The power of music: the best music to listen to on site
20 February 2019The majority of us have one thing in common when we’re at work, whether we’re tradespeople or office workers: whilst we’re busy earning, we like to listen to music to help us through the 9 to 5.
However, this is often a hot topic of debate in workplaces. Some argue that it helps them stay productive, while others think that listening to music during working hours looks unprofessional.
Here at Trade Direct Insurance, we decided to get to the bottom of this. We surveyed over 1,000 adults in the UK to find out once and for all whether or not listening to music at work had a positive effect on the daily grind.
Music to Your Bosses’ Ears
Playing music at work is a contentious topic between employers and employees. We do understand that it’s impossible to please everyone when there’s a radio playing in a communal workplace (anyone who’s worked on a site and endured Christmas radio will agree!) But could plugging in your headphones make a notable difference to productivity?
According to our research – yes! 20% of British workers said that they listen to music at work every day and what’s more, over half (53%) felt that they were more productive and worked faster with the radio playing or with their headphones on.
So that means bosses could actually help relieve the Monday blues by encouraging their team to plug in their headphones and get their Spotify playlists on.
We found these results very interesting here at Trade Direct Insurance, as we’re advocates of promoting employee wellbeing and productivity in the workplace. Our Sales and Service Manager, Andy Marlow, commented:
"These positive effects could potentially lead to stronger business perspectives and even an increase in returning customers. We want to encourage employers around the country to embrace these findings as it’s the overall business which will reap the rewards."
Music is Power on Site
Working on site 9 to 5, five days a week can often seem incredibly long and repetitive. Well, music could be the antidote to help you better focus on the task ahead, especially if you work in a noisy environment; you can simply pop your headphones on and get on with the job.
As an expert on the topic, Hypnotherapist and Owner of City Hypnosis, Aaron Surtees, agrees:
"Listening to music at work can have several benefits to improving your wellbeing at work. Music can increase productivity, concentration and lower stress levels. It makes you feel instantly more energised and happy.
Music is also proven to help with mental wellbeing and tackles mental health issues. Everyone in stressful and busy jobs are at risk of suffering with their mental health, often leading to time off work and ongoing sickness. Listening to music that you recognise can help reduce this risk, and reduce levels of anxiety and depression. This means not only are you more productive and alert, but this will make you enjoy your job more, in turn making you better at it, meaning you will progress further.
I recommend using headphones and setting up a work playlist that is proven to improve your mood. Headphones will cancel out any noise and disruption but will also not annoy your work mates, or leave you arguing over what to play."
Songs You Need on Your Worksite Playlist
This made us wonder – what songs should you add to your playlist to help you stay happy and productive at work?
From our research, the genre of music that encouraged the quickest work rate was pop music, closely followed by rock (18%) and dance music (15%). So, there were no surprises that the top five songs named by our participants were huge pop anthems:
- ‘Come on Eileen’ by Dexys Midnight Runners
- ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift
- ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi and Justin Bieber
- ‘Rolling in the Deep’ by Adele
- ‘What Do You Mean?” by Justin Bieber
Whether you’re into pop or rock or dance music, admit it – you feel ready to start your working day with these tunes. Add these work-happy tracks to your playlist and you’re guaranteed to feel less like you’re working for the weekend and more motivated to work harder, better, faster, stronger!
In Summary…
- 20% of the nation listen to music at work every day
- 53% of Brits think they’re more productive when listening to music at work.
- Half of the nation think listening to music whilst on the job makes them work faster
- Listening to music can have a positive effect on employee wellbeing
- Pop music is the best genre for encouraging employees to be more productive
Trade Direct is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The company is a leading UK independent broker providing a wide range of policies to tradesmen and construction workers.
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