I think plenty of people have been chiming in saying they wouldnt jump to this conclusion if their employee declined to provide details or used a brush off when asked further (also agreed with you that managers shouldnt ask for detail, but some do out of concern/politeness). When the printer is making odd sounds or theyre installing something weird in the hall, you cant block it out. But we dont have enough information to make any judgment at all is what Im saying. Im sure the OPs feelings of anxiety are genuinely described; but there was a whole lotta knee jerking going on there that should have remained internal. They take my headphones away and Im going to find a more reasonable employer. Dont just dictate your preference as a policy, especially when that preference is seemingly not grounded in objective reality. And that was pure luck. And my option would then be earbuds or nothing which would be sensory hell for me and probably cause me to burn out and lose my job after a few months. We wore headsets to assist people (try being on the phone all day AND using your computer without one!). Optics are important but Im honestly baffled at how I am shutting out noise, focused and at work on a task comes across as unprofessional. (And believe me, you do NOT want to try to have a conversation with me sans hearing aids, unless you have a very loud, clear voice or are a big fan of having to repeat everything 2 or 3 times. This Employee Cell Phone Policy is ready to be tailored to your company's needs and should be considered a starting point for setting up your employment policies. The concept of personal / private medical problem = gendered issue is quickly disappearing. Are you happy with them? +1. And the do not disturb vibe is a bad thing why? Making blanket statements that imply it is ludicrous that any one would need headphones very clearly is not taking people with disabilities into consideration. Noise-cancelling headphones are a reasonable accommodation for many issues; such as anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, others. Basically, they take the back door into my cube, and just STAND there. I expected them to want no listening devices, but imposing one form over another seemscapricious. Managers should be held to the same expectations as the rest of the team. I almost lost my job over this. at least with over-the-ear headphones everyone can see that they need to get your attention first. - Craine. It takes a second to get them out and pause my music, but Im always responsive as soon as I notice someone come up to stand next to me in my cube. For what its worth, if I have to approach someone, I would rather they have headphones than earbuds, because at least I can see that theyre not going to be able to hear me. Headphones over my hearing aids is the only thing I can do when I want to block out outside noises and concentrate. Response: No, there is no specific OSHA regulation that prohibits the use of headphones on a construction site. When a coworker is driving me crazy, I have no escape. Dont discourage others from making sure theyre not being bullied or unfairly treated by a boss. Over the ear headphones also enable me to hear more of what is going on around me, thus making me MORE responsive. Weve become a very plugged-in society. If I werent allowed to wear the earbuds, Id have to work harder to block out the ambient noise, which would make me LESS responsive to people trying to get my attention. I really dont understand why someone would ban headphones but not earbuds. 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. But I find this rule to be a little unreasonable IMO. Unless the employees are sitting at their desks with their hands clasped constantly awaiting a new task theyre likely working on things between the in-person visits. And anyone who presses for specifics after the phrases Alison suggested is either completely clueless of social norms, or totally lacking in boundaries. I am EMPHATICALLY opposed to open office spaces. Employee Cell Phone Policy. No blue clothes? Thats extremely rare. I find it amusing that its viewed as a power play by the employee but not a power play by a manager who randomly decided to remove headphones from their department, without even a days notice. And thats really the thing: what is the impact, or is there in fact one? He didnt see my earbuds so would start talking before I even realized he was standing there. I doubt this manager ran the idea by HR before doing it.
Headphones at work- Positives and Negatives - Safety Forward Ltd Most workers (and certainly most skilled workers) wouldnt care for that approach. Ahhh, I actually meant worse for your ears [in the long run] when I typed that. 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? As you mentioned, if youre concerned about interrupting, thats a discussion to have. 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. It takes but a moment to remove them and were not wasting any time with repeats. So I get why the word choice was chosen. There are people here who wait months. OP should realize that not everything is a one size fits all situation. Im not doing surgery, Im looking to help. And I work in Finance, not IT.). I would assume that most people who wear headphones/earbuds use them for that purpose. JENNIFER!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Theyre supposed to use the ticketing system (for prioritizing, for tracking, for management visibility). And doesnt trust this manager to keep it quiet. : Small pet peeveAK is Alaska, not Arkansas. Different strokes for different folks to be sure. Having researched a lot of those as a possible purchase for myselfnoise-cancelling earbuds are frequently bulkier than regular earbuds. It was rather comical listening to Rush Limbaugh and Terry Gross in the same dept. If two weeks invited such ire that it makes one decline a job offer for that alone, thats a bit of spoiled entitlement. Earbuds just irritate my ear and make it itchy. In certain situations that can put them in harms way. I think going to he was to cover themselves. Sure, if she wants to. tl;dr: It seems like it should be a one-to-one replacement but its actually not. I got them a few years ago at Costco they were $90 but well worth it. Oh yes. 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. Otherwise I agree with Alison. Im glad you left. It was mind numbingly boring and the day went so slow. Set the rule either they can wear neither, or either, but choosing which style someone else should use is ridiculous. No one should be able to hear your music through your headphones. You can wait that moment or two for them to take their headphones off. For me, I disliked new rules and methods the most when I didnt understand WHY they were being done because they just felt arbitrary, and in some cases just as annoyed when some option was taken away without alternatives. Yeah, in this day and age no one uses headphones while working. Headphones have been a natural part of the office in every job Ive held. I work in a very small office and no HR. I wouldnt assume it was specifically female, and even if someone does, so what? At least in my field, that timeline is not weird.
Wearing headphones at work: time for HR to step in? Whats the goal? Earbuds dont work for me either. Ive had front desk jobs and, even with ADHD, I can do them without noise-blockers because its my job to seek and welcome interruption. Ask a trusted colleague to run interference for you from time to time and promise to do the same for that person. In that case, it is furnished to the exact addressee in order to provide certain details of any kinds. You are different, they are different. So the obvious way to get my attention is to stand in the walkway, in my line of sight. Others seek out employment and ask for accommodations that they require to work well and produce their work product. Admin in AK, I think youve missed my point. If I were one her employees Id be pretty irritated too. Yes, you can say no headphones. I think more and more people are similarly realizing that they shouldnt provide details (because it invites judgement I have a coworker who needs PT for his knees and he gets judged on it because he behaves as though hes addicted to physical activity and has been known to push his body beyond its limits). consider whether you need more IT staff so that a helpdesk is always open. I have plenty of DV clients and they still need to talk to their ex about the kids. Yeah theyre in the middle of several simultaneous upgrades (the tech director is a twit) and its not going well! At best, theyre an ADA accommodation, otherwise, theyre simply a tool people can use to focus on their work and avoid disturbing those around them. (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). That depends entirely on the office culture. I find this unnerving when I approach either of them and have to wait, and suspect many of my users may feel the same. The rule was about earphones. Within that role I was able to work without headphones because the functions of my job required different kinds of focus. My question iswhat is the difference, to you, between headphones and earbuds. Going to HR is the right place to go. Sometimes I need to wear headphones to do my work. Be considerate of other peoples time. Personally, Id be leaning toward the latter; if I need someone for something, its not going to make any difference to me whether theyre using earbuds or headphones, the act of getting their attention is all the same. There are robust methods of self-diagnosis, for instance I self-diagnosed in 2012 and obtained a formal diagnosis in 2018. Oddly enough, I prefer earbuds (only certain types, though) comfortable and headphones uncomfortable. 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. they both present the same exact problem. In addition, I think it simply looks bad for I.T. This is just such a weird, petty, and frankly stupid hill to die on. They look like headphones (albeit smaller) but they also leave your entire ear open to view. It irritates me no end that my spouse has taken to wearing headphones, all day, every day, but could not articulate exactly why. HR may even know about a disability he has disclosed and that is why he went to HR.
8D1]C9 eq,sQ8DpX!8D929$'tfVq~yl7q~]Iy_2UeU=v{TqjGnU=v{\QjGnW=v{TQjnU=v{ToOH_/Ml[M4SY7t|x*5\'{3j~'pG5z@1q)>f_[q'z]MsG@TfaT#jP0B5BFEf1YjfYjEfYjEf1YjfYjEfYjEf1YjaT#jP0B5BF!T#jPF5BF!T#jQB5FaT#jP0B5BF!T#jPF5BF!T#jQB5FaT#jP0B5BF!T#jPjPmX4`NkVxo7!}Wbyvf=/g8l,gN,&C]_ Z>7CMxu7.lqQ@#%m83U1_W~7}9t All are excellent points. Cheerleader: Whats that spell? Yeah seems fast to me. tl;dr headphones arent the issue, the fact that theres a line of people at ITs desks is. If theyre used to using headphones, and you walk in one day and say theyre no longer allowed to with no warning and minimal explanation, you really have to expect blowback and be prepared to defend a significant rule change that will significantly affect the day-to-day work of your staff. I suspect that if you say oh, just some boring stuff, everythings fine, no one will guess its about your Lady Business. The pattern that I expect is something more like expecting and sometimes supporting highly autocratic behavior on the part of managers Boss is Boss and you better obey Boss instantly without any backtalk because Boss will have you out on your ear if you give them any sass but basically yeah. Rolleyes. Granted, the employee should have also responded better (first, not ignoring the manager, and two, prompting a more productive discussion as opposed to running to HR)both need a reality check. Vote for the 2023 GeekWire Awards! I dont think the manager really has room to get mad about insubordination unless he was still wearing the headphones the NEXT day. There was most likely a misunderstanding involved. I use them if I need to listen to a voicemail message or a video for work, and then I just leave them on until I remember that I can take them off.
Working to the Beat - Society for Human Resource Management Are you saying there shouldnt be any consequences for an employee that disregards a direct instruction minutes after its given? Others have pointed out that they would have to remove an earbud, so still a delay. Earbuds are the same thing with the same problem, just less noticeable, and thus less likely to cause people to know they need to get the employees attention. Ive told her several times that I can either work there with headphones, or not work there at all. With some engineering and technical jobs no. Im not sure that its rude, per se- maybe just a bit myopic in its assertion that instant compliance is either virtuous or possible. and Labels No Soliciting Wash your hands Do not enter No Smoking No Parking Cell Phone / Texting Fire extinguisher Payment Policies. Jeez. Based on what we do know Bad rule boss, uncommunicative employee both acted poorly and could have avoided such drama. Something, almost anything. Im not sure IT support is always much less should be that kind of job; not all IT support units are or should be front-line helpdesks. Makes me feel like I can hear my brain working. in fact i would say earbuds are a worse problem because it can be harder to see them so people will start talking to you and then you have to take them out and have the person repeat themselves (this used to happen to me a lot). I use headphones at work, because earbuds hurt my ears after a little while. If you dont trust them that much, maybe look in the mirror and ask yourself why not. Wearing headphones helps. This is a really important point! 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. At Blue Summit Supplies, our companys purpose-driven model and lean manufacturing methods have been carefully engineered to directly feed the extraordinary value were able to provide you, our customers. Wearing headphones at work is an often-tempting option for workers, and can indeed be useful to assist concentration. Lets assume the headphones are used to block distracting noise. In fact, I put an incredible amount of conscious work into cultivating my team members ability to exercise good judgment and make good decisions, and as a result theyve achieved some fantastic results so far this year that would have never happened if Id been the one dictating all the things. Thats why more and more employers are choosing to implement an open ears policy at work. I should also note that said AirPods were a Christmas gift to me, from my executives. Id also be documenting in an email how I hope the noise distraction doesnt cause an increase in mistakes (Because it almost certainly will) so the blame ends in the right place. The only reason I can see to ban headphones is if there is a safety issue. /\/\all this up here/\/\ Im not sure I see a significant difference. Just because someone is in it support or customer service, it doesnt mean always immediately immediately available, no exceptions. q(NF7^Mi>JR$C/}vfUOO)9Q o}N/iovF=.o$V
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^rjv,N>mqKjE5+:DBt1*e8u{sNzf6c[k9.\&]A! Are the interruptions valid or could it have been handled via email? Or employee could be a grown up and finish the shift without ear buds or head phones. 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. You have no idea what she is doing, and what she is going through, or how much of a dangerous situation she is in. And the 5 seconds to take off the headphones and switch their mental process to whatever the manager wants to talk abut IS responsive. -Neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD were developed based on boys, and that stereotype persists, even in the medical community. Earbuds can be really inconvenient for some people, and I agree with the people above pointing out that earbuds are barely noticeable and can thus cause more awkwardness as colleagues of cliente will sometimes keep on talking until they realise the other person is still not listening.
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