Music played through speakers

Question

I recently joined a software development company. I was warned in the interview that it was common to have music played through speakers in the office. I remembered the times in my old workplace, which seemed dull at times and music cheered everyone up, so I said "that's okay".

Then I read step #8 of the Joel Test ("do programmers have quiet working conditions?") and realized what a huge mistake that was. I crave arriving early just to enjoy a few moments of peace.

I don't mind when they play music that I like, but sometimes they play metal and it drives me crazy. I have to put on earphones and listen to my own music. Sometimes I complain (half jokingly, half on purpose) that the music... well, sucks. But they just laugh it off.

I also feel that this affects the normal work. People are on the phone sometimes and they literally have to ask whoever's playing music to lower it. I could never allow one of my clients hearing music on my end.

All of my colleagues are my age (25-ish) and they take turns to play music, although I see people with headphones sometimes.

How do I bring this up? It seems unlikely that they will stop playing music just because I ask for it, because I'm very new here. Also, I've complained to HR about other issues and got no response ("there are issues in the toilet...", "please fix my chair, my elbow is killing me...").

Answer 1

There's likely nothing to bring up here. It's a part of the (terrible) company culture and you were warned in advance. You have the following options:

• Buy noise-canceling headphones
• Accept the music as a condition of the job (i.e. let it go)
• Find a new job
• Try to change the culture

I guess the final option is what you're looking for but it's a long-shot. They mentioned that it was part of the culture and management almost certainly won't consider changing it. Standard arguments won't work because they obviously realise that this is non-standard, otherwise they wouldn't have mentioned it during the interview.

If your offices have multiple rooms you can try to get jpatokai's suggestion implemented but if you have a single open floor this is almost certainly something you'll have to live with.

Answer 2

You have recently joined, but you have already complained to HR 4 times, and are contemplating a 5th. I don't think it's a good idea to go down that track, you will just appear to be someone who is always complaining. You were warned and said it was fine.

Your best idea is to tough it out and deal with it however you want without complaining. Or find another job.

Answer 3

A startup I previously worked at fixed this problem by designating music rooms and quiet rooms. What's more, the music-friendly rooms were designated "Rammstein" (a famously loud German metal band) and "Non-Rammstein" to indicate the expected style of music! Of course, the complication here is that this may fragment teams based on music taste as opposed to what they're working on.

The other option, which seems to be pretty standard these days, is to ban public music outright and require people to use headphones. You're not going to make many friends with this approach though.

As for how to raise this, I would talk to your boss, not HR, and style this as a productivity issue: you can't concentrate, people can't collaborate, sales can't call customers, etc. It would be even better if you can find other people who share your point of view (is there anybody else wearing headphones?), and have a ready solution like the music room/quiet room approach.

HR ignoring your complaints about the toilet or your chair is really another question, but to check, are you sure HR is the right place to talk to about this kind of thing anyway? Usually HR is for people issues, and there's a separate facilities/maintenance department. And if you need a new chair, buying a replacement is probably within your boss's domain to authorize.