AIBU to not allow the plasterer to play his radio?

[Shedbuilder]

I have a plasterer booked for four days of fiddly work all over the house, repairing the mess left by the so-called specialist fitters we paid a small fortune to install triple glazing —but I'm not going there!

We both work from home and around us we have other households with people working from home and noise-sensitive older people. It's a hot day and our windows are open because it's hot and to keep the air moving just in case of Covid. So when he arrived yesterday with his giant radio we nipped the problem in the bud early on and said sorry, both working from home, both need to be able to think and make calls without background noise — no radio. Which he glumly accepted. Today he's had a brief conversation with us about how tedious his work is without music in the background, so we suggested he use his phone and some earbuds. But no, he doesn't want to run out of data and he doesn't have earbuds.

We've ordered some cheap earbuds and we'll see if we can rig up some kind of free wifi connection for him tomorrow, but he's really huffy and I'm wondering whether we'll see him again tomorrow. He's a good plasterer and we've waited two months to get him. Are we being unreasonable?

Yes = we are unreasonable
No = we're no unreasonable

I would feel compelled to smash his radio with an axe after 5 minutes of it.

Now that would be noisy.

Now that would be noisy.

Satisfying though.

I was once stuck on a coach on the way to a work thing and Radio 1 was on - first thing in the morning so maximum breakfast idiocy - I was climbing the walls!

In all seriousness, I would try to find a radio station and volume level that was a reasonable compromise for all concerned.

@Cooldryplace

If the only way to work effectively at home is in absolute silence, no wonder employers want everyone back in. It must be impossible to achieve for most people.

And impossible to achieve in an office too.

It’s just possible such people are being the teensiest bit precious

I don't understand why radio noise would affect Teams/Zoom calls. We all use headsets with microphones, and outside noise can't be heard. I know because I have tested this

So, why don't you and your DP use headsets with microphones @Shedbuilder?

I use a headset and people on my calls have heard shouting/music from next door before! I had to go round and ask them not to have drumming sessions before 5pm

Why would the OP wear a headset? She sensibly doesn't have music playing through a video call or allow visitors to play it.

Yanbu. He is working for you, not the other way round.

We have a new neighbour who told us that she hates noise. She is staying with her mum/boyfriend to leave US with the constant racket from her builders. I would really have appreciated her telling them not to blast music out on top of the unavoidable building noise, as they then have to shout over the radio too!

Why would the OP wear a headset?

Much, much better sound quality for a start. You have to sit near the microphone on your laptop/PC for other people to hear you. It makes a massive difference. The company I work for provided all the staff with headsets with microphones, and the difference was very noticeable.

Oh, and the microphones are noise cancelling so it cancels out any outside noise.

@Macncheeseballs

Warmfluffytowels - that's not really the same scenario

Of course it is @Macncheeseballs

DH works alone in a house - but he's still not allowed to wear headphones or ear buds as they mean you can't hear potential danger around you - things slipping, the fact you've knocked something over, someone entering the building and surprising you when you're halfway up a ladder and in your own little world etc.

He has a radio with him or uses his phone but only out of the speaker. When you do manual work like that, it's generally not safe to block out all outside noise around you.

OP, I feel for you. I am in a very similar position and I tried with ours to tell them to keep the volume down or turn it off, but it just didn't work. They turned it down but not enough IMO. I am fuming inside, but also understand they do in fact work quicker with music on and I also have it on whenever I do physical work in fairness. I know it's my house, my rules, but I've ended up having to suck it up unfortunately

@PattyPan

I use a headset and people on my calls have heard shouting/music from next door before! I had to go round and ask them not to have drumming sessions before 5pm

I can't help thinking of this 😂

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

Why would the OP wear a headset? She sensibly doesn't have music playing through a video call or allow visitors to play it.

Same reasons people do when working in an open plan office. Absolutely the norm in my office.

Millions of women work at tedious jobs and aren't allowed to listen to their own music - he is being unreasonable - working quietly will not kill him -

Earlier this year, we had decorators in for six weeks straight. DH and I were both working from home at the time, and they had the radio on throughout the day. I couldn’t wait until they were finished so that there was some peace. No problem whatsoever with normal noise that the work involves, nobody can ask someone to do a job and then complain about the noise that the job involves, even when it is loud and disruptive. And then another four weeks when flooring was laid throughout. Again, radio on. They all did fantastic jobs though, they were really skilled at what they did.

I think you’ve been reasonable. That said, I didn’t think I could do the same - and that was over a period of weeks and not four days. I quite admire you!

*Much, much better sound quality for a start. You have to sit near the microphone on your laptop/PC for other people to hear you. It makes a massive difference. The company I work for provided all the staff with headsets with microphones, and the difference was very noticeable.

Weird. I don't notice any difference at all between colleagues who wear headsets and those who don't.

Same reasons people do when working in an open plan office.

A house isn't an open plan office.

Yanbu. I work from home and I don’t even have my own radio on. He’s there to do a job not have a disco

@Bertiebiscuit

Millions of women work at tedious jobs and aren't allowed to listen to their own music - he is being unreasonable - working quietly will not kill him -

And millions of women do.

Different jobs have different ways of working - if you want to listen to music while you work that badly, you're always free to find another job or employer that allows that.

I find it a bit odd that some posters seem to resent him for working a job that allows him the freedom to listen to music if he wishes.

It might be boring for him but he has a job to do which he is being paid for. You are working from home. He is BU.

Why doesn't he just invest in an inexpensive MP3 player, that way he's not disturbing anyone? I have two which I used to use at work to keep me entertained, and also to drown out external noise when I was trying to concentrate. I'd use one till the battery ran down, then switch to the other.

YANBU. You’ve every right to have quiet in your house (and your neighbours too) when he could normally be expected to wear headphones.

YANBU, your house your rules, and he needs to accept that not everywhere will allow loud music playing.

If he wants to listen to music, he should invest in some earphones. Also, if he downloads music, he doesn't need to use data.

@twinkletwankle

What is your wifi set up that you would have to go to the trouble of rigging something up for him?

I do think YABABU

YABVU

Unless he's there for weeks I'd have said just keep it on low.

You are not his employer! You are a client! Get over yourself it’s a bit of music that really isn’t going to disrupt your day. I don’t believe for one minute you and your husband sit in complete silence whether working from home or not so stop interrupting his work. I honestly wouldn’t blame him if he walked off your job.