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Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

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Re: Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

#11

Post by danso »

This sounds like a very bad workplace. Not just in terms of perks, but in management style. Only talk about work while at work? Mmmm....OK, there's always lunch time. No "discussion on same thing again because boss thinks it's waste of time"...either you're exaggerating or your boss sounds like a deluded-YOLO-Steve-Jobs-wannabe. And the ban on headphones seems like a move out of insecurity, as if your boss can't trust you to stay focused on your job unless he has the uninterrupted ability to get your attention at all times during the day.

And getting yelled at over some bugs? If you have a choice, move out, ASAP.

Re: Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

#12

Post by jeffjose »

How someone gets their work done shouldnt be a concern for your boss, as long as you did it yourself within the reasonable amount of time. Asking you to not listen to music, just because, sounds unfair and ill-advised.

Sounds like you're new to working, so dont make any opinions about work culture from this. Workplaces are much much nicer than what you're experiencing right now.

Re: Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

#13

Post by firegrind »

One office I worked in had a 2 kW sound system and sound proofing. Happy days !

Currently, the open plan office I work in makes headphones a necessity - for focussed isolation and for calls.

So you're lacking basic amenities, your colleagues are antisocial, blame and aggression take the place of thorough testing.

Sounds to me like the office isn't good.

Re: Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

#14

Post by cphuntington97 »

Tip of the iceberg. Leave ASAP.

My coworker (a salaried employee) was working on the weekend as a courtesy to my boss (small business). She saw him wearing headphones and told him to take them off immediately and that they weren't allowed.

He never came in on the weekend again.

Rules like 'no headphones' are the signal that the boss is suffering from pathological behavior. This is a very unhealthy environment for the employees. Leave immediately.

Re: Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

#15

Post by scient »

panjaro wrote: post #9
zeeed wrote: post #3

it would sound like as if there could be office environments for you where you would feel better. are you coding? how long have you been in this (or a similar) position? I would start to ask myself what I'm getting from the job (besides the money) and why I joined in the first place. maybe make a weighed pro's and con's list and see how I score. does that help?

Yeah, I do coding. I think the same. Nothing except money. The code base is old and I'm advised to follow the same coding pattern, copy paste and make changes. No new looking or different code allowed even if it is new and great technique. Boss doesn't want to learn and manage it if I'm gone. The man is fine during lunch, nice talk but once we get into office, it's pin drop silence. I once asked what should I do toda…

You should be handing in your two weeks notice right now. This place sounds like an awful company to work at, and the boss sounds like a complete idiot. Seriously, quit right now.

Re: Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

#16

Post by panjaro »

allengeorge wrote: post #6
LukeB_UK wrote: post #5

That sounds like a toxic environment and my advice would be to move on.

I'd second this advice. Also, did you notice any warning signs during your initial interview? If not, you should consider incorporating some questions that'll feel out the office culture.

No, there weren't any warning signs. Interview went well. The bloke seemed reasonable.

Re: Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

#19

Post by joezydeco »

Okay, so no headphones. How about playing some music in the open? I've worked in small workshops were we all built a playlist and everyone put in their favorite stuff so the music would rotate. Doesn't have to blast, keep it low so it doesn't bother anyone outside your immediate area.

Re: Are you allowed to listen to music at work (with headphones)?

#20

Post by psmech »

panjaro wrote: post #9
zeeed wrote: post #3

it would sound like as if there could be office environments for you where you would feel better. are you coding? how long have you been in this (or a similar) position? I would start to ask myself what I'm getting from the job (besides the money) and why I joined in the first place. maybe make a weighed pro's and con's list and see how I score. does that help?

Yeah, I do coding. I think the same. Nothing except money. The code base is old and I'm advised to follow the same coding pattern, copy paste and make changes. No new looking or different code allowed even if it is new and great technique. Boss doesn't want to learn and manage it if I'm gone. The man is fine during lunch, nice talk but once we get into office, it's pin drop silence. I once asked what should I do toda…

It seems like a very bad place to work in. If you're coder, you can surely find something better. Your boss should be left with no workers so that he can learn it's not the way to run business. This is not even micromanagement. Just take away the pay and it's pure slavery.

What I'm used to is unlimited holidays, time to work on own projects, as many breaks and as long as I need. But this is standard way to treat coders in Dublin (Ireland). Listening to music? Please, we're even given headphones if we want. I hope your company is just the odd one out. Just move asap.

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