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There is a manager here in my office (not mine) that allows his employees to listen to headphones at work, but only if they are listening to music at a low volume. He doesn’t allow things like sports talk radio, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. His reasoning is that these other non-music items are more likely to interfere with work concentration. The policy is on honor system and he doesn’t actually check what you are listening to.
Do you think this is a fair rule? Do you agree that non-music listening requires more concentration?
I do think non-music requires more concentration, and therefore should not be allowed unless the job in question is repetitive and/or requires no thought behind the task involved.
Case in point: I listen to audiobooks when I'm cleaning the house, or doing yardwork. But if I'm doing data entry or working in a spreadsheet, or typing up a report - those require me to pay attention and at that point only music will allow me to focus.
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Is it fair? Sure, the rule applies to everyone in the same manner.It would be unfair if some were allowed to listen to only music, others to anything, others not at all.
I don't care what my people listen to while working, as long as their performance is not affected. They are handling very detailed legal documents and billing data entry, and manage to get the work done in a timely manner with very few errors whether listening to something on headphones or being distracted by the voices of other employees talking near their cubicles. Some people are more affected by distraction than others, and some make a lot of mistakes even without distraction.
Of course. Listening to music is different than listening to an audio book, which something you need to give attention to in order to absorb. Music is much easier to put in the background.
Where I used to work, I HAD to listen to something, and at a pretty high volume, because some of my coworkers were so loud. It was like working in Grand Central Station.
This manager's policy, while it might seem like micromanaging (even though it's on the honor system), probably makes for a more pleasant and productive environment than where people are free to indulge in distractions and noise making where concentration is required.
There is a manager here in my office (not mine) that allows his employees to listen to headphones at work, but only if they are listening to music at a low volume. He doesn’t allow things like sports talk radio, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. His reasoning is that these other non-music items are more likely to interfere with work concentration. The policy is on honor system and he doesn’t actually check what you are listening to.
Do you think this is a fair rule? Do you agree that non-music listening requires more concentration?
A. Not your manager, so why are you worrying about it?
B. Some offices do not allow headphones at all.
C. Yes, audiobooks and podcasts do require more attention.
I agree with your manager. Music is fine as background or to drown out a noisy office because it gets tuned out but listening to something informative or engaging would detract from work. I think allowing employees to listen to music is enough. How they'd go about checking to make sure no one was listening to a podcast instead of pure songs is anyone's guess though so I bet this is one of those rules that's not strictly enforced.
If it wasn't for earbuds, I would not get any work done.
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