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Many workplaces have the radio or Spotify on during the day but how do people feel about music playing while they work? A poll from the company Kickresume reveals employees’ thoughts and opinions about music in the workplace, across different industries and career levels.
To arrive at the findings, Kickresume surveyed 1,625 respondents from around the world about their music preferences at work.
It was found that 69 percent of respondents say music boosts their productivity, focus and motivation, whilst 2 percent say it’s a distraction they avoid, and 1 percent say it kills their productivity.
The most popular genre to listen to while working is ambient/lofi music – with 14 percent of respondents favoring this. This is followed by rap, in second place. Time to dust down those Brian Eno albums?
The main findings are:
- Music is a productivity booster for nearly 70 percent of respondents
- 11 percent of workers have had arguments at work over music
- Most workers listen to music for 1-3 hours a day at 43 percent
- The most unpopular music genre in the office is metal/punk
- Spotify is the most popular streaming platform
- Most workplaces, 45 percent, have no strict rules regarding music
Expanding on the findings, Peter Duris, CEO and Co-Founder at Kickresume, has told Digital Journal: “Our survey revealed that nearly 70 percent of people use music to boost focus and motivation while working. Whether it’s music with lyrics or instrumentals, people across industries and career levels seem to find it helpful to have some kind of music playing during the day.”
Duris adds: “Music certainly plays an important role in work environments, but it’s always good to be considerate of your coworkers. About 11 percent of people reported conflicts over music at work, with volume being the most common issue. The good news is that most problems can be avoided by following workplace music etiquette. Keeping the music at a reasonable volume, or checking in with your team to make sure everyone’s happy with the vibe, can go a long way.”
11 percent of workers have experienced conflict due to music in the office
Although music is overall a positive tool for productivity and concentration – Kickresume found that it was a cause of conflict for 11 percent of respondents. Of those, 27 percent claimed there were disputes about the volume of music in the office, and another 21 percent said there was conflict over the repetition of certain songs. A further 20 percent said the music did not suit the workplace.
43 percent of workers listen to music at work for just 1-3 hours per day
The survey found that most people surveyed listen to music for 1-3 hours during the workday. 28 percent listen to music for 4-7 hours, and 12 percent listen for more than 7 hours. On the flip side, 12 percent of respondents listen to music at work for less than an hour a day, and 5 percent reported never listening to music.
Additionally, it was found that workers in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry, and those who work in manufacturing and engineering listened to music the least amount of time (less than an hour).
Spotify is the streaming platform of choice
Fifty percent of respondents use Spotify as their preferred platform. Only 2 percent listen to music from the radio and another 2 percent from physical media. This means modern streaming platforms like Spotify have swiftly taken over.
Following Spotify is Youtube Music at 22 percent, and Apple Music at 17 percent, again highlighting the preference of flexible music streaming services over traditional physical media and radio.
45 percent of workplaces have no strict rules regarding music
The majority of workplaces have relaxed rules when it comes to music. 45 percent of workplaces have no strict rules, but encourage employees to be respectful and considerate of those around them.
Moreover, 39 percent of workplaces allow their employees to listen to music – but through headphones only. Whereas 7 percent of workplaces do not permit music with explicit lyrics, and 2 percent allow instrumental music only.
Whether listening to music at work helps to boost most people’s productivity, focus, and motivation is a separate issue.
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