The debate over whether listening to music at work improves or hampers productivity is ongoing. To understand all aspects of this debate, it is important to look at it objectively from both sides.  

Those who believe listening to music at work improves productivity make several arguments to support their claim. These include: 

1. Music Helps Reduce Stress

Enjoying soothing music can help make a stressful work day more tolerable. It may also help employees lower their blood pressure and improve their overall health and wellbeing.  

2. Music Helps You Feel Motivated

Employees who have the flexibility to listen to music while they work can enjoy their favourite tunes while they perform daily tasks. As such, these employees may feel more motivated than their counterparts to perform their best.   

3. Music Helps You Feel Happy

Listening to music can help spread positive vibes, both at work and in everyday life. If an employee listens to music and feels happy at work, this worker may be more likely to outperform his or her colleagues.  

Comparatively, those who argue that music can hinder workplace productivity cite various reasons for their claim. These reasons include: 

1. Music Makes It More Difficult to Focus

Music may make it tough to focus on the task at hand. If you cannot give a task your full, undivided attention, you‘ll need to commit additional time and energy to complete it. 

2. Music Can Distract You and Your Colleagues

You may enjoy singing along to your favourite songs at work, but your colleagues may not appreciate your singing. In this instance, your music and singing can be a distraction to you and your colleagues.   

3. Music Can Take Time Away from Work Tasks 

If you spend time trying to find the right songs to play, you may spend less time completing your everyday work tasks. Every minute counts at work, and even spending a few minutes each day fine-tuning your playlist can result in lost productivity and revenue losses for your employer.  

So, which is better: listening to music at work or avoiding music at work altogether? The answer depends on the individual.  

If you feel like music inspires you and drives you to be your best at work, you should listen to it, as long as your employer allows you to do so. On the other hand, if you believe you perform your best when working with little to no music, you should continue to work without music whenever possible.  

Finally, if you are unsure about whether listening to music boosts or hampers your workplace productivity, give it a try. This enables you to find out if listening to music at work is the right choice for you.   

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