Research from flexible office specialist, Workthere has found that two-thirds of UK office workers think listening to music at work is a must have with the top three reasons stated as: mood improvement, increased productivity, and helping them to relax.
Listening to music can decrease stress and increase work productivity. Photo: PA
Cal Lee, Head of Workthere, says: “Listening to music is known to be a great way to improve a person’s mood. There are also many reports revealing how music is often used within psychotherapy to help relieve anxiety and stress, so it’s no surprise that music within a workplace setting can have a huge impact on an employees’ mindset and productivity.”
When it comes to playing music, of course, everyone has their own preferences. But the genres Workthere found were the most popular for boosting productivity, are:
- Pop (38%)
- Classical (25%)
- Rock (20%)
- Country (20%)
- Dance (19%)
Furthermore, respondents also revealed how they listen to music in the workplace. 45% of workers listen via their laptop or PC with earphones, 39% listen via their phone with earphones, and 39% listen via the radio which the office plays out loud.
Cal Lee comments: “It’s clear from our research that people want to listen to music whilst at work and it has an incredibly positive impact on their working day.
“It is also interesting to note that the office environment can play a big factor in how workers listen to music with those preferring to listen via their earphones perhaps more likely to work in an open-plan environment where they need to ‘zone-out’ and focus, similar to the spaces found in many serviced office and coworking spaces, where-as those is smaller offices are more likely to have communal music played out loud throughout the office.”
Interestingly, when respondents were asked about the music they listen to outside of work, the preferred genres remained relatively similar to those most likely to improve productivity. With pop coming out at the top, this gives the impression that people believe listening to their favourite music can help boost their work rate.
The top five genres people listen to outside of work are:
- Pop (48%)
- Rock (34%)
- Dance (29%)
- Country (24%)
- Classical (23%)
In light of this research and the nation’s preferred genres, Workthere has created the ultimate office playlist, which includes 107 songs to motivate employees, boost their mood and improve productivity in offices across the UK.
To read more about Workthere’s research, or listen to the office playlist, click here https://www.workthere.com/en-gb/news-guides/news/the-office-playlist-how-does-music-boost-mood-and-productivity-at-work/
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