What you need to know:
- Although there are instances where it could undermine productivity, there is nothing inherently wrong with listening to music.
- Music is a fundamental part of culture that serves various purposes in society, including giving expression to many life’s experiences and aspirations.
I was recently called by my head of department and told not to listen to music on my phone with my headphones as I work. She claimed that it distracts me from my work and that I should listen to music at home. Is there anything wrong with listening to music on the phone while working?
It depends. What was the context of the discussion with your supervisor? What precipitated the reproof? What is the nature of your job? Does it entail making or receiving regular calls? Does it involve waiting on others or frequent face to face interaction with stakeholders, say at a reception? Does listening to the music on your headphones alienate you from your colleagues? Does it make it difficult for others to work effectively with you? How is your performance record? How would you describe your relationship with your boss? Are your colleagues subject to the same rule?
Although there are instances where it could undermine productivity, there is nothing inherently wrong with listening to music. Music is a fundamental part of culture that serves various purposes in society, including giving expression to many life’s experiences and aspirations. Some people believe that besides being enjoyable, music is the ultimate elixir for enhancing concentration and the flow of creative juices at work. However, like other social media, music could be abused as a duct for the discharge of corrosive effluent to the mind. What is music to you?
You need to have a conversation with your supervisor to better understand her concern. She probably understands that one can effectively work with music in the background, that the mind can process certain experiences concurrently without having its performance impaired. Has your boss by any chance found you catching up on your favourite TV series in the office in the name of listening to music?
Is the music from your headphones so loud that your neighbours could karaoke along? If colleagues struggle to interact with you at work because your headphones are glued to your ears and your performance or that of your colleagues is compromised for so doing, you have your work cut out. A tune could lift the spirit in one context and be entirely inappropriate in another.
gituku.fred@gmail.com
HR Practitioner
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