“Well, it’s not that song!” Background music affects employees

Have you ever been to a shop or restaurant where the music is so annoying that you walked out right away? Now, imagine what an employee must be like.

In a new study, researchers found that when background music in a workplace is out of sync with the work required by workers, it affects their energy, mood and even performance.

“Those music that doesn’t suit employees need to feel energetic, managing emotions and focusing on tasks can have a real negative impact,” said Kathleen Keeler, co-leading author of the study and assistant professor of management and human resources at Ohio State’s Fisher School of Business.

“We found that music is not appropriate to the right person, which causes employees to feel more tired, have difficulty concentrating, and don’t like real work. This in turn drives them to engage in behaviors that may harm the organization.”

The study found that the problem was even worse for those who had difficulty sifting background noise from the environment.

Keeler said this is a research question. About 13.5 million people work in careers where background music is common. But music usually only considers customers.

“It’s a mistake for managers to assume that music doesn’t affect employees,” Keeler said.

The study was recently published online Journal of Applied Psychology.

The researchers conducted two studies. One study involved 166 full-time workers who participated online. Before starting, participants evaluated four functions of the music: volume, speed, complexity, and emotional intensity. Participants then listened to one of two playlists while performing a creativity task.

A playlist is optimistic, happy pop music, medium complexity. The other is slower, more somber music plays lower volumes.

After completing the task, the amount of music participants heard was consistent with their demand for volume, speed, complexity, and emotional intensity.

The results of the study showed that participants had negative effects if the characteristics of the playlist they listened to were out of sync with what they said they needed.

Those with musical discomfort show feelings of pleasure and reduced emotions and a more cognitive drain—a feeling of mental exhaustion, Keeler said.

The problem is particularly serious for those known as non-screeners. “Stimulus Screening” is the ability to focus on one sensory input at a time. It’s hard for non-screen masters to do this, in which case they can’t ignore the music in the music while focusing on their tasks.

“The adverse effects of musical dysfunction are worse for those who are not screens,” Keeler said. “They have trouble stopping the music, so they feel positive emotions and exhausted after listening to music that is out of sync with the desired music.”

The second study was the real world of 68 health care office workers, retail stores and restaurant workers, and background music was a feature of their daily work life. Participants completed three email surveys per day involving their musical needs, the music they heard, emotions, cognitive exhaustion, and various actions at work.

The results of the first study confirmed the results and added another wrinkle: musical inappropriate effects on work performance. When they feel out of sync with the music they hear, participants are more likely to act in ways that hurt the company (and unlikely to do positive things).

Negative actions may include slower work, negative conversations with other employees, and stealing office supplies. Positive actions include helping fellow citizens with direct responsibility for the project.

“If employees are not productive, this can affect the company’s bottom line because the music they hear throughout the day is exhausted and distracted,” Keeler said. “Their performance is suffering.”

The results show that employers need to consider the music needs and needs of their employees.

“Employers should try to strike a balance between making sure their music attracts customers and employees because it’s not a trivial matter,” Keeler said. “If their employees are upset, it won’t be good for the business.”

Employers can also make sure there are places in the workplace where employees can escape music during their breaks. Additionally, they can invest in earbuds using smart technology, allowing the wearer to hear the customer’s conversation while sifting some background noise, including music.

Although this is not the focus of this study, the results also show that workers may be happier and more productive if they are allowed to listen to their music in due time.

“I know some managers are reluctant to allow employees to listen to their music, but our research shows that there are many benefits, including productivity, engagement and well-being,” she said.

Illinois – Harshad Puranik of the University of Chicago is the co-leading author. Other co-authors are Yue Wang of the University of Illinois-University of Chicago and Jingfeng Yin of the University of Technology Hong Kong.