If I went to HR in a circumstance like this one and my manager openly violated our non-retaliation policy in response, I would call the corporate ethics line and report the violation. Earbuds are uncomfortable for some people, theyre also not noise-blocking like headphones can be. Ok, I admit that Im the Queen of weird injuries. Ask a trusted colleague to run interference for you from time to time and promise to do the same for that person. I am more than a bit taken aback that you seem to have trouble empathizing the circumstances in which people are wanting/needing headphones do not affect you in the least. I admit Im taking umbrage at on fleek. Theyre headphones, theyre not a necessary accessory like pants. But how many internal users are just approaching IT with an issue? We dont have enough information to say with certainty which. Its work, not a prison. Solike, I get what people are saying about the earbuds vs headphones being a capricious point, but I cannot get behind people acting like headphones are -necessary- to produce work. Theres no company anything about it. I wear earbuds to help me block out distractions, such as other conversations, people walking by, noise from the nearby coffee area, and so on. And as IT people, they really wont lack for other workplaces that do allow headphones. People pop open their sample tubes so loudly. Then you suck it up for a few hours. No. It felt like a harmless white lie that I didnt NEED to tell, but if that makes you feel more comfortable, you can go that route too. Let people find what works for them. Im a little taken aback that people seem to think that headphones are natural part of the office when in fact they are a perk. I said this to another commenter, but I dont think the employee was trying to be passive aggressive or defiant when he went back to his desk and starting wearing headphones. Im not sure I see a significant difference. I think OP1 just feels like time is dragging, rather than the employees actually taking ages to remove and respond. People are being forced into these awful open concept spaces, and coworkers are annoying; Someone is talking loud, some is eating, someones chair squeaks. 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. no headphones found in: No Headphones Or Earbuds Allowed Sign NHE-50494, Portrait No Headphones Or Earbuds Allowed Sign NHEP-50494, No Headphones Or.. . Its just basically never a good idea to assume that someone owes you their immediate attention. There will still be a momentary pause while they take the buds out. Oooooh I know I shouldnt pick up on spelling, but the idea of hiring a Dead employee would unnerve me too! Its productive for some people to work with noise. I agree. I would take that into consideration going forward when it came to things like raises and promotions A cell phone usage policy includes a set of restrictions on how you can interact with your cell phone and other mobile devices while at work. He didnt see my earbuds so would start talking before I even realized he was standing there. Youre not in programming, youre not sat in front of a screen reading or generating code all day. Like, not even my first 20 jumps. No one should have to wear earbuds if they cause you pain. If you fail to do that when you boss clarifies that the no headphone rule is meant to be immediate, then that failure is on you, rather than discrimination by your boss. Like me. 1) Have you put them into a noisy open environement but they still need to focus? As an employee, I would assume my boss meant ASAP unless otherwise stated. I think that wearing headphones is better than earbuds because you often cant see if a person is wearing earbuds, with headphones I know right away they cant hear me. Is the personal attack (spoiled entitlement) really necessary to the point here? I wear my over ear headphones most of the day because the music/podcast I like to listen to is not the most appropriate for the office and to not distract others with my music/podcast. Yes, and I can imagine a something else that involves the employee being immature or insubordinate, and I can also imagine a something else that involves the boss being abusive or refusing an accommodation. Also earbuds hurt my ears after a while. is it time to put my employee on a formal improvement plan? Instead they jump in with a bunch of assumptions that very likely arent true: that the employees arent helpful, that the headphones are a FU, that a lack of immediate compliance is in complete disregard. When the police arrived, the mans portable player was still playing music next to his body. I wear headphones not earbuds. For example, , Best Noise-Canceling Headphones for Offices, Noise-Canceling Headphones With Microphone for Offices, Noise-Canceling Earbuds With Microphone for Offices, Do you love office talk as much as we do? Different people work, and indeed concentrate, differently. Who knows, she might have felt that in her car away from where the kids could hear would be the best solution. Its not a coincidence that I work in jobs that benefit from being able to iteratively create systems and navigate complicated conceptual webs and not in jobs that are centered more around throughput of medium-complexity decisions Ive tried working in jobs like that and they have gone horribly for all concerned, so I do things that Im good at instead. I am EMPHATICALLY opposed to open office spaces. My org has a team of 3 dedicated end-user support reps. In general, we should trust the people we hire to be mature, respectful, professional adults who exercise good judgment. I find this unnerving when I approach either of them and have to wait. If youre the help desk and your primary role is to help people with IT issues, I guess. Yeah, I get the word choice too, but its one of those things where LW just has to decide on a course of action and determine not to let it be weird a brisk tap on their desk/cube wall and a cheery wave? Where I currently work I was formerly at the front desk and was the main phone customer service rep. 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. From the title I thought this was going to be about wanting to intervene. an Open Ears policy may be an essential safety practice. Doesnt necessarily warrant a chat with the IT guy (he does his chatting while at his customers desks fixing their issues! Here's a step-by-step guide on how to write a policy for mobile phones in the workplace: 1. Same here I cannot wear earbuds for more than 5 minutes without significant pain due to my apparently smaller than average ear holes. 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. Which, they probably are, in the sense youre using the to be focused. Earbuds, especially wireless ones, can be difficult to see. The no headphones rule seems like a case of can vs. should. Sure, you can enforce a rule like that, but it seems like it runs the risk of alienating employees for little payoff. Also, what exactly is the difference between waiting for someone to take off earphones and waiting for someone to pull out an earbud? Or are you banning their use for meetings as well? It's been found to improve employee morale, enhance retention, and even promote a positive company culture. I dont even think you need to specify what the physical therapy is for. Requiring me to use earbuds would mean that I need to remove my hearing aid. Please note: The answer is correct at the time of publishing. Frankly many of the at-home exercises are the same as what I used to do for my lower back. Unless the idea is that they can always hear you through earbuds, it is unreasonable to insist on them when the issue is getting their attention and wait time. I dont know if Id characterize OP as acting spoiled but it sounds a bonkers reason to decline an offer you really want. )o~61_3U ~UW"_3U1_o"_3U1_TI&1_3M~o)-'M~o~8d~i| We respond to dispatch calls and someone running up to an ambulance screaming that they have an emergency is going to be firmly told to call 911. Headphones over my hearing aids is the only thing I can do when I want to block out outside noises and concentrate. They save me so much time of getting interrupted, stopping what Im doing, listening through the problem, and then usually telling the person to e-mail me anyways b/c a record of changes need to be kept and then trying to figure out where I left off. tl;dr: It seems like it should be a one-to-one replacement but its actually not. L.W. n;H, Finding time for deep work and concentration is important, but so is office communication. To remove headphones on Windows 10, open the Action Center and select All settings > Devices > the name of your headphones > Remove device > Yes. All I know is, anytime Ive seen someone put on that aggressive of a reporting schedule its because they arent meeting goals and accomplishing projects. I hope you can find something that helps you. And people are very willing to stop by my desk whenever they feel like thinking that they get to skip the normal process and get moved to the top of my to-do list. Yes, I am at work and I dont work in a dungeon as a submissive, so I expect my boss to stay out of my ass on certain things. Earbuds, headphones or naked ears, youll still need to make a visual cue to get my attention. And that was pure luck. I would however ask that they put mirrors in their cubes (if their backs are to the opening) so they can be more responsive to people. Well, jobs, work environments, and people differ. Come to find out, the boss sat on the opposite side of the building, hardly ever saw me in person, and received all his information on my day-to-day work from a PM who sat next to me. I have no idea if thats this employees primary role or not though. I have a pair of Bose headphones that are like earbuds but they sit loosely in the ear and have a soft over the ear part that holds everything in place. And if you lose interest, it's always easy to unsubscribe with a single click. Yep, exactly. But, itd be difficult to wear headphones or earbuds if theyre expected to also answer incoming phone calls at all. Yeah, kind of surprised the headphone thing is getting more attention than question 2. Rude? I am on the spectrum, and I dont know whether my distractability from people talking around me is due to that or just bc, but I have been considering purchasing a pair. Oh, and for many years I was undiagnosed so I didnt have this as a special accommodation. Arguments for Headphones at Work People who regularly use headphones (or more commonly earphones/earbuds) while working will tell you that there are numerous benefits to doing so. According to Anne Kreamer, former executive vice president for . Music with lyrics, on the other hand, can help you complete repetitive, monotonous tasks. OMG I dont know how you do it. Others are not. Not to be dramatic, but please, PLEASE dont be like our management team. Yeah, but my boss aint my wife, and theres a lot of things you do to keep a spouse happy that you dont do for your boss. Its also important that we be seen as accessible to the teams we serve, and Im concerned that having big headphones on your ears is compromising that. Within that role I was able to work without headphones because the functions of my job required different kinds of focus. Agreed, I think that the LW is probably incorrect in their worry and that most managers wont ask for details. This is great for when you need to get stuff done, but when you wear them all day, it can begin to interfere with other peoples work. I think the earphone/earbud could have been nipped in the bud if the manager included their staff in coming up with a solution, not just decree one to satisfy her (since she had not heard any complaints from end users). The devices may be especially helpful for workers performing solitary tasks (like cleaning the building after hours) or repetitive chores (like filing), particularly if their accuracy won't be affected. Agreed. Or possibly eight seconds to remove earbuds, since there is a longer reaction time to realise someone isnt listening because theyre wearing earbuds! Now, remember all those comments above from people with small or oddly-shaped ears/ear canals who just cannot do earbuds, period? (Im super thankful NOT to have an open office. People shouldnt be launching into requests as soon as they waltz up to a desk either you try to grab the persons attention first. Keep in mind that in an open office environment, noticeable headphones can be an asset. And if said employee ran to HR rather than discuss the situation with me, I would also (again) wonder why. Nope. Both these things offended a lot of older people in the office (including my boss) who perceived both these types of headphones as making the person not approachable. A manager cant suddenly conjure up a different office design and theres nothing to suggest that the LW wanted an open office in the first place. should I even consider interviewing somewhere else if Im happy with my job? Managers should be held to the same expectations as the rest of the team. Better advice would ask LW to reflect on what was said and possible explanations/context for the behavior in deciding how to handle responding to it, not to give advice that assumes theres only one explanation when were filling in a many blanks due to the lack of detail in the letter. Whats the goal? Your comment doesnt seem to be in response to anything I actually said. I had specially made silicone covers that confirm to my ear shape to go over the earbuds because over the ear headphones give me headaches. if Im the smartest, most knowledgeable person in the room who has all the answers to everything, Ive done a terrible job of hiring my team. Thats what happens when you expect to be able to force someone to change something mid-stream even though its been acceptable until that very moment. At this point, I told him this was my rule and he then made a beeline to HR. My earbuds are a lifeline for me at work. The wailing and gnashing of teeth over headphones is kind of mind boggling to me. But it sure is annoying. I have ear issues, I cannot use ear buds. Frankly, if someone uses a brush off dont want to talk about it sort of thing if I inquire if everything is alright, digestive issues are the very FIRST place my mind goes. And yes, i`ve sent people out of my office for hovering while i was on a call. I still have to adjust it when someone comes in to chat. If theyre talking to me about it, its obviously something they want done. IT support can include positions with that kind of dedicated concentration, depending on what exactly theyre doing and if theyre in that sort of position, headphones would be super justified. Im not saying I agree with this, but I think they see taking out earbuds as a lot easier and less showy. Part of that means respecting our team members autonomy, and it means not making policies to micromanage peoples lives for no good reason. 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 lasted 2 weeks. I hear what youre both saying, but were not talking about a rule where an employee runs the risk of walking around half naked. I need my noise-cancelling headphones. Its reasonable that someone who would struggle to be productive in a noisy environment refer to headphones as a need, even if it isnt due to a disability or completely impossible. You have no idea what she is doing, and what she is going through, or how much of a dangerous situation she is in. It is possible that wearing either type of headphones in a noisy environment can exacerbate hearing loss. (To be fair, headphones will happily take out hair.). Never fear, you won't begin receiving daily sales emails that belong in a spam folder. If you require deep concentration, try listening to ambient sounds. I wanted to reply to this. But specifically regarding the employee disregarding the rule by continuing to wear the headphones: I have to have noise in my ears to concentrate. I get butterflies in my stomach and can feel my heart race a little, its more like that weird anticipation feeling when youre waiting for a package to arrive, does that make sense? These applications help to submit . Helpdesk techs. Headphones and earbuds offer great musical sound by canceling out most or all of the ambient noise around you. I would assume that most people who wear headphones/earbuds use them for that purpose. That is why AAM states frequently about choosing your battles as an employee when expending capital. Why? I just found out were moving to an open office plan without seating arrangements and there will be NO MONITORS supplied unless you have a medical need and special request. Thats why they have rules for which companies are required to accommodate the leave, you have more than 50 employees so you should be able to figure out coverage issues. I would rather have a quiet office so I didnt need headphones, but since that will never happen. I havent like, timed it or anything, but I really doubt Im faster at removing earbuds since most of the time involved is actually pause music. If its no big deal and HR was all meh managers call, sorry dude. then its just one of those things. Theyre adults for goodness sake, treat them that way. The best thing you can do is be patient, and offer nonjudgmental support if appropriate. But I find this rule to be a little unreasonable IMO. If you dont trust them that much, maybe look in the mirror and ask yourself why not. If you dont want people to play music that potentially annoys coworkers and/or drown out noise from coworkers, give them a private office space. Opt for music without lyrics or very familiar music when you need to concentrate. While technically I could do this from the devices internal speaker as well, I work in an open office with several other people who have generally similar jobs and if we all did this then chaos would reign. Aoshida Shanling. Or just wait five seconds for them to take their headphones off. Yeah, I think for this LW its the look of it, but I think its a distinction without a difference. The new policy is important, but not so important that work should be inconvenienced for the sake of it. 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? Especially is it ONLY because LW doesnt like it versus any real practical reason. For all OP knows, the soon-to-be-ex is the one violating the order and the employee was too afraid to make him leave. Its obnoxious to wear them. Sure, if she wants to. Look for soundtracks, jazz, or classical music for tasks that require thought and consideration. The cell phone company policymay also be referred to as a no mobile phones at work policy or a bring your own device(BYOD) policy. I for one cant stand utter silence (or, alternatively, the sounds of coworkers off in other cubes having conversations), so I need a bit of music playing to concentrate well thus, headphones/earbuds, since Id rather not bother coworkers. Zeroing in on construction sites makes sense due to the nature of the work and all of the moving equipment, but its not the only situation where earbuds can pose a problem. Which is to say that the bosss rule is silly. Just confused as to why is one okay but not the other? You have two completely separate problems here. Im sure there have been plenty of times where people have thought I was being rude when I simply didnt hear them. Employees shouldnt have morally charged, pejorative terms lobbed at them over Headphonegate. In addition to the other reasons people have listed below, any number of people in my office also use their earbuds/headphones with our videoconferencing and phone system. JENNIFER!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Its not causing any problems beyond startling me when they get impatient and touch me, or my neighbor says She cant SEE you from behind. Allison as someone who is hearing impaired, it is important to also mention that earbuds are more detrimental to your hearing than beats, or another headphone that covers the whole ear. ), so they sometimes dont come to me with questions I do actually have time to answer. Re: the headphones. (X0NRscWcoRv!7x)(I+_RXNaEZ6bsHLDtbbDkWU"J+;GWv(@DLq&Y)4e-"wQrugl`}e/qPUo(CO,6[O}m*d7U,} XB[lu\ ]F8:,tl`Qkx2 They are a tool for productivity. 10 minutes after this meeting, I saw this employee with the headphones on in complete disregard. Other questions Im answering there today include: Yeah, this headphone rule seems sorta crazy. It takes but a moment to remove them and were not wasting any time with repeats. I think you would be hard pressed to find a manager who doesnt feel that way. My coworker can ignore it even when theres four or five of them clustered around the area, just banging on at each other. I can really understand the letterwriters pain on that one, actually. 1- Mobile phones not allowed in workplace notice To: Staff Subject: Use of mobile phones in the workplace It has been observed that several employees are spending too much office time on mobile phones. Although there isn't any specific health and safety regulation that bans headphone use at work, in certain workplaces where there are risks it is reasonable to put a ban in place. It is earphones this time, maybe next employee doesnt like his hours or his work. I would not be happy if hearing typical people who can wear earbuds got to continue to enjoy a perk that allows them to concentrate better and I did not because I have other speakers in my ears already. Well I relate to you. CAN she make such a policy decision based on her belief that other people are as bothered by the brief delay it takes to remove headphones (but not by the delay it takes to remove earbuds)? As a note on this too there are definitely work environments where its not allowed to wear rings. Arent you a doctor? My friends and family didnt understand which lead to intense shame and further feelings of isolation, both of which just made me feel I needed my partner even more. Same! With rules, you put a start date into place. Probably bad past experiences where put in a ticket meant Ill ignore your problem for a week or close the ticket telling you its fixed because I couldnt duplicate the problem, while you are still having it :p Good IT shouldnt suffer for that, but it takes some time to learn to trust that your ticket will actually be handled without you talking to them in person. I also agree that the distinction is weird because the net effect (people have to wait to talk to you, you look unapproachable) is the same. There are robust methods of self-diagnosis, for instance I self-diagnosed in 2012 and obtained a formal diagnosis in 2018. I wear over ear headphones at work all the time. Ahhh, I actually meant worse for your ears [in the long run] when I typed that. I appreciate your comment so much! And doesnt trust this manager to keep it quiet. Im an admin rather than IT support but Ive had to watch HSE videos, user guide videos and listen to podcasts related to our project. At home, she's content exploring fictional landsSpark an immediate and detailed conversation by mentioning Game of Thrones, Red Rising, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. $229. It doesnt necessarily change the advice, but definitely lends speculation to if there are any other red-flaggy aspects of that company.