Wearing headphones at work: time for HR to step-in? Headphones over my hearing aids is the only thing I can do when I want to block out outside noises and concentrate. Furthermore, making a beeline to HR is overkill when the problem was at least partly due to your failure to communicate relevant information. Thats how you get angry, frustrated, disengaged team members. I call mine coworker-cancelling headphones. I think if the company knew they couldnt get back to them in a couple of days, which is the expected timeline for most people I think, then they could have let them know that there was a delay. Provide key information, such as when it is or isnt appropriate to wear headphones, whether it matters if people choose headphones or earbuds, and advice for how to best utilize headphones for deep, focused work. But then I realized this was probably not customers coming up with questions but colleagues dropping by with IT requests/questions in the middle of other, more headphone-appropriate work. 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. One is that youre frustrated because your employee seems to be spending time with the person youve arranged to make it easier for her not to spend time with. Yep, exactly. It may not need to be explicitly spelled out, but headphones for ANY usage is still not a perk. It is entirely possible to be productive in an office with noise around you and 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 wear over ear headphones at work all the time. Continue to the end of the post for our downloadable headphone policy checklist and a list of the best headphones for noisy offices. is it time to put my employee on a formal improvement plan? He rule her rules. Like wow, what other arbitrary bs rules are you going to start implementing cause ~you just dont like it~. The LW writing in about a direct report wearing headphones didnt articulate a reason for the rule, just a preference. Or just wait five seconds for them to take their headphones off. 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. Yes, you can say no headphones. Looking back, the random status update requests were the first sign that something was off, but I was new to the work world and assumed it was normal process, and so never asked him why he was doing it until one day he had me in his office and was threatening me with termination. And doubling down on what you said- people who come to IT peoples desks to interrupt them jump the queue-i was doing a business critical task for a VP yesterday that i had to stop to attend to someone who had an urgent luxury problem at my desk. Listening devices for personal use are not. Earbuds, headphones or naked ears, youll still need to make a visual cue to get my attention. Also, you couldnt have anything personal any where on your desk. These things take time and a lot of courage, usually multiple attempts. 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. But if were in the same common space, ugggggh I do not want to be the only one having to ask for someone elses time while they can just blurt out whatever/whenever at my naked ears. Lost password? Its gotten better but most of my IT needs are because my computer is in such bad shape that I cant even use the online ticket systemforcing me to see IT in person. As in, if Im having to walk across the office to talk to them anywaywho cares if I wait a microsecond? Headphones would seem to be perfectly appropriate for that role. I CANT wear earbuds, as I wear hearing aids instead, and even before I got the hearing aids wearing earbuds was horribly uncomfortable. Resist the urge to police anything regarding mandated leave and if you have an issue, thinking someone is abusing the law, you need to consult an employment law attorney, dont do this one on your own, thats an ugly landmine that will blow up in the tune of big fines and penalties for your company. Be thankful for the graces youve been given in life and dont attack those who are already down. Its what Ive okd for my team. I respond to any of those quickly. 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. Its entirely possible to say I think OP has unrealistic expectations for hiring timelines without calling them spoiled or entitled. Then a couple of months later surprised me with a six-month probation and an unacceptable mark on my performance. Not permitting me to listen to music at a low enough volume that I can have both pods in and still carry on conversation would be a petty dick move. I know this is weird, but my ears are oddly shaped, and earbuds are painful for me to wear. 10 Recent studies with gabapentin in feline species have shown that it is a safe and effective short-term . 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. Ioliq)7~#M7\A\y OP given the extreme behavior of the employee when you reminded them of your discussion (made a beeline to HR), what is their reaction to being interrupted? 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). It is entirely possible to be productive in an office with noise around you . For mind numbing jobs like that, you have to allow the comforts of a personal device or desk decor, etc. They would still have to take the earbuds out just like taking headphones off. i recently put a mirror up because my back is to the entrance of my desk and i use noise cancelling headphones. Even if they are perfectly normally shaped, if you have TMJ the ear buds will hurt. Does your concept of work not include the need to ever listen to sounds? The headphone thing seems a bit much and not something I would push if you want to keep otherwise good employees around. I work in a reasonable quiet environment consistently punctuated by loud men with booming voices who boom even louder when theyre excited or in a pack. It shows a lack of imagination on your part that you think no one would need any special accomodation to do their work. I just think earphones and headphones both pose this Oh I have to get their attention thing.). Right, it could be embarrassing digestive issues, or something that is unpleasant to describe or discuss but isnt even embarrassing at all. This was the OPs random choice and random time to spring a new rule into place. Agreed, I think that the LW is probably incorrect in their worry and that most managers wont ask for details. People are being forced into these awful open concept spaces, and coworkers are annoying; Someone is talking loud, some is eating, someones chair squeaks. Choose music that will increase your productivity, not hinder it. 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. People are different from each other and have different needs and abilities. 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. The point Im trying to make is that unless theres an accommodation, an employee doesnt need to use headphones to do their job. Would it be difficult for the employee to tell the boss about such a scenario? Give me a break. (X0NRscWcoRv!7x)(I+_RXNaEZ6bsHLDtbbDkWU"J+;GWv(@DLq&Y)4e-"wQrugl`}e/qPUo(CO,6[O}m*d7U,} XB[lu\ ]F8:,tl`Qkx2 they both present the same exact problem. The manager should have, from the get-go, explained why OP was being asked to do this. If Im being treated differently because of the shape of my ear canal, Im not really gonna see the person doing so as reasonable. Ive also had them then need to devote time to intense data entry and the noise of the phones someone else is picking up and the chatter in the office is very distracting, we dont have an office to move them to, so to make their lives easier, they use headphones for that kind of product. 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? I agree that it should have been explained to the employee, but it could be for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with discrimination. Makes me feel like I can hear my brain working. i use the bose ones and they work great! Louder noises and lyrics are distracting when you need to solve a problem, but moderate, How to Implement Headphones and Earbuds in the Workplace Policy, Best Noise-Canceling Headphones for Office Environments, Keep in mind that in an open office environment, noticeable headphones can be an asset. I havent worked in many places with ticket support systems but Id have assumed that the purpose of a ticket system was to remove the requirement for people to track down an IT member in person to place their request. Match the task to the music. Suffer in silence. $229. If I wasnt able to listen to music, Id be far more stressed than I already am. There is a reason I wear these spendy little devices, and its not because I just adore having a hunk of plastic wedged into each ear for most of my waking hours!).