Keep them separate, and recognize that you only have the ability to affect the second problem. It was mind numbingly boring and the day went so slow. People shouldnt be launching into requests as soon as they waltz up to a desk either you try to grab the persons attention first. We have many answers expressing the same opinion, but this one puts it best. But, itd be difficult to wear headphones or earbuds if theyre expected to also answer incoming phone calls at all. I wear my over ear headphones most of the day because the music/podcast I like to listen to is not the most appropriate for the office and to not distract others with my music/podcast. Both these things offended a lot of older people in the office (including my boss) who perceived both these types of headphones as making the person not approachable. Granted, the employee should have also responded better (first, not ignoring the manager, and two, prompting a more productive discussion as opposed to running to HR)both need a reality check. If there is an actual performance issue, this is not how to solve it. If they push further then say Its just an old injury you know how it is, you assume itll get better and then realise ages down the line that it never quite has, see a doctor and realise you should have mentioned it ages ago (which if its childbirth related probably isnt a lie) if they push further, reiterate about the note if its needed, say how much you appreciate their support, and offer to ask the doctor if there are any accommodations they can think of which would help. Last summer I had an intern who wore giant (think dj at a turntable) headphones all the time after specifically being told not to. I just found out were moving to an open office plan without seating arrangements and there will be NO MONITORS supplied unless you have a medical need and special request. So, if the whiner person came to you subsequently and asked whyd you promote Bob over me would you literally say to them because you whined and made trouble for me with HR? Would you put that in writing or say it in front of witnesses? I hope PT goes well! My coworkers know that if they need my attention, they should do one or some combination of the following: Wave in my line of vision (but NOT close to my face). Thats extremely rare. Are you saying there shouldnt be any consequences for an employee that disregards a direct instruction minutes after its given? Yep. This is not a hill to die on. You dont know whats up. An adult assessment can be upwards of $4,000 (yes, this is an actual figure quoted), meaning that its infeasible for many to get the legal protection of that diagnosis. And is a red flag that would make me wary of deeper issues. A heads-up on Slack that theyre dropping by in a few to touch base about XYZ? I do, however, think that LW is probably wrong in that worry? 3) Is there a ticket system for certain types of issues? This is not intended as legal advice; for more information, please click here. I find this unnerving when I approach either of them and have to wait, and suspect many of my users may feel the same. But as employee I wouldnt waste whining to HR about this. The difference between earbuds and headphones is fairly small. When establishing your earbud / headphone policy, keep these tips in mind: The key to establishing a solid ears open policy at work is to assess your work environment carefully to find areas that are high-risk areas for injury when a worker is distracted or cannot hear ambient noise. It is possible that wearing either type of headphones in a noisy environment can exacerbate hearing loss. Just something I need to take care of seems exactly right to me. The devices may be especially helpful for workers performing solitary tasks (like cleaning the building after hours) or repetitive chores (like filing), particularly if their accuracy won't be affected. Louder noises and lyrics are distracting when you need to solve a problem, but moderate ambient noise can enhance your performance. At home, she's content exploring fictional landsSpark an immediate and detailed conversation by mentioning Game of Thrones, Red Rising, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. 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. Workers who are listening to their earbuds cant hear whats going on around them. But theres other people who work better without noise. I wear headphones not earbuds. Headphones are Not Hearing Protection - Jobs that require hearing protection such as noise-canceling headphones should not allow workers to substitute music headphones or use earbuds inside of the hearing protection. If you have evidence that they cant hear people, you could impose a one-ear-0nly rule. I literally cant put earbuds in my ears for any length of time without irritation. So, i could be working -listening to a call in issue which you may not know. Ahhh, I actually meant worse for your ears [in the long run] when I typed that. The solution is to learn to manage your feelings of being unnerved. Nearing 1000 published articles, she's spent the past decade using her interdisciplinary education to research and write content for a wide variety of industries. I agree that its polite and frankly, its good business sense. Earphones are worn over hearing protection devices. Theyll be thinking, what new rules will you suddenly impose next week? Come to find out, the boss sat on the opposite side of the building, hardly ever saw me in person, and received all his information on my day-to-day work from a PM who sat next to me. In many situations, companies have been found liable for employees who were making business-related phone calls or text messages while behind the wheel. Even though their job is fixing stuff for people, it seems like a terrible approach to have them always switching to latest and loudest and never having a time where they can focus on figuring out fixes! Let people find what works for them. If theyre allowed to wear earphones, they should be allowed to wear headphones. I cant do that without a tool. I dont even think you need to specify what the physical therapy is for. It makes people chattier, you cant escape from mindless conversations, eating noises, weird sounds, complaints, etc. Theyre also a regular part of AAM advice on dealing with noise at work. Wearing headphones helps. Retaliation is your word. My earbuds are a lifeline for me at work. But OP said they were fine with earbuds. No two businesses are exactly the same, so it is important for any business owner or manager to assess their own unique situation. Will you tell me more about your headphones? That time i told her to please quit it. I dont think the manager really has room to get mad about insubordination unless he was still wearing the headphones the NEXT day. 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. No facial hair? Sometimes we too have confidential info (with remote support, there is a lot of things we see, that we shouldn`t) and it feels like those hovering entities are actually trying to eavesdrop. My ears are just dumb. 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. I find sometimes that it helps me concentrate; There isnt any noiseit just helps me be in in the zone. I agree that you cant stop people from speculating, but if youre breezy about it and maybe add a topic change to something work-related, they wont have enough details, and will assume its something uninteresting and not worth their speculation. As more and more people choose to tune in while theyre working, the same problem that played out in Michigan becomes a very real issue. I recently took a different position and their existing policy is that 0 employees are allowed to listen to music on headphones. People very quickly lose interest in my physio appts! 2023 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls is May 1-5, Pinch Point Tips: How to Identify Pinch Points and Protect Workers from Injury, The Risk of Chemical Burns in the Workplace, What Every Business Should Know About Braille Signs, April is Distracted Driving Month These Resources Will Help Protect Your Employees and Your Business, ComplianceSigns, LLC, 2005-2023. Some people find that listening to music can help to minimize outside distractions such as other employee conversations, which helps them stay productive. Ok, I admit that Im the Queen of weird injuries. Earbuds, especially wireless ones, can be difficult to see. I /hate/ it, and everyone else does too. It makes it hard to focus and easier for folks to interrupt you with non-sequitors or generally disrespect your time/lunch breaks. The problem could be that they need to just go over sometimes (because something time-sensitive hasnt been dealt with yet for instance and the client is actively waiting for it), but they dont because the helpdesk looks busy/they dont want to interrupt, and the headphones contribute to that perception. For more informative articles about work culture and office supplies,subscribe to our email newsletter! If that is the exact wording they used, I would still give a very professional response about how he was excelling at his job and duties and how that earned him a promotion. Then you expect them to be truthful to them. Thats the signal Im generally trying to send. Wearing personal headphones in the workplace also presents a hazard for the operation of moving equipment such as golf carts; security vehicle's; bikes; buses; etc. etc. tell the internal clients office hours are X-Y; otherwise use the ticketing system Granted that this has some to do with that Im definitely autistic and possibly also ADHD, but nonetheless I am a person who exists and has a job and a sort of person that one can reasonably expect to encounter in the work environment, particularly in my industry. It is up to the manager to deal with performance issues that concern their employees; if they are using their productivity resources appropriately, no issues should result from simple headphone usage. Requiring me to use earbuds would mean that I need to remove my hearing aid. I wish that worked in my office. They take my headphones away and Im going to find a more reasonable employer. (Im super thankful NOT to have an open office. Nor will you be allowed to use/bring your own monitor & keyboard if you bought one as I did when I started. Most earbuds are way too big for my ears. IF your concern was that people dont know if it is ok to interrupt them, which I really dont think is your concern, have them post a note on the cubicle that says please wave to get my attention. Or have them put a mirror up so they can see when people are approaching. %PDF-1.7 In additionearbuds are uncomfortable as heck for a lot of people (me included) and over-the-ear headphones are typically far, far better for your ears and hearing. 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. 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.. I dont think that at all. Only once today for me. I cannot function with one earbud/headphone on. It would be one thing if listening to something to focus was banned for everyone, but only for people who cant use earbuds? As an employee, I would assume my boss meant ASAP unless otherwise stated. LW, dont be that boss. Also, some people legitimately cant wear them because they can cause ear problems. Youre the boss. Its hard to explain but its an extremely common pattern and a very very painful place for a person to be in their life. Its hard for me to ask a higher up or a WAY higher up to be quiet. Im confused about that too. I cannot wear earbuds at all, full stop. Making blanket statements that imply it is ludicrous that any one would need headphones very clearly is not taking people with disabilities into consideration. Your first sentence nails it. Response: No, there is no specific OSHA regulation that prohibits the use of headphones on a construction site. I expected them to want no listening devices, but imposing one form over another seemscapricious. But without clear guidelines or a headphone policy at work, employees are left to decipher best practices on their own. To the woman needing PT I too had to have some female-anatomy related medical care. Clothing is essential. Right a civil conversation gets more respect than any manager title. I hope you can find something that helps you. If possible, choose headphones over earbuds so your coworkers can clearly see that youre wearing headphones. You can wait that moment or two for them to take their headphones off. Never wear them while walking around the office, and dont let volume hinder your ability to hear emergency signals. 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. Pay close attention to the type of work you are trying to complete and adjust your playlist as needed. Therefore, it's only fair that headphones are banned for everyone else too. 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. When the police arrived, the mans portable player was still playing music next to his body. To remove a Bluetooth pairing on a Mac, select System Preferences > Bluetooth > your headphones' name > X > Remove. 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. I dont have any better advice to offer than Alison has already given, but I just wanted to let you know you arent alone. but please dont. You could passive-aggressively enhance that assumption by unconsciously touching your knee/back/shoulder while saying that you need physical therapy. xrJUKr8VIEXR4ytcf0"%,K@;CP2--w_3z_GhG*m47gS~[}[G9~W-6A;,)rVP&}4U{C\_u4mW? OP given the extreme behavior of the employee when you reminded them of your discussion (made a beeline to HR), what is their reaction to being interrupted? Do we have that flexibility? You are expected to work on your tiny 14 laptop no matter what kind of work you do. <.< I feel like I keep repeating myself but: headphones can also be an accommodation for ADA qualifying "invisible" disabilities, that make it exceedingly hard to concentrate or be productive when sensitive to distractions in your environment. All you people who want an end to noisy open offices should try approaching the noise as a health and safety problem. Arent you a doctor? The earbuds vs. headphones thing makes literally no sense for the reason the OP is complaining about. Employees shouldnt have morally charged, pejorative terms lobbed at them over Headphonegate. Oh yes. But you might not be convinced Earphones and your workplace culture. Just yikes. Like me. My coworker can ignore it even when theres four or five of them clustered around the area, just banging on at each other. The headphones question in general (ignoring the weird earbud/headphone distinction) is a real choose-your-battles issue. Yeah, this is getting really close to the employees who serve me should never appear to have other priorities besides me area that you see in a lot of customer service jobs. Were in an extremely loud open office, and my back faces a busy thoroughfare leading to one of the few meeting rooms on our floor. should I even consider interviewing somewhere else if Im happy with my job? i should have put it up a long time ago. Im not saying people shouldnt have a certain level of professionalism but honestly the obsession with over professionalism in the workplace is too much. There are other reasons, not all of which fall under ADA, why an employee would strongly prefer over-the-ear headphones over earbuds, such as poor fit, concerns about hearing loss over time, the fact that the headphones ARE visible having their own benefits, etc. tl;dr headphones arent the issue, the fact that theres a line of people at ITs desks is. made a beeline for HR could mean so many things and have so many possible explanations. 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. Or are you banning their use for meetings as well? Working remotely, Jordan spends half of the year exploring different corners of the world. 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. My ear is always on the verge of being itchy and flaky/crusty and I have gotten infections before from my itching it too much. If headphones are a sure sign youre busy, people will be less likely to approach you when youre wearing them. But that sounds like two grownups having a conversation about their relative needs, whereas this situation sounds like a parent/teen power struggle. Im usually Jennifer in the situation! Jordan's passion for travel led her to design a career as a remote content marketer. I would assume that most people who wear headphones/earbuds use them for that purpose. *M07SMao Different strokes for different folks to be sure. Nope. Blunt? I am new here. Distraction This is incredibly unreasonable. I would want to stop this running to HR over silly stuff real quick. Yes. Also, low-end noise-cancelling headphones are easier to find than low-end noise-cancelling earbuds, for those on tight budgets. I find this unnerving when I approach either of them and have to wait. @93q9qCD9DCsm'ns,3Qp&3Q8DCtm{dquC3qB!7h 8DC46q98DCD9DD!"s98DCT8DD!""b!BQ9`8DCT8DE!*gb!C)$y!*f"Y! That can be very dangerous in some work situations. This is what I came here to say! My coworkers can come into my space and knock on my desk or wave in my periphery and its much less startling to me. Im going to push back on your statement because he probably DIDNT wear them in defiance. Re: the headphones. In general, we should trust the people we hire to be mature, respectful, professional adults who exercise good judgment. 9rM5SM>&o We dont have enough information to say with certainty which. This was my impression from the letter I think allowing earbuds may have been an attempt to meet in the middle, even if it wasnt entirely logical, because the main objection in that situation is the appearance of being unavailable when your job is to be available to help people. We dont know exactly what words were exchanged, we got a very high-level summary of the gist of what happened from one persons point of view. Probably bad past experiences where put in a ticket meant Ill ignore your problem for a week or close the ticket telling you its fixed because I couldnt duplicate the problem, while you are still having it :p Good IT shouldnt suffer for that, but it takes some time to learn to trust that your ticket will actually be handled without you talking to them in person. It could definitely be worth the money if it helps you. The manager should have been clear, but maybe they were and we arent hearing both sides. perceived both these types of headphones as making the person not approachable. I cant wear them because I have eczema in one ear. Most places Ive been that had a ticket system *also* utilized some level of phone support. In my case, because I have also always had back issues, I said I was doing PT for my back. If you need to be able to respond to people, having only one earbud in will allow you to hear people enter your office/cube. Construction sites are dangerous - OSHA chose to focus on the obvious industry and for good reason. q(NF7^Mi>JR$C/}vfUOO)9Q o}N/iovF=.o$V )#o}}j5]"WbcK"hW7QX`>^vsZg^cc7[Jzj.b;$ss)$]4V/ZIXJ}my$l/bx(N}\C'n:,n1{g4|jonv/Ndt*^oU\\o`8Jy!m_)1?,oY>\nX8l7F|Q+ bJ|QVs,Er7;MbNMZ8 ^rjv,N>mqKjE5+:DBt1*e8u{sNzf6c[k9.\&]A! Regardless, the main point of putting anything in or over my ears is to block out the noise of my coworkers (foot tapping, pen tapping, pen clicking, paper shuffling, conversations between coworkers, phone conversationssomeone is beatboxing right now, Im not even joking) so I can actually concentrate on my work. If you dont like headphones, you have to say you dont like headphones. And especially with the fact that the employees response was to argue about company policy (???) It binds to the alpha2delta (2) accessory subunit of the voltage-dependent calcium channel complexes, mainly in the spinal dorsal horn and the prosencephalon, 9 and provides an inhibiting effect that alleviates anxiety. Yeah, in this day and age no one uses headphones while working. Just a type of work that requires you to act differently than in other jobs. Its against the grain in our office culture (academia). Our supervisor is similarly unnerved by listening devices at work and having to wait to be acknowledged, and banned them all as a result. If they cant solve the problem, they still create the ticket. I hear what youre both saying, but were not talking about a rule where an employee runs the risk of walking around half naked. Other questions Im answering there today include: Yeah, this headphone rule seems sorta crazy. L.W. What you seemed to be saying is that you find it hard to believe that anyone would need to wear headphones because you yourself work as an admin, and noise isnt a new phenomenon. Productivity Small Business People are being forced into these awful open concept spaces, and coworkers are annoying; Someone is talking loud, some is eating, someones chair squeaks. Furthermore, making a beeline to HR is overkill when the problem was at least partly due to your failure to communicate relevant information. Oddly enough, I prefer earbuds (only certain types, though) comfortable and headphones uncomfortable. 1) Have you put them into a noisy open environement but they still need to focus? Presumably, there would be a period of acknowledgement required before responding if the techies were interrupted while wearing earbuds. Optics are important but Im honestly baffled at how I am shutting out noise, focused and at work on a task comes across as unprofessional. Are the interruptions valid or could it have been handled via email? If the boss gets on my case five minutes later for still not wearing red pants in open defiance of the rule, Id probably be inclined to go to HR too. I believe I understand my mechanics point about air wrenches being a productivity tool, but as a software engineer I am not allowed to use an air wrench and yet still manage to successfully test smartphone apps so sorry, it seems to me like if youre allowed to use a productivity tool that other people arent then it is indeed a perk. If they came up to me in a huff about how I was in complete disregard of their new mandate? Or who knows. 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. Im an admin rather than IT support but Ive had to watch HSE videos, user guide videos and listen to podcasts related to our project. Though if I had a job that allowed you to listen to your own music/sounds while working, thatd be cool while working nightshift at a hotel, I was able to listen to the webradio after the hotel bar closed for the night. I think the difference between headphones and earbuds is silly too. I have ear issues, I cannot use ear buds. And that it appears there is a sufficient lack of communication between boss and employee. In that case, it is furnished to the exact addressee in order to provide certain details of any kinds. 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 agree. I wouldnt look too hard for any particularly good rationale. My theory is that I can still listen to music/podcasts which help me tune out background noise, but let me hear enough that Im aware when the phone rings or someone calls my name. If you need more assistance or theres a burden now placed on the department, thats always a company issue not an employee issue. You have no idea what was happening in that car on the side of the road. There are days where I am unable to focus on my work at all without my noise cancelling headphones because of sensory overload. Keeping them engaged is crucial. 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. Working with a PT, nope.) Well, were digging in the weeds. That doesnt work for everyone. It took me 7 years and many tries to finally get out, I also went back after a restraining order. 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). Folks are very focused on but some people need them. Thats true, but most people dont. It was the manager asking the employee why they werent complying with the rule that they had just spoken about. But I realize some managers are nosier than mine. Thats a power play to me and then getting mad that they went to someone seemingly above the boss, that screams insecurity in your decisions. Come on, its a little rich to be rude to another person when youre referring to someones supposed trend of rude comments. Settle down. Gabapentin is a structural analog of gamma-aminobutyric acid. If the answer is yes, then that demonstrates the issue isnt the headphones, but the relationship. If we consider every possible scenario, then were just spinning wheels to validate, justify one side vs. the other. Or, you might opt for a more flexible policy. I am EMPHATICALLY opposed to open office spaces. A manager cant suddenly conjure up a different office design and theres nothing to suggest that the LW wanted an open office in the first place. If theyre used to using headphones, and you walk in one day and say theyre no longer allowed to with no warning and minimal explanation, you really have to expect blowback and be prepared to defend a significant rule change that will significantly affect the day-to-day work of your staff. Now earbuds are wireless and even easier to use.
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