Rolleyes. Instead, adults individually determining that (whatever interval; daily, projects time, etc) headphone usage allows for increased concentration and productivity-the cubical equivalent to shutting the office door-allows every one to benefit. No facial hair? That is a poor idea. Good managers dont make up rules for the heck of it. Its work. Seconded theres probably more going on here than we are being made aware of. While he was walking and enjoying his tunes, a train that was moving in the same direction arrived. If your job is more independent, is in a large open space, etc, then I can see the uses for it, but otherwise I find it kind of ridiculous. Being unnerved by headphones but fine with earbuds seems a very specific unnerving. Im not saying people shouldnt have a certain level of professionalism but honestly the obsession with over professionalism in the workplace is too much. But I find this rule to be a little unreasonable IMO. I really, really dont. If the answer is no, then running to HR is an extreme response. Employees must not bring their phones to meetings. 10 0 obj And OP also expected instant compliance with the rule, as though one can simply change over-the-ear headphones into earbuds? +XeiJt|}V-+6vfeQSYE-+r!u 'x/&EUEeQUdu"B{^$#Xx; },z2";_>l)wS[VegUU1n%, Removing the over the ear headphones requires reaching up, lifting then off and setting them down, or lifting them off and draping around your neck. Are you happy with them? Signs, Labels, Tags and Safety Products, Open Ears: Reducing the Threat of Earbuds in the Workplace. 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. 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). With some engineering and technical jobs no. I cant. my company decided to close for 2 weeks last year and charged me a chunk of this years PTO for it, what admin assistants really want from their coworkers, should my spouse have to be background checked for my job, one-way video interviews, and more, my boss keeps asking me to do things that aggravate our community partners, update: my employee wastes a huge amount of everyones time with helpful suggestions and questioning, 8 horror stories for Administrative Professionals Day, HR jokes about firing people, I want to stop giving reasons for my time-off requests, and more. Distraction They may have an ADA accommodation that was approved. Please note: The answer is correct at the time of publishing. Never fear, you won't begin receiving daily sales emails that belong in a spam folder. It is quite possible that the person in question is on the Autism spectrum, in which case the headphones (specifically headphones, and not earbuds) are an absolute necessity to be able to work effectively (and since most people on this spectrum can concentrate like a computer, effectively is really a misnomer, as their work product is beyond par!). This is not someone I trust to be reasonable. 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. Quite a few people have, actually. Ive told her several times that I can either work there with headphones, or not work there at all. Only if you managed to retain the employee. Employers should evaluate their worksites and consider whether issuing a policy that bans headphone usage is appropriate. Thats not a normal reaction. The earbuds vs. headphones thing makes literally no sense for the reason the OP is complaining about. But everyone knows that they can approach me when I have headphones in and all it means is I am listening to music/podcast. That depends entirely on the office culture. theres a brief waiting period for the employee to remove the headphones and acknowledge the person. In my opinion, this manager should have a frank discussion about why the employees are wearing headphones, then allow them to wear headphones with the understanding that they will be responsive. I have kind of weird looking ears and they literally fall out of my head if I move even the slightest bit. Me, I just turn up the volume until they eventually go their separate ways. Some people find that listening to music can help to minimize outside distractions such as other employee conversations, which helps them stay productive. Save your headphones for when you need to find deep focus. These things take time and a lot of courage, usually multiple attempts. It wasnt two weeks between interview and job offer, it was two weeks between informal job offer and offer letter. To be clear my music is not extremely inappropriate (I consider midday lite radio songs to be appropriate) just typical alternative, rock, rap, country, musical theater that has swears. Offices are not natural in any way whatsoever, and its ableist and infantalizing to call my ability to cover my ears is a perk. Review a 1987 OSHA memo on music headphones. I wanted to reply to this. Therefore, it's only fair that headphones are banned for everyone else too. Music should aid your productivity, not serve as another distraction. Choose music that will increase your productivity, not hinder it. But that sounds like two grownups having a conversation about their relative needs, whereas this situation sounds like a parent/teen power struggle. Ahhh, I actually meant worse for your ears [in the long run] when I typed that. I suspect that if you say oh, just some boring stuff, everythings fine, no one will guess its about your Lady Business. Advantages of PLD use. 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. Better than a public place where everyone could overhear and judge her now isnt it? So thanks for that! day., without fail, someone else is the throat clearer, someone else eats potato chips and youd swear there was a microphone near their mouth, someone else talks to loudly on the phone, ALL AT THE SAME TIMEand its nearly impossible to concentrate. But I love mine and they have helped me a lot. When I approached him, I startled him over and over, didnt matter how I did it calling him name, knocking on his cube wall, tapping his arm. If you are thinking of establishing policies that allow music in the workplace, keep in mind the following considerations: Mandating the use of headphones. i recently put a mirror up because my back is to the entrance of my desk and i use noise cancelling headphones. Presumably, the employee doesnt also have earbuds at his desk. 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. Its not about adult vs. not adult. Are headphones ACTUALLY creating a negative perception about how accessible these team members are? I use the small earphones, but not the goes-inside-the-ear types that look like plugs. With my headphones (which are allowed and much more comfortable), he gets my attention (knocking on my cube entrance) when he sees my bright red headphones. Its just basically never a good idea to assume that someone owes you their immediate attention. 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. Or maybe the headphones are an accommodation in place from when they started and they wanted to check with HR before pushing back. One of OSHA's laws on playing music in the workplace is that music player headphones don't count as hearing protection from loud and damaging noises. Our supervisor is similarly unnerved by listening devices at work and having to wait to be acknowledged, and banned them all as a result. 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. Im not saying I agree with this, but I think they see taking out earbuds as a lot easier and less showy. I dont think that I would immediately jump to Oh it must be a female-anatomy related issue if someone didnt want to get into the details of their medical care with me. Again, the manager really should have addressed the why before asking you to do it, but since they didnt you really need to ask them. And I work in retail, where its very much what managers say goes and how you look to customers is more important than whats practical, so Im used to managers sometimes enforcing rules simply because it looks good and I can absolutely imagine a manager feeling that headphones just LOOK unproductive, but the commenters and Alison are right that you should overcome this impulse and let the headphones stay. I suppose they may really be concerned they have an ethical obligation to say something to their employer, but why? No two businesses are exactly the same, so it is important for any business owner or manager to assess their own unique situation. These would all be within your authority to impose without warning, but who would want to work for you? Then a couple of months later surprised me with a six-month probation and an unacceptable mark on my performance. In that case, it is furnished to the exact addressee in order to provide certain details of any kinds. If you dont really have an actual, objective business problem being created by the headphones, leave it alone and let people do their work. #2, please please please do not do anything, especially anything that could jeopardize her FMLA. If you dont like headphones, you have to say you dont like headphones. It is possible that wearing either type of headphones in a noisy environment can exacerbate hearing loss. That is what I would do if I had HR and I felt my boss was trying to take away a necessary tool for me to work for no reason other than what he likes to look at. I dont think that at all. 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. 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. Save the lyrics for completing repetitive or monotonous tasks. When family gatherings got too loud for him, hed turn them off. Like, have you heard that perception from anybody else? I am autistic. Because youre being very nit picky LW#1. Just not I feel awkward; it must be Bobs fault, better make him use earbuds as shes doing now. I wear headphones not earbuds. It makes us feel like children, and like we dont have a right to take a second to compose ourselves, or to ask them to come back later. If theres a problem, we should definitely solve the problem, but even then, we should articulate the problem and work together to find solutions, rather than just mandating solutions (or non-solutions, as seems to be the case here). I am not out as autistic at work. This process is automatic. Which would you rather have someone not wearing headphones and not working as hard due to distractions or anxiety or would you rather get the job done? Please interrupt for emergencies only., How to Manage Office Scents for Employees Sensitive to Smell. How does someone in the office talk to you about an issue that they need assistance with, if they cannot approach you on a phone call? Well, jobs, work environments, and people differ. For quite a few folks, the ability to wear headphones without formally requesting an accommodation is actually incredibly beneficial. 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. People shouldnt be launching into requests as soon as they waltz up to a desk either you try to grab the persons attention first. 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. 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. Request a Business account here. My only exception is if theyre literally a help desk. 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. It doesnt necessarily change the advice, but definitely lends speculation to if there are any other red-flaggy aspects of that company. 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. . I dont HR needs to be brought in yet, OP just needs to ask. The ones I got were made by Sony and about $40 from Best Buy. Thats the signal Im generally trying to send. In my case, because I have also always had back issues, I said I was doing PT for my back. There was no policy, therefor I didnt ask for accommodation for my [fill in teh blank.] check that the IT staff really are responding in good time to the incoming tickets In between policies have unforeseen consequences. The manager should have been clear, but maybe they were and we arent hearing both sides. Not unusual for this particular commenter. I have no idea if thats this employees primary role or not though. 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. Which, they probably are, in the sense youre using the to be focused. Decide why you want a new policy. It should be totally normal to just not specify and be taken at ones word that its a medical thing but, you know, dont worry Im not dying. i once had a VP running around popping bubble paper in everyones face. Youre there to do a job, and if you cant concentrate because Bob across the aisle cant be bothered to wear headphones while listening to music, its worse than two people standing directly behind you yapping away about every topic under the sun except work. People look at me strangely when I talk about my injuries. Im not doing surgery, Im looking to help. Yep. It doesn't work that way. (Note: I had trouble believing anyone would be bothered to do that, but according to people who know them better, this is actually is A Thing They Do). -Neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD were developed based on boys, and that stereotype persists, even in the medical community. You are different, they are different. If you do have a problem beyond just your personal preference surface that problem to your team members and collaborate with them to come up with a solution that works for everyone. I worked Help Desk for 3 years People asked for help by calling in or sending an email. Im anxious AF when Im lurking around waiting to get someones attention but I shoulder that burden myself, I know its a me thing. My cube faces out, with my back to the wall. It makes me feel like Im disturbing you when I drop in and youre wearing headphones. Yeah. Not to be dramatic, but please, PLEASE dont be like our management team. But without clear guidelines or a headphone policy at work, employees are left to decipher best practices on their own. I dont know if Id characterize OP as acting spoiled but it sounds a bonkers reason to decline an offer you really want. Ear Bud Policy. A policy that places reasonable limits on headphone use can pacify workers and ward off serious OSHA fines that can be as high as $13,494 per violation, as set by OSHA on January 15, 2020.. I would rather have a quiet office so I didnt need headphones, but since that will never happen. Earphones work better because it also signals to other people that I cant hear them initially. ~SM7E~Uy 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. Our company has a Walk In Center for people to go to with computer issuesbut they have their own room and can focus and are expecting people to walk in and then have a seat across from them. Workers who are listening to their earbuds cant hear whats going on around them. The new policy is important, but not so important that work should be inconvenienced for the sake of it. Not a single adult in the world. I wish that worked in my office. No one should have to wear earbuds if they cause you pain. Youngstown State University has a duty of care for the health and safety of staff, students, contractors and visitors. It recognizes that many staff and students use audio equipment (audio-visual & multi-media production etc) and other devices (MP3 players, iPods, etc) with headphones/earphones/earbuds and that this may be . 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. i should have put it up a long time ago. I get the feeling they had really high turnover. I listen to music in my office. Response: No, there is no specific OSHA regulation that prohibits the use of headphones on a construction site. I use my AirPods and dial in for audio-only calls, because Im reasonably sure my coworker would be annoyed by listening to the Q2 Sales Forecasting call over my computer speakers. He may be like me, and the sounds of people working behind me causes me to have startle reactions all day long and its really anxiety inducing. No. I would say it depends on the branch of IT that is being managed: ticketed support system = no headphones or earbuds, you need to be interruptible at all times (sorry, thats the nature of the job); vs software developer = headphones because you need to concentrate on not writing code thatll need 87 patches before it works properly! For the use of headphones to not automatically make them subject to inquiries about what exactly is wrong with them to be allowed headphones when no one else isor have your manager try to prevent you from wearing them just because of the optics (and this applies to oh so many accommodations that look like benefits)its a terrible thing to deal with at work. While implementing your 1 earbud rule, you could work on changing perceptions in parallel. Off with them!. Ive found street style headphones to be more comfortable when it comes to glasses. Employee either agreed or said nothing and the manager assumed the point was made. Just because someone is in it support or customer service, it doesnt mean always immediately immediately available, no exceptions. I guess it could be interpreted as in the moment though. should I even consider interviewing somewhere else if Im happy with my job? Not in a rude way as in saying when you bother to show up can you shut up about your problem, but more in a I know you are dealing with a rough time but I need folks to be able to focus on work kinda way. Can you ask the marketing guys to tone down the GOT off-topic chatter or let me wear them for the couple of hours a day when they tend to go full-throttle? Or even Can we find a way to signal approachability that still allows me to block out background noise?. This leads to turnover and workplace drama over a ridiculous powerplay. You dont know whats up. Our workplace has specifically told management that they should never ask the details of a medical problem, except for how it impacts on work ability. Popular safety products. So, i could be working -listening to a call in issue which you may not know. What are we missing? Headphones over my hearing aids is the only thing I can do when I want to block out outside noises and concentrate.

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