can we talk about GOOD companies for a change? and Labels No Soliciting Wash your hands Do not enter No Smoking No Parking Cell Phone / Texting Fire extinguisher Payment Policies. Educate yourself and activate your decency. Yep, exactly. It would be one thing if listening to something to focus was banned for everyone, but only for people who cant use earbuds? You could passive-aggressively enhance that assumption by unconsciously touching your knee/back/shoulder while saying that you need physical therapy. Getting an Earful: Using Earbuds, Headphones, and AirPods at Work Headphones would seem to be perfectly appropriate for that role. 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. This article has been updated from its original publication date of August 25, 2017. If I were one her employees Id be pretty irritated too. If I had to switch to earbuds, then the switch would have to wait until the company supplied me with the equipment they wanted me to use (and equipment that didnt actively pain me to use). There is no company rule about it. It seems to me that earphones would be quicker to take off because you just grab the band and pull it backwards down to your neck vs. pulling out two separate earbuds. 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. $229. 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. Its not about adult vs. not adult. Yes, its unnecessarily rigid to expect instant compliance with something that isnt a safety or legal compliance issue. Some employers think that wearing headphones at work is unprofessional. This is a fantastic phrase, and you seem like a great boss. Which would you rather have someone not wearing headphones and not working as hard due to distractions or anxiety or would you rather get the job done? This is not intended as legal advice; for more information, please click here. For the use of headphones to not automatically make them subject to inquiries about what exactly is wrong with them to be allowed headphones when no one else isor have your manager try to prevent you from wearing them just because of the optics (and this applies to oh so many accommodations that look like benefits)its a terrible thing to deal with at work. Yes exactly. Its up to you. I recently took a different position and their existing policy is that 0 employees are allowed to listen to music on headphones. I would honestly have just done as the boss asked in the moment; but Id be looking for a new job with a leader who wasnt subject to random whims. I simply expected managers to have common sense (they did) and to know that noise + high level of accuracy for detailed tasks = disaster even for nuerotypical people. This Employee Cell Phone Policy is ready to be tailored to your company's needs and should beconsidered a starting point for setting up your employment policies. Technically Ive been wearing headphones at work a lot lately but Im not playing anything on them. Keep in mind that in an open office environment, noticeable headphones can be an asset. Ick. If theyre doing other work that also requires focus, this is just a doubly bizarre request. Even if they are perfectly normally shaped, if you have TMJ the ear buds will hurt. Customer support roles could involve sourcing documentation from phone, fax, chat and email and channels. Off with them!. Youve said youre not talking about disabilities that would require accommodation but theres a whole range between not disabled at all and completely disabled. I still have to adjust it when someone comes in to chat. Open-mouth lip-smacking gum-chewing in the lab where we work with E. coli bacteria and toxic-ass chemicals. At least in my field, that timeline is not weird. Yep. My advice would be to have a meeting with the manager and one of HR or her one-over-one, and include the magic words, Im the only person in my department being required to do this. Differential treatment is discrimination. Helpdesk techs. So, if the whiner person came to you subsequently and asked whyd you promote Bob over me would you literally say to them because you whined and made trouble for me with HR? Would you put that in writing or say it in front of witnesses? I would not have thought oh hey my manager wants me to switch over to earbuds that must take effect right this second and not tomorrow after Ive had a chance to buy a pair of earbuds.. That is why AAM states frequently about choosing your battles as an employee when expending capital. support. But the defiance! Regarding safety issues: Obviously, headphones and heavy machinery don't go well together, but over-the-ears hearing protection exists. theres a brief waiting period for the employee to remove the headphones and acknowledge the person. You dont know whats up. In many situations, companies have been found liable for employees who were making business-related phone calls or text messages while behind the wheel. A written electronic device policy for employees protects you, the worker, as well as your employer and eliminates any confusion about what is acceptable in the work place. It was the manager asking the employee why they werent complying with the rule that they had just spoken about. 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. In my experience, when Ive notified my manager I have PT, no further questions are asked. But I think a communication protocol would be better than an outright ban. If you do have a problem beyond just your personal preference surface that problem to your team members and collaborate with them to come up with a solution that works for everyone. My dad wore the behind the ear type of hearing aids. And if said employee ran to HR rather than discuss the situation with me, I would also (again) wonder why. I respond to any of those quickly. 1) Have you put them into a noisy open environement but they still need to focus? Theyre adults for goodness sake, treat them that way. Maybe, depends on the tone they used when they corrected me. I torn ligaments bowling. Since when do headphones = not an adult? 10 minutes after this meeting, I saw this employee with the headphones on in complete disregard. I find them necessary for sanity around here. You might think no one will notice one earbud in, but since you shouldnt be listening to anything during a meeting anyway, its best not to wear them at all. how do I avoid mom energy with my younger employees? A heads-up on Slack that theyre dropping by in a few to touch base about XYZ? Banning headphones is kind of a weird rule that comes across really micromanagey. It also signifies a generational desire to avoid anything communal and have everything in their world exactly as they would curate it. Its just basically never a good idea to assume that someone owes you their immediate attention. Follow our office supplies blog for the latest office trends, team building strategies, product comparisons, and more. Yeah, but Im pretty sure my boss just hates headphones. Say my name. Only 7 percent of employers responding to a 2006 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management said they had a policy addressing the use of iPods and similar devices at work. 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 hold my breath for two weeks. Sometimes, MommyMD, you genuinely have valuable insight, but you often deliver it so unpleasantly. Earbuds are incredibly uncomfortable for me because I have an ear canal deformity which makes it almost impossible to find comfortable earbuds. A simple Whats the best/fastest way to get your attention? could have gone a long way. *I know I used the word boom a lot, I just cant think of any other word. Managing music volume at work: Implement a personal listening device policy Team: W! There are plenty of ways to show that youre friendly and approachable while wearing giant earmuff headphones and there are plenty of ways to be standoffish without any sound equipment at all! Other questions Im answering there today include: Yeah, this headphone rule seems sorta crazy. Noise-cancelling headphones are a reasonable accommodation for many issues; such as anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, others. Or just wait five seconds for them to take their headphones off. I suspect that if you say oh, just some boring stuff, everythings fine, no one will guess its about your Lady Business. They look like headphones (albeit smaller) but they also leave your entire ear open to view. Or even things that are less life-and-death, like a receptionist or the host at a restaurant. Its rude to wear headphones when other people are talking to you. Also, you couldnt have anything personal any where on your desk. Where I currently work I was formerly at the front desk and was the main phone customer service rep. It was a manager instituting a rule for their group that is within their purview. The Etymotic ones, for example. Ear Bud Policy. Its against the grain in our office culture (academia). The OP needs to accept she cant change her co-workers behavior and like Alison suggested, limit her effort to focusing on remedies to address what is actually impacting her. It is an ableist mindset. I call mine coworker-cancelling headphones. And yes, I am at Work and were all Adults At Work, and something Adults At Work get to decide is if their earbuds/headphones are crippling enough to not use them At Work. no headphones found in: No Headphones Or Earbuds Allowed Sign NHE-50494, Portrait No Headphones Or Earbuds Allowed Sign NHEP-50494, No Headphones Or.. . Were in an extremely loud open office, and my back faces a busy thoroughfare leading to one of the few meeting rooms on our floor. Im just using it to muffle the ongoing office chatter. This letter touched a nerve for me because I am having a similar battle with one of my managers. Ioliq)7~#M7\A\y Allowing things that can be accommodations for some / perks for others when possible can be a really important way to be a more genuinely inclusive workplace. I would take that as a power play by the employee and would consider that going forward with any issues going forward. Im just pointing out that the employees behavior was highly unlikely to be linked to an accommodation considering the conversation leading up to the employee going to HR, and this doesnt at all read to me like a legit reason to go to HR. Are you happy with them? Even if Im not wearing earbuds, I might be reading something or in a state of deep focus while writing/thinking and it takes me a few seconds to transition out of that state anyways. 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. The manager should have been clear, but maybe they were and we arent hearing both sides. At this point, I told him this was my rule and he then made a beeline to HR. www.ehstoday.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. And in any case, banning one or the other seems like overkill unless youre in a front-facing position that requires you to be immediately responsive to people. I have a bit of tinnitus (ear ringing) and earbuds tend to make it far worse than headphones. They help others see that youre busy and prevent communication confusion. Going to the desk of one of the support staff was a way users would try to jump the ticket queue and get their issue taken care of immediately. Alison is likely right that the blanket headphone ban isnt the best solution to whatever the root problem is, if there really is a problem beyond the OPs perception. Thats really bad policy for an IT department. I think that the breezy, not too serious just something I need to get taken care of is vague enough and shouldnt prompt further questions, and also shouldnt prompt the manager to think ah, female issues immediately, which is something it seems the Letter Writer is trying to avoid. (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). It is earphones this time, maybe next employee doesnt like his hours or his work. While you are at work and you work for someone (unless I am addressing a business owner). The ones that seal in your ear mean you cant hear much at all. Im not doing surgery, Im looking to help. . Nobody should be trying to get IT supports attention in person so frequently. And then running to HR? There are tons of noise-cancelling earbuds, though. Different people work, and indeed concentrate, differently. My theory is that I can still listen to music/podcasts which help me tune out background noise, but let me hear enough that Im aware when the phone rings or someone calls my name. That's my bit. 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. Bill to combat youth fentanyl crisis to be introduced after multiple teens overdose in a Texas school district. I have a physical therapy appointment X day in the morning for the next 8 weeks.. Ensure you arent listening to anything so loudly that you arent able to hear emergency alarms. Employees shouldnt have morally charged, pejorative terms lobbed at them over Headphonegate. I cant see how headphones would interfere with the ability to read an email or a ticket notification, or prevent people from sending them over through the system. Employees do better when not treated like children. To remove a Bluetooth pairing on a Mac, select System Preferences > Bluetooth > your headphones' name > X > Remove. My boss is really close to banning all listening devices so Im trying to get everyone to stick to my original rule. A good example: texting and driving. Frankly many of the at-home exercises are the same as what I used to do for my lower back. ?QP-KrPP8[0_s!-Jn3XJzRUw>"^Zb,m2[zU"*XE^d(\(/E^D~XE)2,W-VGc_h[UA&,Hdi[RdV6\ I would have probably pushed back and went to HR too at that point, since there wasnt enough give and take for this random rule that was being imposed on them, despite having had no issue until one day being pulled into an office and told to stop. TWO WEEKS? I try to be responsive so I take my headphones off if it even seems like someone is coming to speak to me. 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. : Small pet peeveAK is Alaska, not Arkansas. And anyone who presses for specifics after the phrases Alison suggested is either completely clueless of social norms, or totally lacking in boundaries. You are at work you should be working not sitting in a cone of silence, listening to music or podcasts unless you have a medical condition that gives you a reason to wear them. Oh, I agree, I was just noting how they come off to some people. Its like, if Im wearing blue jeans right now and if my boss pulled me into their office right this minute telling me that the new rule was to wear red pants, I would not assume it has to happen ASAP, because I dont have red pants. 2023 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls is May 1-5, Pinch Point Tips: How to Identify Pinch Points and Protect Workers from Injury, The Risk of Chemical Burns in the Workplace, What Every Business Should Know About Braille Signs, April is Distracted Driving Month These Resources Will Help Protect Your Employees and Your Business, ComplianceSigns, LLC, 2005-2023. 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. Otherwise I agree with Alison. I am new here. If the idea of someone not being able to hear you come up unnerves you, are you just planning on never hiring Dead/HoH employees? Please interrupt for emergencies only., How to Manage Office Scents for Employees Sensitive to Smell. Referring to them as a perk would be like calling wearing a belt or a ring a perk. Oddly enough, I prefer earbuds (only certain types, though) comfortable and headphones uncomfortable. I dont see how this is rude in a workspace. I almost lost my job over this. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to write a policy for mobile phones in the workplace: 1. It just wasnt one he agreed with. As far as I can tell, my job has a ticketing system but for a lot of issues ( such as password resets) , Im supposed to call the helpdesk, they solve the problem and almost simultaneously create and close the ticket. Its absolutely the most counterproductive thing, and is non-negotiable in any way to our supervisor who will get visibly upset if you bring it up. If possible, choose headphones over earbuds so your coworkers can clearly see that youre wearing headphones. If you have evidence that they cant hear people, you could impose a one-ear-0nly rule. As you mentioned, if youre concerned about interrupting, thats a discussion to have. Headphones prohibited in industrial shop environments Also also, she got annoyed because she saw one of the offenders wearing headphones ten minutes later? I think the difference between headphones and earbuds is silly too. I CANT wear earbuds, as I wear hearing aids instead, and even before I got the hearing aids wearing earbuds was horribly uncomfortable. It was mind numbingly boring and the day went so slow. She is. Forget the headphones, I want to know what the expectations are if the employee is working on support issues A, B, and C and someone approaches them about support issue D. Are they expected to drop A, B, and C and start working on D? 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.
