Originally published July 2 2005
Employers consider whether use of iPods lead to increased productivity in workers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Apple's iPod is a trend unto itself, but an emerging aspect of that trend is workers hooking up to their iPod while performing their jobs, and the Denver Post reports that more employers are questioning the safety, isolationism and productivity of workers who are iPodding.
To help her focus, she puts on her white headphones and cranks up the heavy-metal stylings of AC/DC and Aerosmith.
"I zone out," said Brennan, who works for the Defense Department in Seaside, Calif.
From classical to electronica, rock 'n' roll to world music and country, workers across corporate America are plugging into their own portable music players and tuning out loud co-workers, office boredom and other workplace distractions.
With the portability and popularity of iPods and other personal music devices, anecdotal evidence suggests more American workers are bringing their music to work.
"Employees are bringing their own music to work far more than in years past, simply because of the high-tech, portable players now available," said Laura Stack, a Highlands Ranch productivity expert, author and trainer who consults for companies nationally.
The trend raises questions whether music in the workplace is helpful to productivity and morale.
Some experts wonder whether it further isolates workers who increasingly labor in rigid cubicle culture.
Perhaps nowhere is the music blasting more quietly than in Silicon Valley, where tech workers with ears plugged into iPods or other portable music players are a common sight.
Employees there are encouraged to listen to music, particularly since the company just launched a beta version of its music offering, Yahoo Music, said spokeswoman Heidi Burgett.
"Everybody's listening to Yahoo music all the time," Burgett said.
Stack says plugged-in employees are especially common in offices where cubicles dominate the workspace.
Allowing workers to plug into their own music also gives them more personal freedom and control over their work environment, which can lift morale, according to some workplace consultants and managers.
Electronic Arts and Jensen's company, Proteus Biomedical, are among them.
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