Thanks for coming by!

The discussion on music seems to be more about what is “outrageous” for your boss to suggest. Are the employees entitled to do whatever they want or is the boss the boss?

Agreed that on a practical level, most business tasks don’t take 100% of your concentration, so you’re probably not losing anything (though that changes as you move up the ladder). However, if the boss thinks that it hurts work performance, the boss has the right to restrict it.

And if the employees (who are getting paid to do certain work, right?) don’t like it, there are always other workplaces.

I encourage people to leave bosses like this because perhaps they’ll learn what’s important in management and to stop the crap. That being said, they are still the boss.

Dan

I let him blog because I learn so much from his perspective and I assume that if I’m learning a lot, other people are, too.

Re music at work. This strikes me as a totally irrelevant discussion. If your employee wants to listen to music, fine. If she doesn’t get her work done, fire her.
If she gets her work done, the music doesn’t matter.

Penelope

Thanks for the comment!

According to the scientists, it depends on the kinds of music you’re listening to while you’re working. From the article:

“These experts have some basic advice. Check e-mail messages once an hour, at most. Listening to soothing background music while studying may improve concentration. But other distractions — most songs with lyrics, instant messaging, television shows — hamper performance. Driving while talking on a cellphone, even with a hands-free headset, is a bad idea.”

So, basically, music without lyrics: good. Music with lyrics: inhibits productivity.

I, too, have used music to get me excited before doing some task, but this is specifically dealing with *during* the task.

Dan