Does Listening to Music at Work Help or Hurt?

Whistle while you work: A good tune can seem to make the time at work go faster, but is music at work really a good idea? And what about hazardously loud workplaces?

With digital media on the rise, most of us have never had easier access to music on the go. And for many of us, getting to work is our cue to put in earbuds or turn on the office radio. However, music may not be getting us better results in the workplace. How do we tell if music at work is helping or hurting?

The key, according to one researcher, is that what determines whether music is a good idea at the workplace all depends on what kind of work you're doing.

Mental tasks, such as reading, concentration, and memory are actually impaired while background music is playing. So if you're writing up a report, researching, or working up invoices, consider turning off the music and working in silence: your brain may thank you, and reward you with faster, higher-quality results.

But for physical work, the opposite is true: fast-paced music can actually increase the speed at which you can perform the task at hand. A little dance, pop, or rock can get your blood pumping and help your body move faster and maintain a consistent pace. Workers who move from one type of work to another, such as an employee who does paperwork in the morning and does stocking work in the afternoon, may find that turning on the music can provide a nice energy lift when transitioning to more active tasks.

Interestingly, a music break may be a good idea regardless of the type of work you're doing. Music breaks up the hours of the workday and melts down the monotony of repetitive tasks or long hours at a desk. Having a 10-minute music break can lift performance and morale for workers doing a variety of tasks, particularly when music is not otherwise available to in that workplace.

The music itself also matters: according to NPR, employees are most productive when they actually enjoy the music they're hearing. While this seems like a simple idea, in practice, choosing a station on the office radio can turn into a battle of the buttons, as different employees enjoy very different genres of music.

Earphones for individual listening, then, may be the solution. With personal earbuds or earphones, everyone is able to listen to their own favorite music -- no arguments or compromises necessary. However, before letting your employees plug themselves into their iPods and smart phones, consider the impact music could have on your workplace's culture and workflow. Could everyone work together as effectively when listening to their own music? Can co-workers still hear each other talking when they need to? It depends on your workplace, and your employees. Still, the ability to allow each employee control over his or her own music is a powerful possibility.

If you're going to allow individual listening in your workplace (which many workers assume will be the norm, anyway), then carefully consider the type of earphones your employees will be using. If your environment is relatively quiet, then any inexpensive earbuds will probably do. But what about a noisy workplace, such as a garage or factory? Hearing protection is obviously required in any hazardously loud setting, particularly in industrial workplaces. That usually means using ear plugs or ear muffs, both of which could prohibit music listening.

Even in very loud workplaces, earphones can still remain an option, thanks to earphones with built-in hearing protection. Workers can get the benefits of personal earphones and personal hearing protection, both, from one set of earphones designed especially for workers. These serve as ear plugs and earphones all-in-one, protecting the wearer from hazardously loud noise and providing those sweet, sweet tunes at the same time.

Of particular note are these Plugfones Contractor VL Earphones. These offer good hearing protection, music listening, and they also include a built-in volume limiter. The volume limiter keeps the volume to a safe 82dB, which passes muster in OSHA workplaces, and ensures employees cannot listen to music that is loud enough to cause noise-induced hearing damage -- which would go against the whole idea of using hearing protection in the first place.

Choosing whether to allow music in the workplace, allowing music listening for all employees or just those doing physical jobs, deciding between a shared radio or individual earphones, and determining whether an earphone with hearing protection is required, are all important topics to consider. Ultimately, whether listening to music in the workplace is a good idea or not depends on a lot of factors -- but if you can find a way to make it work, and work safely, your employees will thank you.