It is becoming more and more apparent that wellbeing at work is intrinsic to an individual’s personal and professional life. After the pandemic, workplace wellbeing has been headline news, with more companies paying attention to what their people want and need. A study by Quinyx, a Workforce Management solution company, found that a staggering 58% of staff considered leaving their job because of a negative environment. With such a large percentage of people thinking about leaving work, it should be at the forefront of companies’ minds to support their people and help improve wellbeing at work.
As more companies look into wellbeing at work, we see a rise in new ways to facilitate this. One of which is listening to music. Many offices already listen to music from the radio or playlists. But does it improve wellbeing at work? In this article, we discuss that question.
Reasons why listening to music does not help wellbeing at work.
To begin, Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist, and musician suggest that listening to music harms productivity. Individuals feel as though they are having more fun and therefore are more distracted from their work. In turn, they may fall behind in their tasks or lead to stress later on. The Times backs this statement up by saying that music affects your performance on cognitively demanding tasks.
Another argument could be that some people simply cannot work whilst listening to music and find it distracting, leading to higher levels of frustration in the workplace. With more people feeling exasperated, there could be tensions between employee relations.
On top of this, individual music tastes may be put into the mix, causing disagreements that take up time and energy. However, offices can avoid this by finding a middle ground or curating work playlists for everyone to collaborate. Furthermore, this is also a way to increase company culture through team building and more choice.
Reasons why listening to music does help wellbeing at work.
Although previously stated that The Times believe music has a negative impact on difficult tasks, they also say that it can increase moods and relaxation. Individuals’ mood is at the center of well-being at work and their ability to feel comfortable, confident, and calm.
In effect, creating a positive atmosphere within the workplace, whether in an office or at home, can improve dopamine levels and individuals’ moods. Using music as a perk at work can also be a great way to increase wellbeing at work! Simple rewards and recognition, such as allowing people to pick stations or even investing in a quality speaker, can help you say thank you for your hard work.
How to effectively use music to promote wellbeing at work
Every member of your team will be different. These simple steps can help you use music the right way.
Volume
Make sure you are paying attention to your people and conscious of the volume. Too loud, they will be distracted or frustrated, and too low, they will not hear it.
Genre
All members of your team will enjoy something different. Try to change up the style of music now and then. Alternatively, choose a genre that will not be distracting.
Timing
If individuals need to concentrate, use quiet hours or only play music during the break.
To sum up, no one size fits all. Therefore, it is vital to communicate with your people what they want and need to boost their workplace wellbeing, which applies to all mental wellbeing strategies.
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