How Music Boosts Workplace Productivity

Have you ever wondered what keeps you going? At work, in traffic, while preparing for projects? Have you ever wondered what helps the time go by while waiting?

Music plays the role of filling in those gaps in your life. Whether you whistle a rhythm, hum a certain melody, or even blast the radio in your car, music fills and colors parts of our lives that we don’t always pay attention to.

Just as it can fill the gaps, music can accompany you through the long, unbearable hours spent at work. It can play an important role in improving focus and productivity in the workplace, according to many psychologists. The most common reasons for listening to music at work are to improve mood and relax. Music can also help employees engage in work tasks by blocking out distracting noise in the office.

“Music seems to fulfill a range of important functions for employees, including providing relief from stress, and improving concentration,” says music evaluation consultant and researcher Dr. Anneli Haake. Many companies have the misconception that music is prone to disrupt the work environment and decrease productivity; however, with the right genre of music and precise volume, the case is quite the opposite.

Five Types of Music That Increase Your Productivity

When you aim to keep all your employees and colleagues in their chairs, you need to choose just the right music to boost their morale rather than their bodies. For some people, it is hard to focus on work that involves reading and writing if the music they are listening to contains lyrics. For others, it is just perfect. Therefore, to avoid such troubles, sticking to lyric-less music can just do the job. With this said the five go-to music playlists should be of the following genres: Classical Music, Nature Music, Epic Music, Jazz Music, and last but certainly not least, the genre of music you prefer and find yourself, as well as your surroundings, focused on.

Just like it has its benefits, music in the workplace can also have negative effects. For instance, if music is forced on the employees, some individuals might not choose to listen to a certain genre, might want lyrics in their music, or might even prefer to go about their days without any sort of melodies. We know from research that office noise can have severe negative effects on employee health, well-being, and productivity. In such cases, it would be best if employees were given the choice of negotiation and control regarding the maintenance of the music.