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Years ago I worked in a cubicle next to a woman who played gospels tunes at a ridiculous volume on her computer all the day long. After complaining to mid-level management, I was moved to a different bank of cubicles, only to discover that my new neighbor not only kept a radio on her desk playing from morning to night, she also sang along. Oh joy.
And as annoying as her voice was (it had the tessitura and rapture of a power drill), even more annoying was the fact that I’d find my emails and memos littered with whatever lyric she was singing, as if they’d somehow worked their way into my consciousness and forced themselves out through my fingers, rather than my tapping toe or vox box.
A memorandum to our facility manager on the installation of a new security system in the server room wound up going something like this:
Frank,
Please be advised that our team has located the east bay corridor track and tagged it with proper I.D. for the scheduled installation on Monday morning, Monday morning couldn’t guarantee that Monday evening you would still be here with me.
Eventually, I moved out of cubicle city and landed a job with a real office and a door that kept the locals’ soundtrack out of my life. And, yes, I’ll admit it, ever since, I do find myself now and then tuning into the radio online, or popping in a CD on the job, with my door closed, of course.
At my wife’s architecture firm, everyone listens to music at his/her computer. They even have iTunes on a common server so they can listen to each other’s music. But they’re all into big, expensive headphones that keep the music in their own, respective ears. And if any one starts singing along, that person is blindfolded and shot between the eyes. (Well, at least in theory.)
My question to you all is: Is it okay to play music in the office? If so, what music??? Which tunes enable you to get through your difficult days with grace and efficiency?
RPPRs (Related Past Posts that ROCKED!)
Though they weren’t official Office Rat-a-Tat posts, they might as well have been: Higgins’ wonderful post a couple weeks back on Annoying Office Interruptions and Ransom’s totally clever post on Work Incentives. Check ‘em out if you missed ‘em.
And check out all the official past Office Rat-A-Tats here>>
In the lab where I work, several of us play music in our offices, but it’s not loud enough to be heard much beyond the door.
At my old job when I shared an office, my roomie used to play her radio, but she would always ask first.
And at yet another job (manufacturing) we rotated positions every couple hours. Whoever was at a given position got to control the radio.
posted by bo on 12-20-2007 at 5:32 am
Several people here at work (myself included) play music at their desks, but only one person plays it at a level that’s audible outside his cubicle. Unfortunately, he’s a big Christmas music fan and favors artists like Alvin & the Chipmunks, so this time of year is very difficult…
posted by Lisa on 12-20-2007 at 6:40 am
When working after-hours with a friend, we would turn up the volume and sing along. Of course, we made sure that our lab door was closed :)
Nowadays, everybody has big headphones. I’ll unplug and sing along when I’m sure nobody else is in hearing range …
posted by Jocelyn on 12-20-2007 at 6:45 am
No, it’s not OK to play music at the office if it’s loud enough for anyone else to hear it.
It’s also not OK to wear 3 gallons of perfume to work every day, put a lavender-scented air freshener in your cube/office, or have loud obnoxious phone sex with your gay lover while co-workers are three feet away talking to customers on the phone (true story).
posted by JasonS on 12-20-2007 at 6:49 am
I work for the Defense Department. There are about 1,000 people in my building, a converted warehouse. Sweet, right? It’s cube farm city. It’s not OK to play music when people are on top of each other like this, sorry. I had a co-worker who listened to the radio and sang along in a very quiet but very wierd high pitched voice (Don’t stop believin’, hold on to that feeeeeelin…) until I wanted to stangle him. As pointed out above, perfume is bad, crazy BO is bad, your insanely annoying cell phone ring tone is bad, your stinky lunch is bad….
posted by fixedgear on 12-20-2007 at 6:54 am
I work in an office (sans cubicles) with about 9 other people. Two people listen to the radio, but the one right next to me is at a reasonable volume, while the other listens to country music (and Christmas this time of the year) loudly. Pretty much everyone else in the office has earphones to drown out the noise.
At my last job, I luckily had my own office, so I listened to whatever I wanted, as loudly as I wanted. At the job before that, I had one office mate and we switched off choosing the music for the radio.
posted by nutmeag on 12-20-2007 at 7:11 am
I’m in the headphones camp; I have no problem admitting that my taste in music may not necessarily reflect everyone else’s, so why subject them? We also do the all-music-on-the-server thing, so we can sample each other’s artists. I’ve actually discovered some new stuff I really like that way, and I’ve managed to turn some coworkers on to the likes of Tom Lehrer and the Traveling Wilburys. (Individually; sadly, they never hooked up for a collaboration).
On the other end of the spectrum, I used to work in a major bookstore where we had corporate-directed in-store plays on a specific rotation. It’s been several years now, but hearing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra or Mannheim Steamroller (groups I otherwise enjoy) this time of year still brings back way too many bad memories of retail holiday Hell.
posted by Roger on 12-20-2007 at 7:50 am
As a school librarian, I don’t work in a cubicle, but do have a centrally located desk, which is where I play music on my computer. I listen to XM radio, typically ethel, my favorite station. Today I am playing Christmas music. The music is not very loud, though, just enough to keep my ears entertained. The school secretaries play music sometimes and some of the people with offices play music as well.
posted by margaret on 12-20-2007 at 7:55 am
Simply put, its fine to have the radio on. so long as everyone else is truly enjoying the music with you. otherwise, November Foxtrot Whiskey.
The day we return from Thanksgiving, I bring in my “Holiday Hip-Hopper” that plays, at a ridiculous volume, WHOOMP! there it is! This is played every single time I hear a christmas carol that has any kind of religious quality to it. One Lord, Jesus, Savior, Little Drummer Boy or any of that stuff and Im playing my interpretation of the Pastafarian’s Solstice Celebration song..
SHAKA LAKA SHAKA LAKA SHAKA LAKA!
WHOOMP! THERE IT IS!
LOUDER!
WHOOMP! THERE IT IS!
May the FSM bless you and save you and give you heaping bowls of pasta.
posted by Ack on 12-20-2007 at 7:55 am
In my opinion, in a cube farm it is NEVER okay to play music at one’s desk if other people can hear it. Until recently, I worked in an office where the concept of headphones was lost, as most employees had actual physical radios at their desks (as opposed to mp3 players or music on their PCs). It amazed and annoyed me that I could hear whatever reggaeton or talk show was going on the other side of our fabric divider.
It was very distracting and forced me to bring earplugs or earphones of my own. (I’d rather block it out with my own music that be subject to it.) But also, for times when I was on the phone with customers, I worried that they could hear it too.
I say: No radios. No speakers. Headphones only, and even those at a reasonable volume so I can’t hear them.
posted by Stephanie on 12-20-2007 at 8:00 am
we’re allowed to play music but quiet enough so only the person listening can hear it but their neighbors can’t. My co-worker directly next to me listens to music and I can’t hear it at all, which is nice and considerate. A woman kitty corner and a good 12 feet away from me plays music and I can always faintly hear it. Her music sucks and I have nicknamed her ‘Slow Jamz’. When she is away I sneak to her desk and have my supervisor be my look-out while I turn down her horrible music.
posted by susan on 12-20-2007 at 8:02 am
We work in large cubes, 3-people cubes, and there is not music in any of them, if you want music you bring an ipod.
In the labs you can bring in a radio to put on your bench, but only have it loud enough so that your lab can hear it. I think we all like similar music so there hasn’t been any problems so far.
Although, we did manage to get this one guy to change the station away from one set of really annoying morning hosts.
posted by Cheri on 12-20-2007 at 8:12 am
My cube-neighbor happens to love Gwen Stefani and rap. Which she listens to “in headphones”, yet I can feel my cube “thumpin bass” and hear certain songs I’m not a huge fan of. I don’t know how she’s not deaf. So I asked her to turn it down one day and she didn’t talk to me for a good day or so. Small price to pay.
posted by Kelly J on 12-20-2007 at 8:15 am
In the cubicle farms, I think the people who play their music loud enough for others to hear and/or be annoyed by are searching for some sort of validation: See how cool I am? See how in touch with current pop trends I am? See how “in the Christmas spirit” I am? There’s no other reason to need to share your music with others who didn’t ask for it. Even worse are the ones who do wear headphones, but still seek validation: See what a great singer I am?
I’m fortunate, though. I work in a cubicle farm, but I am a video editor, so I can cross the aisle into my edit suite, close the door, and play my own music as loud as I want. With sound-treated walls, I don’t even disturb anyone.
posted by Bre on 12-20-2007 at 8:24 am
At the lab where I work there is not music allowed in any form. We don’t even have hold music. When I first started there this drove me crazy (I had worked at a goth club prior to this job) however I have to say not having to hear Christmas music from Halloween to NYE is kinda nice.
posted by Christian on 12-20-2007 at 8:41 am
JasonS I am with you! Too much perfume gives me a skull banging headache.
I am lucky as I work in a cube farm but anyone who plays music uses headphones. My choice of music depends on what I am doing. If I am stressed it is the mellow stuff, if I am pushing a deadline the rockin stuff comes out.
posted by JaneM on 12-20-2007 at 8:55 am
In my opinion it is not acceptable to play music through speakers that everyone else can hear… especially in a cube farm environment. Headphones are ok. Luckily, my current job has workplace rules to this effect.
At a past job, I had the misfortune to sit next to a loud lady that would listen and sing along to country-western all day. Once she asked me what kind of music I listened to. I told her I liked Jazz, whereupon she voiced how she didn’t really care for jazz at all and couldn’t understand why anyone else would listen to it. My reply was, “Wow. You’re actually under the impression that I might care about what you think.”
Future interaction between us after that was terse. It probably didn’t help that I kept changing her radio to the local Tejano station every time she left her desk…
posted by Jason! on 12-20-2007 at 9:48 am
I admit, I am one of those people who need music while they work. I try to keep it at a soft volume, and I also try to be aware that my tastes are…eclectic, at best.
My coworkers have a thing for lite rock (which I hate); that station is currently playing Christmas music 24-7 (which I also hate). It makes me glad I’m more or less isolated from them sometimes!
posted by Sarah on 12-20-2007 at 9:49 am
I find it interesting that several posters work(ed) in a lab. I worked in a lab for about 10 years (counting grad school). Every lab I worked in, there was always a radio on, and if taste in music wasn’t the same for all parties, we kept it civil and rotated. Now everyone where I work (a cube farm) wears headphones and listens to iPods all day. It seems a little unprofessional, considering our jobs are a significant step up in pay and position from my lab rat days, but I’m almost ready to join the movement. The woman in the cube next to mine has very frequent, very personal phone calls regarding her health issues, and it’s way, way TMI for me.
posted by Lebetho on 12-20-2007 at 9:55 am
My computer is not outfitted for any kind of entertainment enjoyment. The only music in our office come from one gentleman who own only one CD. He plays it every single day. I don’t want to get into the whole Kenny G isn’t jazz debate (but if you ever do, I think he is the furthest thing from than genre that attempts to fly the flag of jazz), but it does get old afte NINE MONTHS! I offered to burn him a CD of jazz from my personal collection, but he is satisfied with the smooth sounds of Kenny G. It feels good to put that out in the open.
posted by Jonathan on 12-20-2007 at 9:57 am
I work in a small room with one other person and we have the radio on all the time, if for nothing else but to keep me from going insane by staring at 4 white walls all day. It just so happens that our little radio picks up 2 stations: pop and jesus. so we tend to agree on which to listen to, and singing along doesn’t bother me, but it very rarely happens!
posted by Kelli K. on 12-20-2007 at 10:15 am
The only audio I play without concern for volume is Democracy Now! streaming from WBAI. It’s a blend of altruism and activism. Altruvism. I feel I’m doing the world/our office a favor by giving bystanders a taste of knowledge… Righteous!
posted by J.Soul on 12-20-2007 at 10:40 am
I have my own (small) office, but it’s separated by a long hallway from most of my co-workers. This is unlucky, but also lucky in that I can listen to my own music–usually Pandora.com, which gives me a nice mix of music I know and new stuff.
I have, in the past, worked with a couple of different people who had very nice, trained singing voice but who suffered from the insufferable fallacy that, because they have a nice voice, everyone wants to hear them sing. For the love of god, we do NOT want to hear your operatic interpretation of the adult contemporary top forty.
posted by Jessie on 12-20-2007 at 10:48 am
I don’t work in a cubible setting (thankfully) but I do find myself on the road a LOT and, since I live in Eastern Eur and do not have a car here, that means public transportation. OK- here’s something infinitely worse (or so it seems to me)- somehow, every teenager with a cell phone seems to feel that all the other passengers are dying to hear his choice of music- ok- so, his choice isn’t mine AND well, we know the quality of cell phone musice. I’d carry around headphones and pass them out… but then, each phone has a diff jack. And then, if 4 of 5 people start playing their own stuff… it’s a nightmare.
NO- people should not be inflicting their music on everyone else. It’s just plain rude…
posted by ann on 12-20-2007 at 10:56 am
I work in a cube farm. It’s often rather quiet in here and conversations carry. When I’m working on a project and need to focus, I turn on the MP3 and don headphones. Most other people do the same. I can’t think of anyone around here who plays music through speakers. It’s understood that’s rude.
I only listen to headphones when I really have to. I think that being “present” and being a part of “on the spot cube meetings” is important to my job. I also like to know what’s going on around me.
posted by Erin on 12-20-2007 at 11:14 am
At my current job, there’s a white noise machine that makes it difficult to hear anything but white noise and intentional chatter outside of your own cube, so listening to music is generally OK. Even so, I generally limit my fairly expansive tastes to jazz, jazzy-pop, Christian bands (In some ways, I’m the Pastafarian’s worst nightmare, but it’s a fabulous way to ensure that all your office music is clean), artists with foreign lyrics (Josh Groban, Luciana Souza) or classics like Elvis or the Beatles. I have made exceptions for Flyleaf (hardcore — but with a female singer, so lighter) and Family Force Five (Rapcore with a dance twist to some of their songs) which I play when I come in early and no one else is in the surrounding cubes. I used to sing along with Jazz at my old job, where I worked in the back of a giant room that no one ever came in, but now that I work in a cube farm, I keep my lips glued, even when listening to Frankie ;)
Also, if my coworkers are listening to music that I actually like, I hearily encourage being introduced to new things. One woman I worked with was listening to Jimmy Buffet one day. After I asked her to crank it, (Who doesn’t love Jimmy Buffet?) we bonded over Chubbawumba, Aretha Franklin, Norah Jones, and Tori Amos. Good stuff.
However, I have two really excellent Annoying Coworker stories.
Once upon a time, we had a Ed Tech at our old office that used to listen to music in spanish on massive headphones. So far so good. But! She would sing along… loudly, off key, in spanish, in front of the offices of the deparment prof and would get so absorbed in the music and her work that she wouldn’t see you coming unless you waved your arms around like a maniac or made direct eye contact. ;) Some of the more mean-spirited department greybeards would joke about asking her to sing the Star Spangled Banner at retirement ceremonies…
Secondly, for several months (at the same job) I shared an office with a girl with awesome taste in music. Then, unfortunately, she moved, taking her wicked sountrack and Rob Thomas with her. She was replaced with the TRUE Pastafarian’s Worst Nightmare. Now, I like Christian music. I’m a Christian. And I appreciate that there are people that like listening to Christian Radio. from time to time, I confess that I turn it on in my own car.
HOWEVER.
Not ALL Christian music is GOOD music and there is no excuse to listen to K-LOVE, 24/7, complete with 12-track playlist that repeats hourly and John-and-his-lovely-wife-Sherry EVERY morning. Plus, this was while I was going through my indie-emo phase…
So I used to try and beat him there in the morning so I could fight back with Glassjaw, Slint, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan, Franz Ferdinand and The Killers.
We didn’t share an office for very long. ;)
posted by Ashley on 12-20-2007 at 11:16 am
I work for a large music festival. Our office (one big room) is very close to silent. The four of us who work together all agree that music makes it hard to hear when you’re on the phone, it’s hard to talk to each other, etc. Sometimes people will drop in a new band CD that came in, or play something quietly on their computer, but mostly quiet. People seem to find it shocking that we don’t have music playing 24/7, but that’s how we roll.
posted by Megan on 12-20-2007 at 12:06 pm
I play my music at a very low volume so that I am the only one who hears it. And if the volume is fluctuating on my radio, I am constantly turning it lower so I don’t disturb anyone.
The radio does comes in handy when annoying co-workers are having an even more annoying conversation and you can turn your music up to a very high level to indicate that they should have a cup of “shut the F*** up!”. It works everytime for me!
posted by Mavis on 12-20-2007 at 12:31 pm
The co-workers that sit in cubicles adjectant to mine are of varied backgrounds and ages. On any given afternoon it sounds like i’m at a damn flea market.
Fortunately i’m the type of asshole that will tell them to turn it off.
posted by Jared Probst on 12-20-2007 at 1:17 pm
At my old job, virtually no one listened to music. There were no radios at all, and only one or two people had any pre-iPod device. All that changed when they switched the department in the row next to us. The new people were either on the phone or talked about how drunk they were going to get that weekend. The headphones started multiplying like bunnies. Of course, at my next review, I received the lovely comment that I was “unapproachable, due to the size of the headphones you are frequently seen wearing.”
These days, my back is to the opening of my cube, so I find it rather unnerving to block out the sound of a potential visitor coming up behind me.
Like other people have said, radios in a cubical environment seem very inappropriate it others can hear them. In a setting where everyone can agree or can’t hear each other… go for it.
posted by Kevin on 12-20-2007 at 1:41 pm
I thought this thread was supposed to be about what we listened to get through the workday, not how annoying we think other people at work are with whatever crap they play. I personally like Mew and Sufjan Stephens for my daily grind. At deadline time though I like to listen to Dethklok; you know, get the heart-rate up. I’m also a big fan of the Talking Heads and The Decemberists at work but I’ve noticed the latter kind make me sleepy so I only listen to them if I got a good night sleep the night before.
How about some more people put down what they like to listen to so that I can broaden my iPod @ work experience. I’m always looking for something better.
posted by Gary on 12-20-2007 at 2:30 pm
Hey Gary… The reason I didn’t mention my Ipod playlist is because I have varied and eclectic tastes that don’t suit most people…
Today I’ve been listening to:
Devil Doll - Queen of Pain (Torch Jazz / Rockabilly)
Stolen Babies - There Be Squabbles Ahead (Gypsy Influenced Metal)
Jody Kruskal - Naked Concertina (Uhm… Concertina)
Cheb Mami - Delali (Rai)
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (Soul / R&B)
Jill Tracy - Diabolical Streak (Dark Caberet)
The Tossers - Communication & Conviction (Irish Trad Punk)
Like I said… not particularly mainstream and guaranteed to offend/disturb nearby cubemates.
I’m also a member of Audible… I’ve been slowly going through the works of Agatha Christie.
posted by Jason! on 12-20-2007 at 2:45 pm
I work in a building of densely packed cubicles and I am one of only a handful of men from hundreds of women. It’s torture. There’s the constant aroma of thick perfume, weird lunches and air fresheners. Then there are the constant discussions revolving around divorces, dating and everything else.
posted by Dan on 12-20-2007 at 3:02 pm
I don’t work in an office, but if I did I’d listen to the band The Office from Chicago. They’re super sweet dance beats are sweeping the nation. At one point they even had secretaries playing typewriters on stage.
posted by Pegs on 12-20-2007 at 5:28 pm
I listen to either streaming classical music or show tunes.
Now, before you judge, not only do I turn it down so low that I am the only person who can hear it (I would use headphones, but part of my job is answering the phone), but as my aspirations are aimed towards performing, I few what I listen to as research. Most of the time it’s so low that I can barely hear it, but I need something to distract me from the horribly piercing ring tone of our offices phones.
Plus, every so often the classical station will play the Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd versions of opera songs (like “The Rabbit of Seville”). Instant mood lift.
posted by LJ on 12-20-2007 at 8:24 pm
Most people listen to work in my office (a cube farm) but almost everyone uses headphones. I used to use them, but I could only keep one bud in my ear otherwise I wouldn’t hear my phone ring, and that was annoying, so I switched to speakers but I keep them very quiet.
Someone in a nearby cube had really bad headphones that didn’t stop the sound from playing out so everyone could hear it. Also she tends to listen to one song on repeat all day long. I got her for secret santa so I got her… new headphones.
posted by Sara on 12-20-2007 at 8:50 pm
I produce at a newstalk station, so it’s hard for me to even listen to music at work. But my boyfriend always brings his iPod to work with him and he just uses the little headphones that come with it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with listening to music at work, of course it always depends on where you work and if music actually helps your focus rather than hinders it.
posted by Holly on 12-21-2007 at 7:12 am
Music at work is great, so long as it’s contained to your headphones… and your co-workers are still able to get your attention without having to shake you.
My biggest fear is that I’ll start singing along (with headphones on) without knowing it. I have a singing voice that should be reserved for when I’m alone in the car… not that it changes the situation.
posted by Trena on 12-24-2007 at 10:29 am
I’m a programmer. I have to concentrate on stuff intently, sometimes requiring hours of mental gymnastics before I get to the place I need to be to find the solution to some problem.
When my coworker puts on whatever that godawful wailing crap is, I get distracted, which means I get annoyed, which means my productivity gets thrown off the tracks. After an hour of it, my day is unrecoverable and my employer is out four hundred bucks.
Playing music in the office is uncool, especially if there are geeks around. Only inconsiderate oblivitrons do it. If asked directly about it, I’m like most geeks: I’ll lie through my teeth and say politely that it’s no problem for me. I wish Jared Probst worked here.
Thanks for listening. (her radio’s been on for two hours and I had to find some random forum to vent anonymously on)
posted by Jbdjdkvbf on 5-8-2008 at 3:30 pm