your own music or some sort of white/background/nature noise). Over the ear noise cancelling headphones also tend to reduce people in the office from bothering you for trivial things or to just say hi while you're trying to focus on your work (up to you if that's a good or a bad thing).

 

[GregLocock]

We had an open plan portable office, in which our little section of 4 CAE guys was a small part. In order to drown out the random phone calls on speaker box, arguments and heated discussions we all wore noise cancelling headphones and played whatever we liked.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[ChorasDen]

Do I like music while working? Absolutely. Do I like other people's choice in music while working? Almost assuredly not. I would suggest starting with the recommendations provided above, try on a pair of noise cancelling headphones, and see if that works for you. I wouldn't escalate it to management until you've determined individual solutions, such as earplugs/headphones aren't going to cut it for you. Hard to put that genie back into the bottle, and also, your manager may very well ask you if you've tried a set of headphones.

 

[SWComposites]

sabotage comes to mind .......

or hack into it and play something completely horrible ......

 

[tygerdawg]

Not a fan of music in the workplace, but I'm one of those oddballs who likes silence for thinking and concentration. I'll wear headphones if I want to listen to music. One of the most inconsiderate things I could do is impose my choice of music on others.

IMHO an office environment should be low noise, professional, conducive to work and courteous conversations. Loud obnoxious disruptive chair-throwing and table-banging should be confined to conference rooms or parking lots. So should overly-loud offensive music.

There are plenty of studies out there describing productivity improvements when music is allowed. But it's unlikely to obtain consensus on what kind of music is suitable for everybody. Being forced to endure someone else's choice in music would very much upset me. You could end it all by complaining, forcing the elimination of music entirely by Management edict, and be known forever as That Guy.

Changing a company's culture is really challenging at your level and can be very dangerous. Another strategy is to do some research (including discretely surveying your co-workers) and develop a proposal to management to keep music but under certain restrictions that will work for everyone. You might be ignored and told to get back to work. You might cause a total ban and still become That Guy. You might discover that Management hates the choice of music and wanted an excuse to make changes.

But if you took a collaborative approach, you'd likely survive the attempt at change. Back in the Ancient History Days when smoking was allowed, I was able to implement a company-wide no smoking policy using this approach. It turned out there were only a handful of smokers and the majority hated having to endure second-hand smoke. Including the General Manager. A company-wide change happened in a short week.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Manufacturing Engineering Consulting

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[paulcook]

But if you took a collaborative approach, you'd likely survive the attempt at change. Back in the Ancient History Days when smoking was allowed, I was able to implement a company-wide no smoking policy using this approach.

I could be convinced to put up with the music if I could smoke at my desk hah.

Appreciate all the thoughts.

Sort of going down the road of being "that guy". I can't stand it anymore..

 

[GregLocock]

So far as listening to music while concentrating on analysis, or indeed some driving, no. While reading the 99th email in the inbox oh yeah.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[sentrifice]

This might be a different topic, but I'm not a fan of music anywhere in the workplace.

I was on a construction crew throughout college, and it always bothered me when people had earbuds in when working and I could never get peoples attention unless I walked over and tapped on their shoulder. Now that I'm in the office I see the same thing with junior engineers always having earbuds in.

I've never let it bother to me too much, but I find it hard to believe that anyone doing a technical task is as productive with headphones as they are without. But maybe I'm just projecting my own experience onto others.

 

[ChorasDen]

Sentrifice, I nearly always work with music on, unless I'm on the phone with a client/customer. However, to emphasize, I only play music without lyrics. I tend towards jazz, lofi, video game or theme park music, etc. I believe that lyrics are distracting so I don't like listening to that, but music that is just instrumental I think is quite beneficial to help me focus on a task, particularly programming.

As you stated, I'm just projecting my own experiences, we all are different people.

 

[DrZoidberWoop]

Depends on the workplace. Music should probably not be played anywhere there are safety hazards, like a construction site, inside a fab shop, etc.

But in an office environment, I'm fine with anyone listening to whatever they want, via headphones/buds, in the privacy of their own office/cubicle. I'm constantly designing steel connections while jamming out to Napalm Death. lol.

 

[GregLocock]

"Based on the results of this study, we cannot recommend learning with background music. Learners with the lowest capacity levels were especially impaired by background music. With increasing working memory capacity background music neither hindered nor fostered learning. For these learners it is merely a matter of personal preference as to whether they wish to learn with background music or not, for example in an attempt to raise their motivation levels. However, learners should be careful with their decision as to which music they chose to listen to: Song with lyrics are potentially more distracting than instrumental melodies and music with other modes or tempos could possibly evoke obstructive emotions for learning. Luckily, there is enough music readily available, so that each of us has the chance to listen to our preferred music, which may even be conducive to learning.

"

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5671572/

I guess I'll let the first 2 sentences through to the keeper.

Personally, Brandenburgs, middle Pink Floyd, and early Stones, but mostly classical off the radio. If I'm concentrating I have noticed I don't actually listen to anything (wife included)- I can want to listen to the news on the radio but 20 minutes later it has been and gone and I have no memory of what was on.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[EngrPaper]

I play music through headphones when I am doing low effort tasks like weekly reports or answering general e-mails. But I need silence when I am doing mentally intense tasks. If you can't get them to shut the music off, I would recommend a good set of noise cancelling headphones. My Sony ones have been great.

 

[XR250]

Maybe you could get them to put on a Huberman podcast instead. For me, I prefer silence.

 

[drawoh]

I am working from home, and I am listening to a classical music station. When somebody calls me, I turn the radio off.

As noted above, not everyone has the same tastes. If things are very quiet at the office, I will put headphones on and listen to my radio station. Beyond not inflicting one's music tastes on co-workers, I regard headphones as anti-social. If I want any awareness of my surroundings, I don't put them on. If I need to talk to someone, I don't know if their headphones indicate a meeting, or someone generously not inflicting Abba on me.

I don't wear headphones when I am outside walking. I want to know what is going on around me. When I have passengers in my car, I usually turn my radio off. It is better to chat with people.

--
JHG

 

[skeletron]

Worked in a small 4-man office where the owner blasted the local eclectic radio station. Absolutely loved it and all the chaos that could ensure from trying to answer the phone with a banger playing!

Worked in a large open-concept corporate office with silence. We could play music on our computer, but it would be really obvious once it got above volume 1 or 2. Everyone wore headphones and it felt like being in a simulation. I got complaints by my office neighbour for blasting The Beatles @ 4:30PM on a Friday afternoon as I was digging into a final exam for a CPD course. Turns out he had some hearing issue, which may have explained him always whisper-arguing with his wife during breaks.

If someone is playing DJ, they have to be able to read the room. If someone is so bitterly annoyed by the music, headphones or some other device is their first line of defence.

 

[PersonalProfile]

A historical discussion regarding similar follows:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andr...ew-factory-activity-7151242740394016769-Hwxa/

 

[milkshakelake]

Bruh, I got you. You don't have to be "that guy" (though I would, but whatever). Get Airpods. They have fantastic noise cancellation. If you haven't tried it, go to an Apple store and try it (or something similar from a different company). It's mindblowing technology. When they say noise cancelling, they really mean it. The world turns into a whisper. It's better than ear plugs. It feels like the stuff you put on when flying a Cessna or sitting passenger in one. The great thing is that you don't need to be playing anything; just use the noise cancelling function.

I can't stand pop music. I don't think it's necessarily bad, but it's not my taste. I sympathize with you.

 

[paulcook]

Get Airpods

I have some... the over ear ones. Unfortunately, and going to sound like a baby here, they hurt my ears. Something about the noise cancelling makes me feel pressure in my ears - as if you're in an airplane.