to think that people should not wear headphones and listen to music in the office

[Jewels234]

I work in a very large open plan office, where we sit in individual teams.

More and more people are putting in headphones and listening to music all day...and it's driving me insane! You can hear the 'tsk tsk tsk' noise of their music (I really don't want to be the grumpy one who asks them to turn it down). And if you need to ask a question you look like a complete idiot repeating their name until they realise they are being spoken to.

I know I can't change it...and probably am BU, but it feels unprofessional and unsociable. Also, hearing faint music constantly is so irritating. I can't beat them...so do I join them?

[PhaedraIsMyName]

Ninja you would not last very long with many employers if you think you have the right to sit at your desk listening to music.

[PhaedraIsMyName]

Ninja for all of my working life until the last 12 months I've been an employee. It would never have occurred to me to use the time my employer was paying me to work to listen to music.

[Ninjabread]

But I'm not just sitting at my desk listening to my music. I'm writing emails and reports, doing research, monitoring accounts, updating client records.
I find it hard to concentrate in my open plan office. Often colleagues have meetings in earshot about things that don't concern me. With my Headphones in I can still hear my phone and my colleagues when they talk to me.
In fact if colleagues have headphones in, it's considered shorthand for 'I'm trying to concentrate, don't disturb me with social chit-chat.'though I suspect social chit-chat is verboten in your office too.

[LustyBusty]

But Phaedra I think very few people are "listening to music" I know I'm not... "Listening to music" implies focussing your attention on it, and I actually only listen to things I know well, that can drown out the chaos around me-i find it significantly easier to ignore eg meatloaf, than the graphic detail of my colleague's date or the two most senior people in the department sword fighting....

[SweetsForMySweet]

I worked in a similar envoirnment and there was only one man who wore headphones and everyone else seem to think he was odd for doing it [hmmm]. I wish I could have worn headphones but the boss was strict that we were not aloud to do so and the only reason that one man was, was because he had been there since day one and had a senior position. Have you got instant messaging, could you send them a quick message and wait for a reply?

[PhaedraIsMyName]

'though I suspect social chit-chat is verboten in your office too

Hyperbole is not adding to the credibility of your argument.

I'm really surprised at so many of you treating music as little more than something to drown out irritating background noise.

[mrscog]

Ffs Phadrel are you the music police or something? It's perfectly possible for music to have more than one use you know. Also my team are way more productive when using music as a blocker as they chat to each other less, so it's a winner all around IMO - they get more done and they're happy they can do so with a background noise which suits their tastes and needs.

[DoJo]

Phaedra - I have never disputed that your experience is as you have described, just that because your experience is as you have described that nobody else's experiences are valid. The fact that you, your husband and many of your friends work in the same sector has coloured your views of the whole of the working world is clear, and I am not disputing that either.

In terms of 'proof' as you request, as I have already stated, I usually listen to Radio 4 when I am working, and the proof that it aids my concentration is that I choose to do this even though I work for myself. There is no benefit to me to 'skive off' or drag out tasks which I am being paid for or to put barriers between myself and optimal efficiency, so I work in the environment that suits me best.

Even though I don't usually listen to music whilst I work, when I do it is usually a piece chosen to inspire me - my role is creative, and being inspired by others' creativity is a long-established tradition, one which most (if not all) of the composers and songwriters you admire so much will be a part of. Music may be a big part of your life, but it is actually a part of my job, so please don't presume to tell my how important it must be to me or anyone else. Experiencing music in different ways doesn't invalidate any one person's enjoyment of it and the fact that you think you or anyone else can listen to music in the 'right' way surprises me.

As for your assertion that music is not just a noise to block other noise - that may be true for you, but for some people music can perform that role. Your sweeping generalisations based purely on your own experiences lead me to believe that you will never accept another's viewpoint as being valid, regardless of how many people confirm that they don't share your opinion. Which is fine - you are entitled to believe that your way is the best, or even the only way to do things 'properly', and given that this seems to be the case, I don't think I have any more to add to our discussion.

[Deverethemuzzler]

For goodness sake!
I am 47 and have worked in a variety of office and non office based jobs.

I have listened to my radio in all of them.

It has never been an issue. It takes me seconds to remove my earphones to answer a phone or a colleague's enquiry. It helps me concentrate and makes me more productive.

I currently work in the community but my admin is office based. I get in, plug in and get on with the paperwork and sorting out my diary.

I am not robbing my employer in anyway.

And listening to music does not overpower me to the extent I answer the phone in a rage/tears/euphoric/morose depending on who has just been on.

what a bizarre notion.

[mrscog]

Gives DoJo a hearty round of applause!

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Phaedra my concentration is substantially better with music. I physically cannot ignore background office noise -it's enormously distractingand makes me jumpy and anxious. Nice soft music dulls all of that, and means I only have one continuous background noise rather than dozens of competing ones.

[logisticalNightmare]

Just had to de-lurk and NC to say...I work in a big head office for a major financial services company. I am a programme manager so complex work but not customer facing. It is completely normal in my world for people to wear earphones sometimes. It is the accepted code "for do not disturb". I spent a lot of time on my phone headset (One eared with microphone like a call centre one) on conference calls, going to meetings, talking to colleagues but when I need quiet time the earphones go in.

In fact, I had them in a lot yesterday as I was doing half year performance review stuff.

Like all things, there is a time and a place. Common sense, respect and personal preference. I was a bit shocked to see all the high emotion on this thread

[RandallFloyd]

[LogisticalNightmare]

I see other sensible people DoJo deVere have appeared to say similar things :)

[McFox]

I spend most of my working day writing and listening to music helps me concentrate because it drowns out all the yapping. My team do the same as they are doing creative work, so we all have headphones in and wave when we need to talk. It works fine.

[rubybleu]

Earbuds/headphones are the norm in professional open-plan environments when you need to do something that involves concentration.

I work in the front office of an investment management firm and there would be mutiny if people tried to restrict use of earbuds. Everyone from the COO downwards will have headphones/earbuds on at various points during the day.

I never, ever listen to music for pleasure - it would never occur to me to stick the TV or radio on for background noise at home. I love silence. My sole reason for using isolating noise buds plus jazz or classical on YouTube is to be able to concentrate.

There's quite a lot of research around now that the open plan work environment is often quite counterproductive to productivity. They've realised that - shock horror - working involves concentrating and being interrupted constantly doesn't help that at all.

[PetulaGordino]

I can't believe this is so controversial. The whole thing about "listening to music on employer's time" is like that joke about the guy who gets his hair cut on company time

[Sicaq]

There are some ten hour white noise tracks on YouTube. I sometimes use them to drown out the sound of co-workers's blaring music. Seems to help.

Probably is sector-dependent; I'm in scientific publishing and my office fact checks academic papers, Amazes me that some colleagues think music helps with that; fair enough but I wish they'd wear feckin' headphones cos blaring rap music doesn't help me

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I use them to listen to Radio 4 podcasts while I work, because my open plan office is so deathly quiet that I would fall asleep otherwise (I do a lot of boring document editing). I used to be fine in a busy, bustling office with people coming and going all the time, but am struggling with the lack of stimulation in this one. I am very careful to keep the volume low and make sure I can hear the doorbell (we get deliveries all day long).

Music at work would drive me potty though, if I could hear other people's music I wouldn't be able to work at all. I virtually never listen to it at home. Luckily I have never worked anywhere that has it on routinely in the background. My DH is the opposite, he would have it on all the time, everywhere.

[Mrsrochesterscat]

Thankfully, I am treated like an adult at work.

I work in an open plan office with about 200 others. It's fairly quiet, people have whispered conversations and meetings are held elsewhere. Butt this has it's downfalls - for instance, I can hear telephone conversations from the other end of the office.

I, as a competent adult, know that I work better to music, as such I usually have headphones in.

[GreeboOgg]

My DH listens to music whilst he does procedures on people's hearts so I hope it isn't that bad for concentration & focus!

Effing surgeons living it large in theatre when my taxes are paying their wages! Tell your DH to save the raves for his own time!

[Daily Mail Outraged Face]

[wonkylegs]

Greebo - since the last 2 procedures he did were emergencies tacked on to the end of an already exhaustingly long day, they were technically in his own time. I know his patients were grateful that he bothered to stay & change their lives and I'm pretty sure they didn't give a monkeys if music was playing during the procedure or not.
Can a Disney theme tunes cd count as a rave?

[MyFairyKing]

wonky Think Greebo was being sarcastic!

[GreeboOgg]

Sorry Wonky I thought my brilliant Daily Mail face made my sarcasm clear I was just joking, I was under the impression many surgeons play music as it does, in fact, help concentration.

[Deverethemuzzler]

It was clear you were joking greebo