You’re very likely listening to music right now as you work. Yet is it to the benefit or detriment of your productivity?
It’s very common to listen to music while you work, and in most situations it’s actively encouraged. Almost two-thirds (65pc) of business owners have found that music makes their employees more productive and 40pc believe that playing music actually increases sales.
Not to mention that, as per these business owners, it makes staff happier – 77pc said sticking on tunes improved morale.
“If you pick the right music, it can make your working environment so much better,” explained Barney Hopper of PRS for Music. “I can’t imagine a day without listening to the music, and work would be a drag without the radio on in the background.”
Intuitively, you’d probably be inclined to agree. Music can liven up even the dullest activities, of which there are inevitably some, regardless of what line of work you’re in. In fact, 90pc of workers are more productive while listening to music and 88pc of workers produce more accurate work while listening to music.
Yet are there times you should switch the tunes off? Are certain genres better than others? The answer is yes, according to this infographic compiled by WebFX.
All music seems to lead to an uptick in productivity, but some music creates better results than others depending on the type of task you’re tackling. Dance music improves proofreading speed by 20pc, so it is ideal for when you’re looking over reports or double-checking important emails. If you’re tasked with data entry, turning on something ambient could improve your accuracy by up to 92pc. Classical music can improve accuracy by 12pc while pop music can reduce mistakes by 14pc.
For more tips on why your headphones could be your best friend productivity-wise at work, check out the infographic below.
Infographic: WebFX
Want stories like this and more direct to your inbox? Sign up for Tech Trends, Silicon Republic’s weekly digest of need-to-know tech news.
