The LW writing in about a direct report wearing headphones didnt articulate a reason for the rule, just a preference. I think the earphone/earbud could have been nipped in the bud if the manager included their staff in coming up with a solution, not just decree one to satisfy her (since she had not heard any complaints from end users). Using headphones or earbuds sends a clear sign youre not listening. And that was pure luck. Feel free to borrow one of my injuries & claim it as your own. etc. And especially with the fact that the employees response was to argue about company policy (???) But how many internal users are just approaching IT with an issue? I am on the spectrum, and I dont know whether my distractability from people talking around me is due to that or just bc, but I have been considering purchasing a pair. Totally, digestive issues are a good example. Her job may be the only lifeline she has right now. Additionally, I physically cant wear earbuds and if my boss suddenly demanded that I wear earbuds and not headphones I wouldnt know what to do. check that the IT staff really are responding in good time to the incoming tickets I was speaking to the tons of people in this comment section acting like noise in an office is a brand new phenomena and there is clearly no way to get work done without headphones. OP1 could there be a legitimate need for over ear headphones? I expected them to want no listening devices, but imposing one form over another seemscapricious. I respond to any of those quickly. Theres nothing reasonable about any of that. Be thankful for the graces youve been given in life and dont attack those who are already down. ), this definitely seems less like Oh, I dont have earbuds, Ill just use my headphones today then bring earbuds tomorrow and more f*** you, I like my headphones, Im going to keep using them anyway.. Also, if anything, arent headphones better because its obvious to everyone you have them on, and the know they need to get your attention first, whereas earbuds could go unnoticed since theyre less visible, and then the speaker could wind up confused/offended that the other person isnt responding? Follow our office supplies blog for the latest office trends, team building strategies, product comparisons, and more. Thats why IT departments usually have tickets. I had a spontaneous bleed in my middle finger. Arent you a doctor? The ones I got were made by Sony and about $40 from Best Buy. Is the personal attack (spoiled entitlement) really necessary to the point here? So. So thanks for that! +XeiJt|}V-+6vfeQSYE-+r!u 'x/&EUEeQUdu"B{^$#Xx; },z2";_>l)wS[VegUU1n%, She is the boss. But the rule involved the employee needing to have something they did not have on them at the time; earbuds. But it sure is annoying. It's been found to improve employee morale, enhance retention, and even promote a positive company culture. This is micromanaging. Also, what exactly is the difference between waiting for someone to take off earphones and waiting for someone to pull out an earbud? IF there seems to be some discrimination or some unfair treatment, then bring in HR, but until that conversation has been had, she has no idea what is up. People are different from each other and have different needs and abilities. Just not I feel awkward; it must be Bobs fault, better make him use earbuds as shes doing now. Forgot your password. Theres a lot of medical issues that a person might not want to discuss openly. This is a really important point! But they also genuinely need to be concentrating on what can be fairly complicated tasks without distractions. Make sure whatever you are listening to stays with you. is it unprofessional to get a tattoo on a work trip? I actually do that with headphones, though. You are at work you should be working not sitting in a cone of silence, listening to music or podcasts unless you have a medical condition that gives you a reason to wear them. Horrid. When in doubt, aim for lower volume, especially if you are working close to others. This was the OPs random choice and random time to spring a new rule into place. Yeah theyre in the middle of several simultaneous upgrades (the tech director is a twit) and its not going well! and I had no idea he had that backdoor distorted-information channel going on. Did not know it was a generational thing makes sense; thanks! Only 7 percent of employers responding to a 2006 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management said they had a policy addressing the use of iPods and similar devices at work. Looking back, the random status update requests were the first sign that something was off, but I was new to the work world and assumed it was normal process, and so never asked him why he was doing it until one day he had me in his office and was threatening me with termination. Music should aid your productivity, not serve as another distraction. I cannot function with one earbud/headphone on. Yeah, kind of surprised the headphone thing is getting more attention than question 2. Otherwise, there's no such thing as true multitasking. Now I need to ask HR what I need to do to get accommodation. I have a physical therapy appointment X day in the morning for the next 8 weeks.. My compromise is, if Im doing stuff that can be interrupted but also want to listen to something, to either wear my over-ear headphones on just one ear (with the other side askew, resting on my head behind my ear), or wear over-ear headphones where the two ears are connected by a flexible wire rather than a curved band and keep one ear on and the other clipped to my shirt. Im very not clear on what the time difference between removing headphones and removing earbuds is? Going to the desk of one of the support staff was a way users would try to jump the ticket queue and get their issue taken care of immediately. xrJUKr8VIEXR4ytcf0"%,K@;CP2--w_3z_GhG*m47gS~[}[G9~W-6A;,)rVP&}4U{C\_u4mW? I alluded to this upthread, but I really think LW1 is focused on the wrong thing here. But I understand different industries have different standards. A better analogy would be telling my team they couldnt use a stapler and had to use binder clips/paper clips for their paper needs. So, if this rule stays, should the employer or the employee pay for them ? That time i told her to please quit it. Seconded theres probably more going on here than we are being made aware of. Thats my place. Just because someone is in it support or customer service, it doesnt mean always immediately immediately available, no exceptions. My coworkers can come into my space and knock on my desk or wave in my periphery and its much less startling to me. Its what Ive okd for my team. If this is the hill you want to die on, you have to ban headphones across the board. Which is pretty long. i recently put a mirror up because my back is to the entrance of my desk and i use noise cancelling headphones. Id love noise-canceling headphones so I dont have to destroy my hearing but I cant tolerate the headaches headphones cause. Its a stupid, ridiculous rule. OP2: You really need to dial it way back. But then I realized this was probably not customers coming up with questions but colleagues dropping by with IT requests/questions in the middle of other, more headphone-appropriate work. Workers who are listening to their earbuds cant hear whats going on around them. While technically I could do this from the devices internal speaker as well, I work in an open office with several other people who have generally similar jobs and if we all did this then chaos would reign. I just think earphones and headphones both pose this Oh I have to get their attention thing.). It would be one thing if listening to something to focus was banned for everyone, but only for people who cant use earbuds? Agreed. The difference between earbuds and headphones is fairly small. Headphones are more visible and therefore more off-putting? At least that is what my doctor told me. Based on what we do know Bad rule boss, uncommunicative employee both acted poorly and could have avoided such drama. It is possible that wearing either type of headphones in a noisy environment can exacerbate hearing loss. OSHA's standard for Occupational Noise Exposure in construction, 29 CFR 1926.52, sets permissible noise exposure limits in Table D-2 and requires the employer to protect employees subject to sound levels exceeding these limits. Posting easy-to-ready safety signs about your headphone/earbud policy will make your message clear to workers, visitors and inspectors. And before we launch into whether or not the employee needs headphones as an ADA accommodation, Im not going to assume they do or dont (theres no detail that provides that information) What I will assume is that there is potential an issue of trust and communication between the manager and their employee. The pattern that I expect is something more like expecting and sometimes supporting highly autocratic behavior on the part of managers Boss is Boss and you better obey Boss instantly without any backtalk because Boss will have you out on your ear if you give them any sass but basically yeah. at least with over-the-ear headphones everyone can see that they need to get your attention first. Appearance? Apart from anything else, you risk losing good staff. I think actually would have made more sense if the LW had thought that their co-worker was making the whole thing up but that appears to not be the case. The lyrics provide an unstimulated mind with a slight escape. Regarding the question about the employee who was spotted with her abusive husband: Speaking from personal experience, leaving an abusive relationship is much harder and more complicated than it seems. 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. One is that youre frustrated because your employee seems to be spending time with the person youve arranged to make it easier for her not to spend time with. But leave her personal life alone. I appreciate your comment so much! Its against the grain in our office culture (academia). Who knows, she might have felt that in her car away from where the kids could hear would be the best solution. I use the small earphones, but not the goes-inside-the-ear types that look like plugs. They take my headphones away and Im going to find a more reasonable employer. It was mind numbingly boring and the day went so slow. I dont think its helpful to make up our minds that there must be one particular thing going on when we just dont know enough. 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. It should come as no surprise that many employers permit their hourly workers to wear headphones on the job or play music across worksite speakers. Ohit takes them 5 seconds to remove their headphones and that annoys you?? I tore my ACL and meniscus changing diapers on the floor. Rolleyes. No wireless or quick charging. Theres an extra chunk that sits in your outer ear, generally. 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!. 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. The manager should have, from the get-go, explained why OP was being asked to do this. In that case, it is furnished to the exact addressee in order to provide certain details of any kinds. Until there is a formally accepted job offer, the employer should be aware that at any point they could lose their leading candidate to another offer. 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. I worked somewhere that didnt allow earbuds at all, not even just one in the ear. Headphones over my hearing aids is the only thing I can do when I want to block out outside noises and concentrate. Earbuds are uncomfortable for me, but people in my office think that headphones = do not disturb (rightly! I lasted 2 weeks. The fact that the employees felt the need to go to HR seems to suggest that something deeper is going on here. The unspoken rule was obviously to be respectful by not turning it up to 11 and to take headphones out when someone came up to your cube or called. When you wear headphones or earbuds, you arent able to hear the outside world as clearly. Follow our Workplace Headphone Policy Checklist and print a copy of your own with our free download. Driving and other activities. Choose music that will increase your productivity, not hinder it. Clearly, your need to focus and work productively and comfortably the entire day is not as important as my 2-second wait! Even though you may not be listening to anything, simply having headphones on or even one earbud in makes it look like you arent interested in whatevers going on in the outside world. My noise cancelling headphones are life savers. I dont know that its universal code. theres a brief waiting period for the employee to remove the headphones and acknowledge the person. Of course, I dont listen. In a 1987 letter, OSHA directed that the use of earphones constituted a violation of OSHA hearing protection standards when: 1. Either way, neither outcome would really change the OPs situation and likely would not change the co-workers behavior. Review a 1987 OSHA memo on music headphones. every. When a new male manager questioned me about it in front of literally everyone including the male head of the department I said its about my period very even and deadpan. Its obvious that they are going to push back hard on this, especially if you end up pushing further and banning earbuds too cause surprisesurprise, earbuds didnt solve the unnerving problem whatsoever. Educate yourself and activate your decency. For example, Earbuds in, but I am available if you have a question. Or, I am wearing headphones for time-sensitive work. If you are thinking of establishing policies that allow music in the workplace, keep in mind the following considerations: Mandating the use of headphones. Free shipping on orders over $9.99 within the continental US, New customer? Maybe they went straight to HR too fast, or maybe you have a track record of wielding your Im the Manager power inappropriately on other issues, too. I dont like how you look when you work, and also, I resent the 2-second wait I have to do to get your attention when youre working on something. This is just such a weird, petty, and frankly stupid hill to die on. ticketed support system = no headphones or earbuds, you need to be interruptible at all times. They probably dony have them at work. If your manager says Instead of item A, I need you to use item B for something that is totally optional, and you dont have item B available, the solution is not to just keep using item A its to stop using item A, and bring item B in the next day (or whenever you can get your hands on it). I am in IT support as well and use headphones also for my Cisco softphone. But, again. Huh, count me as another one who would think that the point of a ticket system is that it routes through the system so you DONT have to go down to IT and chat with the IT guy. Thats unreasonable and bordering on tyrant levels. Different strokes for different folks to be sure. I think this falls in the category of you may find it unnerving, but the employee is not actually doing anything wrong. Waiting a few seconds for someone to take off their headphones is not a big deal. Yes, you can say no headphones. _S5 p%=`Y%pxXSh Why couldnt it wait until the end of the day to have a meeting to say Okay so starting tomorrow, were going to only use earbuds.. Original letter appears to have been posted in July 2015, so just about 4 years ago. Employees deserve better than being punished for reporting problematic situations to HR. So Im very appreciative of having a little music to offset all that booming going on. OP doesnt like waiting for acknowledgement, made up her own rule, chastised someone in a ridiculous period of time after addressing the rule, then tried to assert more control by stating outright its her rule and must be obeyed. A few seconds to shift gears or a polite inquiry as to next available opportunity is a much better approach. For more informative articles about work culture and office supplies,subscribe to our email newsletter! A cell phone usage policy includes a set of restrictions on how you can interact with your cell phone and other mobile devices while at work. But theres other people who work better without noise. Are you saying there shouldnt be any consequences for an employee that disregards a direct instruction minutes after its given? Its more like they start asking you about math homework after slamming your six books shut. Yeah dont get me wrong, thats how we use them in our open office: they literally mean, Im really trying to pretend were not in an open office, please dont interrupt me / pretend Im not here / just go away k thanx. For that reason, we prefer to use big bulky visible ones. This headphone rule seems entirely capricious and based on nothing more than the managers personal preference. I just emailed/faxed companies requesting and receiving records sitting in a high cubicle. Perhaps theyre using headphones to subliminally prompt the other employees to use the IT helpdesk ticketing system? And is a red flag that would make me wary of deeper issues. Last summer I had an intern who wore giant (think dj at a turntable) headphones all the time after specifically being told not to. As managers were able to make tweaks to rules and limit them if necessary for our departments but you still have to be respectful of the fact that if every other department can use a device like headphones, making it a nope in your department will come with this kind of reaction. This is a pretty clear case of a manager shifting the onus for their uncomfortable feelings to their employee instead of handling it themselves. << /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 >> I dont even think you need to specify what the physical therapy is for. Particularly, if there wasnt a conversation about it. Finding time for deep work and concentration is important, but so is office communication. Signs, Labels, Tags and Safety Products, Open Ears: Reducing the Threat of Earbuds in the Workplace. Apparently there was a lot of misunderstanding in how the PM perceived my work performance. Take care.). Then you suck it up for a few hours. HR is always the right place to go for this kind of issue.. Use them to create bursts of productive worknot every moment of every day. Making blanket statements that imply it is ludicrous that any one would need headphones very clearly is not taking people with disabilities into consideration. Request a Business account here. Only if you managed to retain the employee. This is all true but if the internal clients are coming over for help on the assumption that IT = helpdesk, the problem of interruptions wont be solved by saying its ok to wear headphones! HR is always the right place to go for this kind of issue. Its not when the company rule is that headphones are fine. Also, many workplace "Acceptable Use Policies" would allow this, so long as the usage does not impact the performance of business systems. interviewing with a service dog in my lap, boss thinks Im a stonerbecauseI called out on 4/20, and more, I desperately need breaks between my back-to-back meetings, I manage a gay employee and our company is homophobic, a coworker told me I talk too much, Im still ruminating over a job I didnt take, and more, should I invite my team to my home for dinner, will my company expect me to work with my ex, and more, after I hired someone, a mutual friend told me Id made a huge mistake. Youre not in programming, youre not sat in front of a screen reading or generating code all day. Its work, not a prison. that is not cool and frankly extremely rude. 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. I worked Help Desk for 3 years People asked for help by calling in or sending an email. tl;dr: It seems like it should be a one-to-one replacement but its actually not. Sure, such a scenario might exist. If anything its only to make it *worse*, cause it wont be as obvious that theyre wearing them. Are the interruptions valid or could it have been handled via email? Create a clear policy about headphones and ensure the rules apply to everyone. We do not, under ANY circumstances, accept walk up patients. I have a different point of view for the OP to consider. Are headphones ACTUALLY creating a negative perception about how accessible these team members are? We wore headsets to assist people (try being on the phone all day AND using your computer without one!). Frankly, if someone uses a brush off dont want to talk about it sort of thing if I inquire if everything is alright, digestive issues are the very FIRST place my mind goes. Id be incredibly annoyed if my boss demanded that I stop wearing headphones because he didnt like them. Earbuds can block out just as much ambient noise as headphones. He probably thought it was okay to wear them for the rest of the day until he could go out and get a pair of earbuds; thats what I would have done. I want to make sure were on the same page here!. Furthermore, making a beeline to HR is overkill when the problem was at least partly due to your failure to communicate relevant information. There are tons of noise-cancelling earbuds, though. You can address the work issue of her oversharing as you would any performance issue. The change will have exactly zero effect on performance, since employees would still be wearing (smaller, less visible) headphones, and still have to stop to take them off. I work in a reasonable quiet environment consistently punctuated by loud men with booming voices who boom even louder when theyre excited or in a pack. That's my bit. I would not have thought oh hey my manager wants me to switch over to earbuds that must take effect right this second and not tomorrow after Ive had a chance to buy a pair of earbuds.. Like wow, what other arbitrary bs rules are you going to start implementing cause ~you just dont like it~. If the answer is no, then running to HR is an extreme response. Stop acting like your good employees dont know their own best work habits and cant manage their workflow, stop acting like your employees are children that need to be lead along by the ear. I was expecting to be interrupted at any moment because it was a part of my job. Its probably best to be as vague as possible using Alisons script, weekly medical appointment for the next eight weeksI can definitely get a note from my doctor if you need it.. This is incredibly unreasonable. Off with them!. Yep. CAN she make such a policy decision based on her belief that other people are as bothered by the brief delay it takes to remove headphones (but not by the delay it takes to remove earbuds)? Wearing headphones at work can provide an ideal escape and enable deep productivity. I think this manager is being needlessly draconian. They may have an ADA accommodation that was approved. I have two I.T. She had a business justification, which is IT support needs to appear approachable. Working in public health care, two weeks sounds crazy fast to me hah! That said, larger headphones can be expensive, and they are tough to take from place to place. I still have to adjust it when someone comes in to chat. They all tend to be kinda boomy dudes anyway (deep voices are the norm here, for some reason), but theyre also all just about half-deaf, so they boom at each other and at me and down the hall at other people and its just a damn boomfest some days. Most earbuds are way too big for my ears. Also: I understand the disinclination to lie but, frankly, you should not have to explain why you need medical time and I would have zeroZEROproblem fibbing about this. I wish that worked in my office. Headphones are more visible vs earbuds so its a visual cue for people that Im really busy. In addition to using headphones to sometimes just help me concentrate on other work, sometimes I use them do to actual work related things like participate in skype calls and watch work-related videos (mandatory training, etc.). Now earbuds are wireless and even easier to use. how can you get around automated screening questions when youre actually qualified for the job? As a boss, I would worry that my employee either didnt understand what I told them or didnt care. Team: Whats the functional difference between headphones and earbuds that makes one okay and not the other, raaaahhhhhh! $229. Defiance? You can make the manager even more uncomfortable by saying its about my menstrual cramps and heavy bleeding. Doesnt necessarily warrant a chat with the IT guy (he does his chatting while at his customers desks fixing their issues! But the defiance! The global market for Active Noise Control Headphones in Supermarket is estimated to increase from USD million in 2022 to USD million by 2028, at a CAGR of Percent during the forecast period of . I would not be happy if hearing typical people who can wear earbuds got to continue to enjoy a perk that allows them to concentrate better and I did not because I have other speakers in my ears already. Nope! But the LW may not be crazy to want to ban big headphones but not earbuds, depending on the details of the job. Ive also had them then need to devote time to intense data entry and the noise of the phones someone else is picking up and the chatter in the office is very distracting, we dont have an office to move them to, so to make their lives easier, they use headphones for that kind of product.

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