Pursuits
How Music at the Office Affects Your Work Life
Listening to music at the office is the new norm. Here’s how all that noise affects your work life
This article is for subscribers only.
The wistful, synth-laden pop tune Wildest Moments is coming through tiny, dime-size earbuds—well, technically just one bud because the right side’s wires have frayed—as I return e-mails, set up interviews, and file my expense reports. One desk over, a co-worker is listening to Rob Zombie.
Music is a ubiquitous accessory in nearly every office and across all careers, from a documentarian friend who’s been writing scripts to the same Counting Crows album for over 15 years to a gallery curator who told me she likes to appraise artwork while listening to Gregorian chants. It wasn’t always like this.