Can Music in the Office Motivate Staff

Can Music in the Office Motivate Staff When it comes to motivating your staff â€" and finding ways to motivate them â€" it can sometimes be a  bit of a tricky task. What might work for one business/team, may not work for another, so it’s  important to find the ideal solution for you to ensure your staff are in the best environment to work  as effectively and as efficiently as possible. In this post we will explore the key benefits from having  music playing in the workplace. It puts people in a good mood. Music is a great way of putting people in a good mood. It’s hard to feel motivated first thing on a  Monday morning, or last thing on a Friday when you’ve got the weekend on your mind, but if your  staff are feeling full of energy, it may put them in a positive frame of mind to work. It’s an effective  way to uplift spirits and give people the motivation to carry on. Not only this but it boosts  productivity, as well as improves team interaction. It improves writing skills. If you have the type of job where you spend a considerable amount of time typing on a computer,  you’ll know that sometimes it’s hard to keep that momentum going if you’re lacking in energy and if  your work is starting to feel monotonous. Therefore, music in the office could help you to write  quicker and obtain a more solid level of concentration. Getting your work done faster leaves more  time to proofread, perfect and get on with other tasks. It enhances energy levels. If music in the gym makes people train harder, run faster and more determined to succeed, surely  the same can be said for the office. No matter what environment you’re in, you’re more likely to  reach a certain goal, whether it’s meeting a deadline or prioritising tasks, if you have music to give  you a positive push. A chirpy, upbeat and feel-good song could give you the drive to apply yourself  and your skills more effectively. In a noisy workplace, music may be an escape. Whilst some may think that headphones in the office are a distraction from work, others believe that  office conversations are much more likely to prevent colleagues from getting on with their work.  Especially if the conversations aren’t work-related, it can make people more inclined to listen to  what’s going on rather that doing their work. Creativity in the workplace can be developed. It can be argued that moderate noise level in the workplace can really get creative juices flowing.  However, the type of music chosen is key. Songs with heavy baselines or screechy vocals may be too  distracting. In order to engage in deep work, and to use your creative abilities to the best possible  advantage, favour a more mellow sound. Music  improves focus. There’s been a time in all of our lives where we’ve struggled to concentrate on a task that it’s  essential for us to complete by a certain deadline. In these instances music is certainly not a  hindrance â€" well, not familiar music anyway. If you’re distracted in your surroundings and are finding it difficult to concentrate, putting your  headphones in and listening to some familiar music could be just what you need to help you focus.  If you need to focus intently then avoid new music, the reason being is that with music that’s  unfamiliar to you, you don’t know what to expect and will therefore subconsciously listen much  more closely to see what happens next. With familiar music from your favourite band let’s say, you already know what to expect which  means the music will not be your primary focus. What’s beneficial? During immersive tasks where you really do need to concentrate, obviously listening to music you  like is a good place to start. However, research has shown that there are certain types of music that  could be best suited to ensuring productivity. Classical:  Classical music rarely contains lyrics and because of this, is extremely popular when with people that  really need to get things done.  Studies have shown that music from the Baroque-period provide a huge boost to productivity. Remember, not all classical pieces will be as effective as others, some are pretty heavy in tone and  won’t be as effective as the delicate likes of Für Elise. Electronic Music:  There are many sub-genres of electronic music, one that we’re particularly interested in is chill-out,  ambient house, all in the category of ambient electronica. This type of music will never take over  your thought process, it’s something that you’ll very much notice but it’s extremely unobtrusive,  allowing you to concentrate on the task in hand. Author: Flo Turak is the Group Marketing Executive at Egan Reid, a workplace and education supplies and  furniture specialist based in North West England. You can find her on LinkedIn. Aside from managing  Egan Reid’s marketing and communication, Flo has a real passion for great content and unique design.  She’s also a bit of an office product geek.