U2's “A Beautiful Day” has been chosen as the most popular song to help Ireland’s workforce get ready for work with one in three (33%) selecting the 2000 chart topper as their go to song as they set themselves up for a day at work.
This is according to new research released today by LinkedIn, in partnership with Spotify, which was designed to lift the lid on the divisive nature of music at work.
The research shows that Ed Sheeran has been voted “Desktop of the Pops”; the most acceptable artist to play in the workplace (51%), beating Coldplay (42%) and U2 (26%) to the top spot while Dundalk trio, The Corrs are the fifth most popular (18%).
The study shows many workers think listening to music at work helps make them be better at their jobs. Almost three quarters of workers (78%) think music makes them more productive, while more than half (56%) of professionals who listen to music at work argue it keeps them motivated, helps them to keep calm (42%) and helps them be more creative (31%). Music in the workplace has other benefits too – 20% of workers admit to playing music to drown out the sound of their fellow colleagues.
The study also found that music tastes can be divisive and potentially harmful to an employee’s professional brand if polarised opinions aren’t carefully navigated. Of those surveyed, 6% admitted to judging their colleagues by their taste in music and more than one in five (22%) said that they think it’s rude when people impose their music on others without checking with their colleagues first. And while a third (34%) try to be considerate in their music selection, 7% are reluctant to ask their fellow colleagues to turn their music off or down – even if it’s bothering them.
Most likely to cause a workplace tempo tantrum is rapper Eminem, who was voted the least acceptable artist to have on at work (35%). Irish artists that featured in the top 10 of least acceptable to play in the workplace included Thin Lizzy at no.5 (11%), Westlife at no.6 (9%), Nathan Carter at no. 7 (9%) and U2 at No.9 (8%).
Pop music is employees’ workplace go-to, with more than half of workers (57%) selecting it as their genre of choice, but there are some surprising tastes across different industries in Ireland. LinkedIn data identified classical music as the most popular choice for those working in education (49%), while electronic/dance is the most popular choice for marketing professionals (42%) and those on the frontline of consumer demand working in retail are most likely to select pop (66%) for their playlists.
LinkedIn's Senior Director of HR in EMEA Picture, Wendy Murphy said, "We've partnered with Spotify to find out what Ireland really thinks about music being played at work. Ultimately, how we behave in the workplace plays a huge role in developing our professional brand so it’s important to remember what you want to communicate about yourself to others, whether that’s online or offline."
She added, "Listening to music can have positive effects on productivity, creativity and motivation levels – just make sure you’ve been considerate and consulted your colleagues before blasting Eminem on a Monday morning!"
Source: www.businessworld.ie
