Being trialled at our place. Radio 2 will be on in the background for a week.
Driving me bonkers!
Do I speak up and make myself look like the miserable bastard that I am, or put up with it?
Speak up.
Speak up.
This also has an added advantage….
https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/work/headphones-means-fk-off-20180725175642
So the situation is that the people who used to listen to the radio on headphones now have it out loud, and those that didn't now have headphones on the drown it out.
In my office it’s the local radio station or radio 2 if we have the radio on as that’s about all the crappy thing can get clearly. Then people are in teams calls talking away and as I suffer with adhd and find it hard to concentrate at the best of times I find the best solution is some Bose noise cancelling headphones and to retreat into my own little world.
Ask them if they've got / paid for the PPL-PRS licence, that might put a stop to the trial 😀
In my office it’s the local radio station or radio 2 if we have the radio on as that’s about all the crappy thing can get clearly
Do you work in 1996?
Being trialled at our place. Radio 2 will be on in the background for a week.
Driving me bonkers!
Posted Monday 8.17am - you really didn't give it a go did you 🤣
Everyone refuse to buy a new radio and as I pretty much hate commercial radio with all the bullshit waffle I rather stick to my own music.
R2 was the default station in the workshop I used to work in after I graduated. I used to really like it when it was Wogan in the morning and Johnnie Walker in the evening. It seems to be a very different thing these days though - I mean Sara ****ing Cox?!?! You'd think they'd have learned when she broke Radio1.
Posted Monday 8.17am - you really didn't give it a go did you
To be fair if you were subjected to Scott Mills first thing on a Monday you'd be peeved off too! 😜
Greg James is a far better option.
The trial started last Friday, so I'm already 8 hours in.
I would strongly object. Even at the age of 16 when I was working in the school holidays assembling carpet sample books I surreptitiously disconnected the speaker above my work station.
Put a request in for a different station - Radio 4 Extra is ok for background noise...
I'm in the 'I need the radio on' to work camp - it's on all day.
I am struggling for a decent afternoon DJ though. They are all devoid of character - really miss Shaun Keaveny.
sounds like a good case to Work from Home.
if they want to listen to something, they should be the ones getting headphones.
When I worked at the sorting office the radio had a strict rota for changing stations every few hours. At least everyone was equally pissed off
Everyone refuse to buy a new radio and as I pretty much hate commercial radio with all the bullshit waffle I rather stick to my own music
I presume the radio is next to the fax machine?
You better hope and pray that nobody in the office finds out about the internet and the whole world of horrors awaiting there to be streamed
For example… did you know there are stations that play nothing but Christmas music all day, every day?
I know this as the women in the office had it on last week, before threats were soon issued for what would happen if it wasn’t immediately turned off (radio/sledgehammer interface)
I thnk I've mentioned before, in my last place I became The Enemy. The helpdesk were moved into the same office as us and were used to having the radio on all day. I can't stand the radio. Had it turned off. You could feel the hatred directed across the office, every day. Best times! I hate people.
I’d object. Can’t abide R2. However I do work with the dulcet tones of Georgia Mann in the morning on R3. Longer pieces, less talk makes working much easier.
I also hate people, which is why I work from home as much as I can and, when I am obliged to visit the office, I take noise cancelling headphones with me. I can put them on, load up Spotify with 90's/00' hard house, techno and trance and focus on what is important.
Workplace radio is terrible, whatever you choose you'll be sick of it after a day or so. You need to change the station frequently.
Heart 90's is usually the default at my place, that's what it always gets sneaked back onto if anything else is tried for a while. Or Heart 80's. Or Heart. Heart dance would be better, but our radio doesn't get that.
No BBC stations last long because "there's too much talking." Yet the lengthy commercial breaks and the same adverts over and over again are perfectly fine.
Why anyone wants to listen to the likes of Eagle Eye Cherry, 4 non blondes, the goo goo dolls and Top loader on repeat is beyond me. It's music for people who aren't actually interested in music.
6music is sometimes left on after a night shift and god forbid it's on for a little while in the day before someone notices. There'll be much moaning about how bloody awful it is (not always unwarranted to be fair) but then it gets switched over to heart, we hear 5 minutes of adverts then return of the mack comes on. Again. And no one bats an eye lids. It's all very odd.
Oh and whamageddon happened on Thursday last week.
I'd object sooner rather than later. I just can't do radio now, between the adverts, inane banter and whining phoneins it's hideous.
If it must be on, suggest everyone gets a slot to connect to it.
You can then use yours to stream Alex Jones podcasts for the communal delight.
Back in the day (I was 19!) in my first job they used to have Radio 1 on all day. I never would've complained cos my colleagues were all scary women (doing microfilming, oh yes). I heard Gary Davies do a competition, must've been niche cos I thought I'll enter that and sent off my postcard (would've cost me a stamp too, but they were probably about 20p). I won a Radio 1 goody bag 🤣 Seriously, the only thing I remember being in that goody bag was a sponge with Radio 1 logo on it. One of those compressed sponges that expanded when you put it in water. Happy days!
I'm listening on headphones to a David Olusoga podcast about pirates now. It is distracting, but not as distracting as the radio and I'm less likely to go off on one.
Trial is only on for a week. Hopefully we'll be asked for our views on it when it is over.
What a bloody miserable lot you are. If having a bit of background radio on, even Radio 2, is that offensive to you, I feel sorry for your colleagues who have to put up with working with you!
It also depends on what you're doing doesn't it? I find typing "important" documents or emails almost impossible with music on. It's too distracting. If its routine type tasks then the radio would be OK as long as its not on loud.
I can imagine though that if you had any levels of autistic type tendencies it would be a bloody nightmare. Headphones were invented for exactly this scenario. If you want to listen to music you should be the one plugging in.
What a bloody miserable lot you are. If having a bit of background radio on, even Radio 2, is that offensive to you, I feel sorry for your colleagues who have to put up with working with you!
Well it's not offensive, just an unnecessary distraction for some people. Equally why do people need a radio in an office? Because it's about personality type and there isn't only one. Who gets to decide the radio station, can I have Kerrang FM?
Maybe I like music/radio but I don't want to listen to what others want to listen to, for quite a lot of people concentration is difficult with distracting noise which makes concentrating more tiring. Offices can be one of the least productive places to work w/o a radio on all day adding to the distractions.
Enforcing music or constant noise on people is a way of saying some people's preferences don't count or they aren't welcome.
If you want to listen to music you should be the one plugging in.
100% this.
6 Music for routine tasks. Spotify when there is a need to concentrate.
Way back when I was a youngster. I worked in QA for United Distillers in Elgin. One of the boys whistles "qué sera sera, whatever will be will be" only that bit and on a loop for 8 hours a day.
Thank god it was only a 6 month placement.
Had Radio 1 on since i started in the workplace 31 years ago at 17. I cannot abide commercial radio stations and adverts, And i swear capital do something with the audio and it sounds horrible...
I also believe it's important to listen to modern music or you lose touch, and therefore start disliking all modern music. So that's what's on in the office...
when i'm getting involved and put headphones on i usually switch over to my own personal music...
I couldn't stand listening to talking stuff or older or easy listening kind of stuff all day long
6 Music for routine tasks. Spotify when there is a need to concentrate.
Agreed - 6Music can see me through til about 1pm if Lauren Laverne doesn't start going hardcore electronica/ pigs x6 at midday. After that it's listen again from the Rock show, Funk n Soul Show, Rodigan, or library stuff
sounds like i should give some 6 music shows a listen.. mary ann hobbs, lauren laverne.. interesting sounding shows.. plus more out there stuff.. also didsnt know nick grimshaw was on there.. neither a plus or minus, but makes me laugh
Hahaha a tale as old as time
6Music would be my background radio station of choice, but I think they have a "at least one of the daytime DJs has to be a bit crap" rule, which is why they kept Mary Ann Hobbs when they ditched Sean Keaveney, and they now have Craig Charles now MAH has gone to Sunday evenings. And Chris Hawkins fills in when necessary.
If they have a radio blarting away all day they clearly don't want you to collaborate with your peers so you should work from home.
Obviously your company has a PRS and PPL licence. Big fine if you don't, best turn that shite off.
I’d object. Can’t abide R2. However I do work with the dulcet tones of Georgia Mann in the morning on R3. Longer pieces, less talk makes working much easier.
An excellent choice. Since I retired R3 has gone on first thing for the lovely Ms Mann and stays on until Choral Evensong starts.
Obviously your company has a PRS and PPL licence. Big fine if you don't, best turn that shite off
Yes an innocent question along those lines might end the trial quickly and appear like a caring employee vs a miserable bastard.
I now work in a place where I am subjected to either Radio 2, Heart 90s/80s and Absolute Radio.
All of them are f***""g dreadful.
I just cannot understand why people are so unadventurous and want to listen to the same few 'safe' bands that were on the radio 30 odd years ago.
At least Radio 2 doesn't have adverts. Folk have got to be brain dead if they don't notice and get wound up by the repetitive, awful, vacuous adverts that gently gnaw away at your intelligence. I will never understand it Never. 😂
Unfortunately I can't really get away with wearing headphones.
I'd speak up OP, but at least it's not commercial radio. You can at least be glad of that.
Our office has also started playing music and I cannot stand it. I'm not the only person either, it has really divided opinion. I suggest you mention it, even if you're seen as a misery, then at least it's noted that not everyone likes it.
If people want music, then they should wear headphones. There seems to be a bit of a new cultural thing of having to put up with other peoples noise, because people are too cool to wear headphones.
I just cannot understand why people are so unadventurous and want to listen to the same few 'safe' bands that were on the radio 30 odd years ago.
Because they're not 'into' music, they just like the songs they like, maybe from an era that has fond memories for them? What's wrong with that?
{Goes off to write 'music snobs' in the Things That Make You Disproportionately Cross thread...}
Radio 2 is purpose-designed as uncontroversial safe-choice workplace listening, isn't it?
Used to listen to it on job sites with my dad back in the 1990s and it seems to have the same brief now, but for millennial and gen x listeners.
Quite nice when you're painting walls or lugging bags of plaster around, but I struggle to do writing/editing/planning (most of my work) with the radio on.
I used to work in an office that intermittently had the radio on, or a CD that someone had brought in from home, at any time if you ever left the office and came back to any kind of music it was absolutely mandatory to shout 'WHO PUT THIS S@#T ON!?' at the top of your voice when returning through the door
I don't understand 'background music'. If I want to listen to music, I listen to music. Not listen to music and work at the same time. Likewise, if I'm working, that's what I do.
Anyway, don't care now 'cos I'm retired.
Background music for work has to be a sweet spot between something slightly stimulating but also very familiar so as not to take your thoughts away to the subject of the song.
Thus, I listen to house or lofi when working. And something new and interesting when I am pretending to be working
Wouldn't be an issue if it was Classic FM. 😉
Radio 2 is purpose-designed as uncontroversial safe-choice workplace listening, isn't it?
Sort of piped music my dentist always has on. Problem is, he always finds it difficult to check my occlusals when I'm grinding my teeth.
{Goes off to write 'music snobs' in the Things That Make You Disproportionately Cross thread...}
Goes off to write 'people who don't care about music' in the Things That Make You Disproportionately Cross thread... 😛
Because they're not 'into' music, they just like the songs they like, maybe from an era that has fond memories for them? What's wrong with that?
Nothing 'wrong ' with it. It's just quite difficult to live with day in day out for those of us who are not like that.
NME1 has annoying ads but a good variety of music.
I don't understand 'background music'. If I want to listen to music, I listen to music. Not listen to music and work at the same time. Likewise, if I'm working, that's what I do.
This. And if I wanted to listen to music while I was working, it would be music that I chose, not what was decided for me by the manager or some group of employees.
Anyway, don't care now 'cos I'm retired.
Likewise. Thank god.
I can't imagine it. I've never worked in any office anywhere which had music (or heard it in other offices that I've visited). Wouldn't want it, not conducive to any work environment I've been exposed to.
Do I speak up and make myself look like the miserable bastard that I am, or put up with it?
Speak up - but do it by phoning in to Jeremy Vine and moaning to him about it.
Every day
I can't imagine it. I've never worked in any office anywhere which had music (or heard it in other offices that I've visited). Wouldn't want it, not conducive to any work environment I've been exposed to.
You’ve never worked in a graphic design studio then?
We’re required by law to have 6 music on all day, while compiling Apple Music playlists of the really obscure stuff, otherwise we get struck off
A bit of Algerian hip hop or Belgium techno, mid-morning, helps with the creativity, maaan. 😃
while compiling Apple Music playlists of the really obscure stuff, otherwise we get struck off
Sounds a lot like a STW “music recommendation” thread.
Do you work in 1996?
Takes me back to switching over to Mark and Lard in the afternoon whenever the gatekeepers of sonic beige had their backs turned. It usually lasted until Fat Harry White started up and one of the old girls went scarlet.
I ****ing hate the radio too. Last work place had it on. Geezer who controlled it thought he was giving us a right treat by asking if we wanted capital, heart, km, or kisstory, the ****. I got noise cancelling earbuds. **** that shit.
Actually that's s bit unfair 😄 they didn't play it loud so I didn't need to play my music loud enough to hurt my ears to drown it out. They knew I hatred it, i made that clear.
I think this sums up how the radio makes me feel:
Who needs thermostat wars... Open a bigger better war on a second front with radio stations!
Oh god… don’t get me started on thermostats. I work in an office with another couple of blokes and 30 women. It’s like an oven most of the time. an oven with Heart FM on.
No BBC stations last long because "there's too much talking." Yet the lengthy commercial breaks and the same adverts over and over again are perfectly fine.
Yeah, funny how that works; people even moan about 6Music and the chatter between songs! I often find that ‘chatter’ actually informative, as it’s usually from intelligent people.
My direct response to the OP’s comment would be, yes, I’m fine with it, with the proviso that I wear headphones or in-ear monitors all day. No headphones, no radio.
Yeah, funny how that works; people even moan about 6Music and the chatter between songs! I often find that ‘chatter’ actually informative, as it’s usually from intelligent people.
Yeah, I used to love being able to listen to that when self employed. So many interesting interviews with interesting people, opening up more and more music and wonderful things in life to explore.
Now? F*****g McDonalds whistle, and 'Darling hold my hand!' Jet2 brain frying shit every half an hour.
Hey, but I don't let it affect me 😂
It's not about being a music snob. I've been working at the hospital since 1996. In those days I was in the laundry and the local station was on, all day every day. The playlists of the likes of heart and absolute have hardly changed. It's the same songs, day in day out.
Even some of the adverts are the same if we ever get a local station on now.....
The Fleetwood car centre.... The fylde coasts number one.
Don't stop me now by queen... It's a classic isn't it, it's a great song. I don't ever need to hear it ever again. I've had my fair share of it.
As I mentioned up there.... Return of the Mack! I mean who the bloody hell likes that. I guarantee I will hear that today. If not that, I'll definitely hear breakfast at Tiffany's. Depends whether it's day A playlist or day B. Because there's only 2 days worth of songs. In the entire history of music. Boiled down to 2 days worth.
The Fleetwood car centre.... The fylde coasts number one.
The playlists of the likes of heart and absolute have hardly changed. It's the same songs, day in day out.
It absolutely mystifies me why anyone wants it.
Heart FM is basically like being stuck in an eternal wedding disco. Absolute 80’’s? How many times does anyone need to hear Gold by Spandau Ballet? XFM is the same, just for people who are into dreary pub rock. Oh, it’s Kasabian again for the third time in 2 hours. Let me guess… Stereophonics up next?
I don’t want you to have a bad day but……………Christmas song hell awaits you.
I gone and turned it down. This will probably make me the office villain for a day or two, but I couldn't deal with another day of it.
The "fun department" will have a moan, but sod 'em.
I think you're a karateka, from previous posts? Gedan borai, as you saunter past, sending it out of an open window?
The "fun department" will have a moan, but sod 'em.
Don't worry about it,they are too busy getting excited about their M&S Xmas shopping list,the office party ,and what pair of grey shoes they should wear to the next Tribute band concert. 😉 🤣
I think you're a karateka, from previous posts? Gedan borai, as you saunter past, sending it out of an open window?
Ippon Ken through the speaker grill perhaps...
Chuck Norris would approve 👍
It absolutely mystifies me why anyone wants it.
Heart FM is basically like being stuck in an eternal wedding disco. Absolute 80’’s? How many times does anyone need to hear Gold by Spandau Ballet? XFM is the same, just for people who are into dreary pub rock. Oh, it’s Kasabian again for the third time in 2 hours. Let me guess… Stereophonics up next?
Well, true, but the same goes for the bleeding edge tunes beloved by the STW cognoscenti. Who imagines that everyone likes them, and even if they do, do they want to listen to them all day every day, especially when they're supposed to be working?
Lucky all my working life was in institutions which didn’t allow for music being played in the workplace. I couldn’t have coped with that.