Music Makes Us Happy And Productive At Work

Submitted by: Dr Kathryn Owler

Songs and music have been used to accompany work related activities for generations, in many different cultures. The advent of recorded music in the 20th century increased the use of music in the workplace. It was used to maintain morale, reduce boredom and fatigue, improve productivity and reduce errors. This became a widespread practice during 2nd World War. In the U.K. the BBC s created a Music While You Work programme , which continued long after the war effort. This gives an indication of how successful cheerful, lively music was in enhancing the moods and productivity of workers. And, recent research has been able to confirm the benefits of listening to music at work.

Benefits of music at work

Recent research has identified a number of benefits of playing music at work:

Music in general:

-Enhanced enjoyment of work

-Enhanced morale

-Improved concentration preventing people s minds wandering off

-Some people become more creative and stimulated at work

-Enhanced ambience in the workplace

-Provides a topic of conversation amongst colleagues

-Reduction of stress, minimising tension, inducing relaxation

-Relieves boredom during low-demand tasks

-Better performance, particular with simple and repetitive tasks

-Can provide a useful mechanism for team-building, such as during social activities or sing-alongs

Personalised players (e.g. MP3 s):

-Can be used to block out unwanted noise e.g. colleagues conversations

-Can provide a sense of control over the personal work environment, aural cocoon (Bull, 2007) i.e. when using personal players in open plan offices

Down-sides of music at work

There are some down-sides to listening to music at work:

Music in general:

-Music can potentially interfere with performance on more complex tasks

-Music being played too loudly can interfere with other peoples work

-Background music when people work in public spaces is not always enjoyed. For instance, a survey carried out by the UK Noise Association in 2007 found that 40% of employees disliked it, 28% tried to ignore it, and only 7% actually liked it.

Personalised players (e.g. MP3 s):

-Interference with workplace communication when people wear headphones

-Music used to block out occupational noise can contribute to noise-induced hearing loss.

What kind of music is best at work?

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Classical music is not always best

We are often told that classical music is best for stress relief. However, research suggests that while classical music is being listened to in offices, employees also listen to many other musical styles. Listening to classical music is not necessarily related to greater levels of relaxation. What creates the greatest ability to relax, is the sense of control employees experience. Self-selected music provides employees with the best sense of control over their surroundings.

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Happy music is not always best!

– In some unique circumstances, a positive mood can be detrimental to work performance. For instance, one study found that when music was used to induce a positive mood in traders on financial markets they lost money. This may be because such music induced risk taking. However, music that generated a neutral or negative mood, tended to lead to profits for this group.

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It depends on the context

Research suggests that the same person may find music conducive to work in one work situation, and distracting in another.

Using music in team-building

Music can provide a forum for social activities and team-building. For example, a group of employees might form a band to perform at a work Christmas party or other function. Research on fun at work has shown that employees appreciate the opportunity to share their non-work related gifts, as part of a light-hearted expression of self. Generally, other team members also appreciate this sharing. Such events can often segue into a sing-a-long, that helps to relax and bond the team.

The best ways to manage music at work

-Managers can benefit from recognising the importance for employees of being able to select their own music for stress, relaxation and well-being.

-Music can be a great mechanism for team-building e.g. music making together and sing-a-longs

-Researchers recommend that management either restrict workplace MP3 use among workers who experience high background noise exposure (such as in the manufacturing industry) or require output-limiting technology to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss.

-It is important to recognise that the use of MP3 players in the office can also contribute to hearing loss. Office managers should do all they can to reduce noise related office noise. This includes good separation between desks, good sound absorbent screening, separation of office space from photocopiers and printers, separation of office space from social spaces, provision of separate meeting rooms, keeping ring tones low and encouraging the use of ear muffs or plugs (rather than MP3 s) in very noisy office spaces.

For more articles on fun at work visit www.joyworkz.com

References

Autenrieth, D.; Sandfort, D. Lipsey, T. and Brazile, W. (2012. Occupational Exposures to Noise Resulting

from the Workplace Use of Personal Media Players at a Manufacturing Facility . Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 9: 592 601

Haake, A. (2011). Individual music listening in workplace settings: An exploratory survey of offices in the UK . Musicae Scientiae, 15(1): 107 129

Hallam, S. (2012). The effects of background music on health and well-being. Retrieved from icanteach.co.uk

Owler, K. & Morrison, R. 2012. A Place to be me, A Place Belong: Defining Fun at work in a New Zealand Call-Centre . New Zealand Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(1): 22-33.

UK Noise Association. (2007). Year of National Noise Strategy. Kent: UK Noise Association.

Yehuda, N. (2011). Music and stress . Journal of Adult Development, 18: 85 94

About the Author: Dr Kathryn Owler is the Director of The Joyworkz.com Center for Fun and Wellness at Work. She is also an Associate Researcher at AUT University, Business School, where she researches and publishes on workplace wellness and

fun at work.

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joyworkz.com

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