Hello, advice needed re; music at work please.

Furrtiv

Hi all, I'd be grateful if someone could offer me some advice about music at work?
Due to signing a confidentiality agreement, I cannot discuss the nature of my work beyond saying that it requires quite a high degree of concentration and is manual and skill-based. I've been there almost three months, and am nearly at the end of my probation period, so have to tread carefully anyway.
The workplace employs a large-ish group of people so it's not a very small employer, but not one that employs hundreds.
The job's been great so far, love it, the people are quite lovely and it's a pretty relaxed, liberal place. People are allowed to wear headphones, clothing is casual but sensible, generally it's a really cool place to work.
Now, the problem; we used to have a laptop connected to one speaker, where anyone could play their mp3 files, first come, first served. This wasn't a prblem as the speaker was the only one in quite a large workplace and it wasn't near me, so even when it was on loud it didn't affect me as it was quite a distance from where I was working.

Now, due to some people faffing about with this speaker and the laptop, the managers recently decide to install a dedicated music laptop and six sets of speakers all around the place, giving control of the volume for each set of speakers to the group of people working nearest them. So, the inevitable happened and volume has risen dramatically in the area I work in. It's an open-plan workplace so I can also hear the same music from other speakers.

Another problem is that everyone is allowed to upload their own taste in music, which is fine, and the laptop was put on permanent shuffle, which sounds great as you don't get the same style of music all day and often hear tracks you like. However, what with the workers all having access to the volume controls, and obviously everyone having very different tastes in music, people are mucking about with the volume and resetting it according to their own tastes, which for me meant that I haven't heard much of music I like as the others working in my area don't like hat I do and keep turning it right down when that music comes on, yet turning it up loud for their own personal favourites. I'd rather just have the volume fixed at a comfortable level, no matter what the music, and keep it at that. There's music on the system I don't like, but I haven't complained or turned the volume down because of it, as I'm older than the others and don't want to be the whingey old woman. I did turn it down once when it was, for me, extremely loud and affecting my concentration, but it got turned right back up again.

I have explained this to my supervisor in private, and expressed concerns that it was affecting my work, but was worried that by publicly turning the volume down, I'd be painting a big target on my back and didn't want to create bad feelings. She is going to look into having the volume controls set so that they can't go above a certain level no matter what the individual speakers are set to, and I have a feeling it will be brought up in tomorrow's Monday morning meeting.

Really, I don't mind the music, but for years I have suffered with loud music in previous jobs and feel that having it on more quietly, as background ambience rather than so loud as to ruin concentration, is the way to go.

I have also ordered myself earplugs and a set of what I hope to be reasonably good-quality ear defenders. I'd rather self-adapt if nothing can be done, but I also find that having my own music on with headphones isn't, for me, a good idea as it would have to be very loud indeed to drown out the speakers and I don't want hearing damage.

I'm also concerned that if I'm the only one with the problem, I could jeapordise my new job if I rock the boat, so to speak.

As far as I know, all relevant licences for playing music are in place, and at least my supervisor appeared to take my concerns seriously.

With regards to advice, I'm open to advice about what else can be done about the situation if the music is still played loud, but also up for any help regarding coping techniques I could teach myself, such as meditation or if anyone knows of good earplug brands, etc. Just trying to explore options where everyone is happy.

ohreally

Furrtiv wrote: »

it requires quite a high degree of concentration and is manual and skill-based

Given the above I'd be concerned about the employer being laid back re the use of earphones let alone load music being played.

There are workplace exposure limits applied to noise - have these been monitored to ensure they are not excessive?

Do you have access to a health & safety rep to raise concerns if the issue persists?

Summary of exposure values...http://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/employers.htm#noise

Furrtiv

Thank you for the link, that was useful. I don't expect the music to be as loud as the decibel levels mentioned, but without a measuring device I wouldn't know. Also, I do have very sensitive hearing; a few years ago, again due to the level of music played at a previous workplace, I actually managed to see a hearing specialist at a hospital ad had my hearing tested. Apparently, it was exceptional for someone of my age (I'm only 37 now!) as I was informed that most people have some form of hearing damage due to noise exposure. So, part of the problem could be that everyone else at work is slightly deaf! Unlikely, but possible.
I agree with you on the headphones, I personally don't think that they should be allowed for H&S reasons as there are many hazards, and I won't wear them myself for a variety of reasons, not least because I simply can't listen to any music, even stuff I like, for that long without getting bored of it and distracted.
I think the management here are great compared to places I have worked in the past, their attitude seems to be that happy workers are productive workers, but the downside to this is that I also think that sometimes they're not really tough enough. Some of the younger workers will get a massive shock when/if they change jobs and have to deal with bosses like some of my previous ones!
Anyway, I will see what the meeting tomorrow brings up; unfortunately, people there already know that I have a problem with loud music, so I'm having to be quite careful in my actions not to cause upset as I want to keep this job, obviously, and don't want to cause rifts between myself and the other workers.

Furrtiv

With regards to a health and safety rep; not sure who it is, but we do have one, I'll have to find out as I think it could be one of the more senior supervisors.

paddyrg

Contact prsformusic.com - unless the employer has a license for broadcasting music in the workplace (which costs money) they'll shut it down pronto under threat of court action for back-payments

Furrtiv

It's my belief that all licences have been acquired. Plus, when the music's not on loud, I also benefit from it, it's just the volume, and people mucking about not allowing me to hear songs that I like just because they don't like them, that are the issues that need resolving.

gibson123

Ignore it for now, the novelty will soon wear off and you will go back to the status quo (pardon the pun).

Furrtiv

That's what I'm hoping for. It would be nice to find a happy medium where we can all enjoy the music but it's not so loud that it's interfering.

With regards to concentration; maybe it's because I'm a bit older than the majority of the workforce, but all the younger people seem to be able to concentrate and focus on their work perfectly well with loud music blaring away, yet I can't, it's incredibly distracting above a certain volume level. Is this somthing to do with age, or maybe people are just more used to music being everywhere these days? I must admit, if a shop has loud music, I won't go in it for long (and it's not always shops for younger people that are guilty of this), and some pubs are a nightmare for me.

mildred1978

Furrtiv wrote: »

That's what I'm hoping for. It would be nice to find a happy medium where we can all enjoy the music but it's not so loud that it's interfering.

With regards to concentration; maybe it's because I'm a bit older than the majority of the workforce, but all the younger people seem to be able to concentrate and focus on their work perfectly well with loud music blaring away, yet I can't, it's incredibly distracting above a certain volume level. Is this somthing to do with age, or maybe people are just more used to music being everywhere these days? I must admit, if a shop has loud music, I won't go in it for long (and it's not always shops for younger people that are guilty of this), and some pubs are a nightmare for me.

Scientifically speaking, certain types of music are actually concentration enhancers.

BobQ

Furrtiv,

I can understand you not wanting to make a fuss and I think you are handling the situation well. At the end of the day your employer has to take reasonable steps to protect your health and safety even if you are more sensitive than others to noise.

The use of ear defenders seems like a sensible solution if you are not interested in playing personal music. Have you considered buying some noise-cancelling headphones?

Furrtiv

Hi BobQ, I looked at noise-cancelling headphones but was unsure, as most seemed to be the in-ear type which I would find uncomfortable. I haven't done much research into them, though. The ear defenders I have bought are alleged to have a high noise reduction rating across all frequencies, so combined with some soft foam earplugs, I'm hoping that they will work well enough for me not to have any more problems.
Mildred1978; after years and years of factory work with various types of music, I haven't found any music yet which enhances my own concentration - not even music I like. When working on my own projects at home, I never have music on, be it cd or radio. I only really listen voluntarily to music in two circumstances; long-distance driving, and actually sitting down to concentrate on the music itself ad enjoy it whilst doing nothing else. When busy or trying to concentrate, I simply find it too distracting.

(must log off now, bye for now)