POLL: Are headphones at work a good or bad thing?

I saw a study that found the average person in an open office environment gets interrupted every 9 minutes. If they are doing general office work it takes 3 minutes to recover from the interruption. Recover meaning getting back to what you are doing with the same level of focus.

Let's do the math. Every 9 minutes means 6 times an hour, multiplied by 3 minutes to recover means 18 minutes lost. But wait there's more. We haven't factored in the actual interruption. If by some miracle the interruption only lasted 2 minutes then that's 6 interruptions/hour multiplied by 2 minutes, equals 12 minutes. Add that to your 18 minutes recovery and you just lost 30 minutes.

But wait there's more. The 3 minute recovery was only for general office work. Editing complex documents or doing accounting took 30 minutes to get back to the same level of accuracy and focus. Computer programming took 60 minutes.

Some interruptions are actually work related and others are just blurting. Blurting is when people just spontaneously say stuff because it happens to cross their mind. "Did you see that movie...."
"I gotta tell you this joke..."

So in answer to should people be able to use headphones at work, the answer is it depends on:

1. What they are working on. Not for your receptionist.
2. Who are your co-workers. If you sit next to a blurter it's a must.

Everyone needs a period each day of non-interruptive time. That should be their highest energy period of the day and during it they work on their most brain intensive stuff.

To make it work it should be the same hour each day so coworkers can learn it and work around it. You announce to your coworkers that this will be your non-interruptive time. You make it clear to them that THEY DECIDE if the interruption is so significant it can't wait till post interruption time. That way you are not shutting out anyone. Then you set up a signal system to remind people when it's your non-interruptive hour.

In one organization the signal was police tape across your cubicle. In another it was wearing the company hat. Having non-interruptive time organizationally is even better because everyone has it and they understand the importance of it.

As much as I hate to use this old cliche, but it depends. It all depends on the work environment, the job being done, etc. I am in favor of allowing employees do what they can to make their work place enjoyable but there are too many factors to consider to make it a simple yes or no answer. For full disclosure, I try and have music playing while I work.

It depends on the corporate culture, the people involved and the impact on their work.

People need to be able to have some privacy during the day as well, and it is nice to be able to retreat into a nice comfort zone considering how little workspace many people have today.

It depends on the task I'm trying to accomplish. Collaborating with anyone on anything... no way. My attention should be on people, not music. However, when I'm blocking out an hour + to crank out code, write a long piece of documentation, etc., and I don't want to be distracted by people, the ipod comes out, and the headphones go on. It's amazing how many people do not bug you when you have those on. Headphones can be an amazing filter, weeding out the superfluous from the really necessary. When I'm in the zone and someone taps me on the shoulder, it's usually for something that's actually important.

Use #2: Wanna find out what's really going on in the office? Here's a fun social experiment. Wear headphones and turn the volume off, but sit there and tap your foot/pen like you're listening to music. People will talk right near your cube and just assume you can't hear anything. Your cube/area just outside your office will become a magnet for office conversation.

doesn't bother me. sign of the times...

I am a perfect example as to why they should be banned unless it is necessary for a podcast or webinar or other usiness reason.

Don't get me wrong, I love music and that is the problem. I love to sing along and sometimes do it out loud without thinking. Considering a wounded rhino sounds better than I do, it would be a horrible thing to inflict on any others. Secondly, if I were to avoid songs and listen just to instrumentals or classical music I would either be trying to remember the words to a song or humming along which is little improvement over my singing ability.

That being said, any decision must be made with the potential impact on all employees in mind. If the culture of a company is for open communication among employees even an ear bud can preclude that especially when you see that blank gaze when you are trying to talk to someone or they ask you to wait until a song is finished. Neither are conducive to open communications.

I'm not certain that it's either a good or bad thing. The question really to ask is why do you wear headphones, and once answered, that might reveal some interesting information.

It is a bad thing.
In most Industrial establishments, there is a soft subdued background music - the soft and soothing type (definition may vary culture to culture, location to location) that is played. It can be "heard" if the employee stops his work and "tries". Otherwise it is in the background. People talk, and interact with one another without any problems. There is no need for the employee to bring in his brand of music. Pure distraction.

It's a good thing...with the right equipment.
I recommend to my employees that if they want to listen to music at their desk, they should wear headphones and use an app like iPauseMusic. The app uses the device camera to watch for when people come to their desk. The idea is to avoid having to tap people on the shoulder or shout to get people's attention. This lets the employees stay focused on their work without worrying about people sneaking up on them.