I also agree that the distinction is weird because the net effect (people have to wait to talk to you, you look unapproachable) is the same. Yeah, in this day and age no one uses headphones while working. Productivity Small Business But I may have misinterpreted what you said. Literal Emergency Responders, for example. (Such as unresponsive IT or intimidated users who avoid the helpdesk and then try to fix things themselves. Look for soundtracks, jazz, or classical music for tasks that require thought and consideration. Ask a trusted colleague to run interference for you from time to time and promise to do the same for that person. Its against the grain in our office culture (academia). Apart from anything else, you risk losing good staff. Since when do headphones = not an adult? Verbal directions or even orders for an emergency stop can be obscured by the use of personal headphones or earplugs. I would assume that most people who wear headphones/earbuds use them for that purpose. And if the outcome wasnt better, then that indicates there is a lack of trust in the professional relationship and that is the bigger issue than whether one wears headphones or earbuds. Doesnt necessarily warrant a chat with the IT guy (he does his chatting while at his customers desks fixing their issues! Its not causing any problems beyond startling me when they get impatient and touch me, or my neighbor says She cant SEE you from behind. No wonder the employee was rankled enough to go HR over such a petty move. No Headphones Safety Signs from ComplianceSigns.com i once had a VP running around popping bubble paper in everyones face. The lyrics provide an unstimulated mind with a slight escape. Ive had to tell customer service reps who have heavy phones they have to remove their headphones. *M07SMao So especially in a role like IT, where they need to focus on finding issues that may be buried goodness-knows where, why would you want to make their lives difficult because of optics and some self imposed discomfort by having to wait a few extra moments for them to pay attention. Not only are workplaces creating these horrid wide open spaces without privacy no one likes, they are also enforcing all kinds of rules about headsets and monitors in them to boot. It cuts way back on distractions. Which would you rather have someone not wearing headphones and not working as hard due to distractions or anxiety or would you rather get the job done? Theyre your employees, not your servants. Friday face-off: should you let your staff wear headphones at work? No, its like if you told them not to use a stapler, and then *didnt provide clips*. And to the OP as an HR professional, I agree with Allison. Twenty minutes later He rule her rules. Match the task to the music. And unless the rule encouraged bullying, harrassment, discrimination (which it might have, but we have no information to support that) hightailing it to HR seems VERY extreme for this situation UNLESS, theres a history of difficulty between these two. It wasnt but the males eyes opened, mouths dropped and manager said oh yeah you can leave right now lol. A good manager would have explained it up front, but since they didnt, you are you going to have to ask. Working with a PT, nope.) And this contact, despite the order barring him from contacting her, may be safer for her than reporting the violation. Earbuds, especially wireless ones, can be difficult to see. I also use AirPods so I can hear people if my volume is low enough, which it usually is. That doesnt work as well with earbuds hidden by my hair). I actually understand why earbuds can be better than headphones. If there is an actual performance issue, this is not how to solve it. Smiling and saying other than needing the time off, its not something that should affect or be exacerbated by work, its just one of those annoying niggles thats better taken care of now so it doesnt become a serious nuisance. then changing the subject basically assuming that the manager is asking from a place of concern and checking if you need any accommodations and assuring them you dont should satisfy most people? tl;dr: It seems like it should be a one-to-one replacement but its actually not. I agree. Im just using it to muffle the ongoing office chatter. But is it a good idea? Not everyone needs them, not everyone wants to wear them, but if there is nothing in your job description that headphones would be incompatible with (front desks, customer-facing roles, what have you), why force people to go above and beyond to get their headphone usage approved, therefore noticeably "special" or "rule-breaking", when most people could benefit from similar usage? Not in a rude way as in saying when you bother to show up can you shut up about your problem, but more in a I know you are dealing with a rough time but I need folks to be able to focus on work kinda way. No five second wait while they pull out their earbuds or take off their headset. Advantages of PLD use. They first of all rolled it out 7 days ahead of the date it would take effect, and in addition they provided for a transition period where if its logistically difficult to switch right away (some departments will need to renegotiate terms and open new accounts for various things), were permitted to go on paying for things that old way over the next month or two to avoid any business disruptions. Disconnect unused devices from the headphones. Your immediate jump to wanting to instigate punitive actions against her is frankly disgusting and shows a marked ignorance of the cycles of abuse and what it takes to get safe. This whole open office thing is getting to me. Most people will either say no its no problem to get my attention, thats what Im here for then you take it and go about your business. I7f It was rather comical listening to Rush Limbaugh and Terry Gross in the same dept. Free shipping on orders over $9.99 within the continental US, New customer? Not a single adult in the world. Louder noises and lyrics are distracting when you need to solve a problem, but moderate, How to Implement Headphones and Earbuds in the Workplace Policy, Best Noise-Canceling Headphones for Office Environments, Keep in mind that in an open office environment, noticeable headphones can be an asset. Or maybe the headphones are an accommodation in place from when they started and they wanted to check with HR before pushing back. Especially in light of yesterdays letter about the IT support setup with no ticketing system I was really starting to wonder about the processes at this place too. Im not saying people shouldnt have a certain level of professionalism but honestly the obsession with over professionalism in the workplace is too much. For a rough analogy, imagine that you were trying to write a twenty-page English paper comparing the themes of six different books, and just when you have your books open to the citations you want to reference, and youre figuring out how to state this elegant thesis someone comes up behind you and starts asking about math homework. It was a manager instituting a rule for their group that is within their purview. Understanding your reasoning behind a new policy helps you communicate its purpose and answer any questions about it. Its not that headphones are a natural part of an office, but more that managing your employees to a totally unnecessary level for no reason other than a personal preference is, well petty. I torn ligaments bowling. Thats why they have rules for which companies are required to accommodate the leave, you have more than 50 employees so you should be able to figure out coverage issues. No wireless or quick charging. Theres nothing reasonable about any of that. Yeah Im somewhat hard of hearing, and because Im young people dont realise until they either startle me or I have to ask for them to repeat themselves. That's my bit. And that it appears there is a sufficient lack of communication between boss and employee. People very quickly lose interest in my physio appts! Shanling M1s Review Headfonics I find the headphones are useful b/c sometimes people will be coming over, see theyre on, walk away and Ill get an e-mail from that same person a couple of minutes later (this happens @ least once a day). I do recognize that this isnt the way everyone lives, but I think that where thats the case its a problem. There is a reason I wear these spendy little devices, and its not because I just adore having a hunk of plastic wedged into each ear for most of my waking hours!). i recently put a mirror up because my back is to the entrance of my desk and i use noise cancelling headphones. OP #2: you dont have any way of knowing whether it was her or her abuser who broke the no-contact order. How Employers Enforce Cell Phone Policies in the Workplace Don't let headphones affect workplace safety. OP doesnt mention that shes heard any complaints, so its a power play over nothing, essentially. I think this a problem generally in corporate America today: We see the boss as the person who has to have all the answers and make all the decisions, and their team members as the worker bees who get told what to do. Colleagues used to walk up to my desk and if I was concentrating and I didnt see them, I wouldnt know they were there. that is not cool and frankly extremely rude. If the headphone wearer made a beeline to H.R., it could be indicative of some managerial blind spots that dont serve the team as well as they serve the managers preferences. Its obnoxious to wear them. +1. OPs suggesting other people are probably just as unnerved by this as they are but are they actually, or is OP just projecting? I think shes overthinking this reaction. If I said No headphones, I would expect the other person tonot wear headphones unless they addressed why they wouldnt or shouldnt follow through right away. Yes. What is the goal? Internal units such as earbuds should be single user only due to hygiene issues. at least with over-the-ear headphones everyone can see that they need to get your attention first. Earbuds, headphones or naked ears, youll still need to make a visual cue to get my attention. I just take it to mean that its probably not something like a knee injury or a bad back, the type of thing that people tend to be pretty open about, but instead its something medical and they dont want to share. Perhaps theyre using headphones to subliminally prompt the other employees to use the IT helpdesk ticketing system? Another tiny ear person chiming in! I think I would be pretty solidly unhappy if I didnt have my headphones to make people pause and think about how important their question really is!! If Im actually on a call or doing something that shouldnt be interrupted, I wear my headphones fully. Removing the over the ear headphones requires reaching up, lifting then off and setting them down, or lifting them off and draping around your neck. ADA issue? Youll make him faint right there. Of course, I dont listen. Earbuds dont work for me either. Its a stupid, ridiculous rule. Earbuds may not be noticed, which can cause confusion or result in someone trying to speak to you when you cant hear them. I have ear issues, I cannot use ear buds. Just because she is the only woman in the department doesnt automatically mean shes being discriminated against. I cant. Nobody knows. Honestly, if someone told me she was going for physical therapy, it would never in a million years occur to me that it was pelvic floor therapy. what are the minimum benefits an employer needs to provide? Or even things that are less life-and-death, like a receptionist or the host at a restaurant. This is incredibly unreasonable. Its true that many many people work front desks, but probably most people dont? But if I managed two people and one is a whiner and the other can take direction, then yep when it came to a promotion then I would promote the second person who doesnt whine and make problems for me. Its also important that we be seen as accessible to the teams we serve, and Im concerned that having big headphones on your ears is compromising that. how do I avoid mom energy with my younger employees? Presumably, the employee doesnt also have earbuds at his desk. Lets assume the headphones are used to block distracting noise. If anything its only to make it *worse*, cause it wont be as obvious that theyre wearing them. If theres a problem, we should definitely solve the problem, but even then, we should articulate the problem and work together to find solutions, rather than just mandating solutions (or non-solutions, as seems to be the case here). It got annoying, for both of us, having me ask him to repeat himself. Again, I understand they are a tool, but they are a tool that not everyone has access to and yet those people are still held to the same production standards. I think this manager is being needlessly draconian. Assume that shes doing her best, even if that doesnt look like what you are expecting it to look like. I know this is weird, but my ears are oddly shaped, and earbuds are painful for me to wear. 1- Mobile phones not allowed in workplace notice To: Staff Subject: Use of mobile phones in the workplace It has been observed that several employees are spending too much office time on mobile phones. Putting on over the ear (OTE) headphones appears as though the wearer is deliberately shutting out the rest of the world, and was a common way to message eff off and leave me alone. So they can appear to some people as a minor but in your face gesture. Plus if theyre wired, you end up with a bulky battery pack attached to the cord (Im not sure where they put it on wireless pairs). And then also, for me its not a matter of acting like the use of headphones to control the auditory environment is generally necessary to produce work given my current office environment, its that for me they factually are; I dont get work done if I dont use headphones. Appearance? Seconded theres probably more going on here than we are being made aware of. LW1: I answer this question and four others over at Inc. today, where Im revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). We have a ticket system and it means Im NOT supposed to go up to IT and ask them for help. of the two it is. Either way, neither outcome would really change the OPs situation and likely would not change the co-workers behavior. And especially with the fact that the employees response was to argue about company policy (???) Its entirely possible to say I think OP has unrealistic expectations for hiring timelines without calling them spoiled or entitled. Agreed. Its not about adult vs. not adult. Music in the Workplace | Pros, Cons, Statistics, & More <> stream Defiance? At every organization Ive worked in during my career, the help desk ticketing system was only available to the IS department, and you have to call or email for actual support. So I need my noise-cancelling headphones and my white noise app to block it out. In that case, it is furnished to the exact addressee in order to provide certain details of any kinds. When you dont need to get in the zone, keep the headphones off so that people can approach you or ask you a question if they need to. As you mentioned, if youre concerned about interrupting, thats a discussion to have. She had a business justification, which is IT support needs to appear approachable. exactly. If you have any questions or want to talk to someone about office supplies, send us an email or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 9 0 obj I literally cant put earbuds in my ears for any length of time without irritation. xrJUKr8VIEXR4ytcf0"%,K@;CP2--w_3z_GhG*m47gS~[}[G9~W-6A;,)rVP&}4U{C\_u4mW? Others are not. In my experience, the biggest noise offenders are the higher ups who have offices, who keep their door open and have conference calls on speaker, yell at loud pitches, bring in their dogs and their relatives to make noise, etc. I actually do that with headphones, though. Even the ones that come with small sizing are often too big, and wearing them makes my ears hurt after a half hour or so. Your comment is rude as are MANY of your comments. Also also, she got annoyed because she saw one of the offenders wearing headphones ten minutes later? I really dont understand why someone would ban headphones but not earbuds. Requiring me to use earbuds would mean that I need to remove my hearing aid. I saw the point up until, earbuds are ok. When the printer is making odd sounds or theyre installing something weird in the hall, you cant block it out. Please note: The answer is correct at the time of publishing. I wouldnt have made that assumption. Im also not bluffing. For what its worth, if I have to approach someone, I would rather they have headphones than earbuds, because at least I can see that theyre not going to be able to hear me. I also think this rule is overly rigid, especially since the manager is ok with earbuds as opposed to headphones. A written electronic device policy for employees protects you, the worker, as well as your employer and eliminates any confusion about what is acceptable in the work place. Yeah, at my workplace the IT staff I interact with most are the front-facing help desk, so my first reaction was Sure, of course they cant wear headphones!. Privacy Policy and Affiliate Disclosures, my boss told me to stop wearing headphones at work -- but I wear them to drown out my coworker's noise, my boss watches me by video call while I work, how much noise is too much, and more, my coworker plays Christian rock all day, contacting strangers on LinkedIn, and more. Yes, this. I try to be responsive so I take my headphones off if it even seems like someone is coming to speak to me. I always wonder how many of these NO HEADPHONES types have private offices. Something besides earbuds was going on between this employee and boss. Our management has the same reasoning you do, and say that we shouldnt feel entitled not to be interrupted at any time for a question from anyone, which is super frustrating. The ones I got were made by Sony and about $40 from Best Buy. Like me. As a note on this too there are definitely work environments where its not allowed to wear rings. I had understood it to be a perfectly acceptable standard in IT work for the reasons you mentioned. or maybe employee assumed that the manager was a logically functioning adult who when they DID NOT BAN LISTENING TO HEADSETS ALTOGETHER, made the reasonable assumption that this new rule would take into account that people would perhaps need a transition period of one freaking day and not 10 minutes. Honestly, is this a hill youre willing to die on in order to enforce? Most places Ive been that had a ticket system *also* utilized some level of phone support. While you may decide to simply ban earbud and headphone use at work entirely, thats not always the best option. I cannot function with one earbud/headphone on. 8:00 am - 7:00 pm, ET Monday to Friday, Over 2,050,000+ In addition, I think it simply looks bad for I.T. theyre also worse for your hearing, in the long run. You can wait that moment or two for them to take their headphones off. Its asking for clarification and mediation. Eh, my husband has ADHD and earbuds help him focus on his work. << /Type /Page /Parent 1 0 R /LastModified (D:20230501182614+00'00') /Resources 2 0 R /MediaBox [0.000000 0.000000 612.000000 792.000000] /CropBox [0.000000 0.000000 612.000000 792.000000] /BleedBox [0.000000 0.000000 612.000000 792.000000] /TrimBox [0.000000 0.000000 612.000000 792.000000] /ArtBox [0.000000 0.000000 612.000000 792.000000] /Contents 10 0 R /Rotate 0 /Group << /Type /Group /S /Transparency /CS /DeviceRGB >> /Annots [ 6 0 R ] /PZ 1 >> Would it be difficult for the employee to tell the boss about such a scenario? My friends and family didnt understand which lead to intense shame and further feelings of isolation, both of which just made me feel I needed my partner even more. I work with a lot of gentlemen who were in different branches of the service. Its one thing if you want to cultivate a certain professional presentation in your department, but unless you are subsequently sending them home and/or giving them a stipend to immediately update their possessions, expecting same-day compliance is really over the top. For workers who currently use radios or speakers that might . But that sounds like two grownups having a conversation about their relative needs, whereas this situation sounds like a parent/teen power struggle. If I wasnt allowed to wear headphones, everyone else in the office would also be listening to a man with a monotone voice explaining how to set up a new enquiry feature on our case management software, or watching a step by step guide on how to set up your workspace (this was in my first week, obviously Im not doing that every day). And if said employee ran to HR rather than discuss the situation with me, I would also (again) wonder why. no headphones found in: No Headphones Or Earbuds Allowed Sign NHE-50494, Portrait No Headphones Or Earbuds Allowed Sign NHEP-50494, No Headphones Or.. . If this is just an optics issue, please rethink. Of course, the people who wear them nowadays are usually in noisy environments and just trying to get some work done, and arent aware of these old associations, and often respond with a combination of bafflement and resentment that anyone would object to OTE phones. I dont know if Id characterize OP as acting spoiled but it sounds a bonkers reason to decline an offer you really want. I agree with Fae, I read it is as they didnt have earbuds, so they would make the switch when they got some. I get butterflies in my stomach and can feel my heart race a little, its more like that weird anticipation feeling when youre waiting for a package to arrive, does that make sense? Between this and the letter yesterday with the CEO who hates ticketing systems, Im wondering what people have against just letting us tech folks do our jobs in logical ways. yes, as an IT employee, the real issue is why are there so many people coming to the desk when things like IM and ticketing exist. I can definitely imagine a scenario where I weigh the relative pros and cons of one more afternoon with the earbuds, which the manager might see and get upset by, vs the fact that Im about to be on an hour long webinar/conference call/training video and my 2 officemates will definitely have to endure and will definitely be upset by. It is quite possible that the person in question is on the Autism spectrum, in which case the headphones (specifically headphones, and not earbuds) are an absolute necessity to be able to work effectively (and since most people on this spectrum can concentrate like a computer, effectively is really a misnomer, as their work product is beyond par!). A policy that places reasonable limits on headphone use can pacify workers and ward off serious OSHA fines that can be as high as $13,494 per violation, as set by OSHA on January 15, 2020.. I had the exact same conundrum. I cant see how headphones would interfere with the ability to read an email or a ticket notification, or prevent people from sending them over through the system. Please elaborate on how them using earbuds instead of headphones solves this issue. Regarding the second letter, that was NOT where I was expecting that one to go! Team: Whats the functional difference between headphones and earbuds that makes one okay and not the other, raaaahhhhhh! Yeah, kind of surprised the headphone thing is getting more attention than question 2. Because in my actual post I am not, in any way, arguing in favor of managers making arbitrary rules, and Im genuinely not sure what point youre trying to make here. The humanity! Should You Allow Your Hourly Workforce to Use Headphones on the Job I need my noise-cancelling headphones. It makes us feel like children, and like we dont have a right to take a second to compose ourselves, or to ask them to come back later. If I went to HR in a circumstance like this one and my manager openly violated our non-retaliation policy in response, I would call the corporate ethics line and report the violation.
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