Some employees concentrate better with music in the background; others find even a familiar song distracting. For office managers, the challenge is deciding where music can support the working day and where silence is more useful.
With offices increasingly designed around flexibility, collaboration and employee wellbeing, music is another part of the working environment worth considering. The challenge for employers is finding an approach that suits different people, tasks and spaces, rather than assuming one playlist will work for everyone.
Choosing Music for Different Office Spaces
Modern offices often bring several working environments together under one roof. Reception areas, shared desks, meeting rooms and breakout spaces all serve different purposes, so it makes sense to approach their background music differently.
Reception areas are a natural place for music. A low-volume soundtrack can make the space feel more welcoming for visitors and create a pleasant first impression without interfering with conversations.
Shared working areas require more consideration. Background music might help soften the impact of everyday office noise, but it shouldn’t compete with telephone calls, discussions or tasks requiring concentration. Subtle instrumental tracks or relaxed playlists may be suitable where employees are comfortable with music being played.
Breakout areas offer more flexibility. These spaces are typically used for informal conversations, lunch breaks and time away from desks. Music with a little more energy may work here, particularly when it complements the atmosphere rather than dominating it.
Quiet zones and meeting rooms, meanwhile, may be better left without music. Employees need spaces where they can concentrate without additional sound, and meetings often benefit from fewer distractions.
Making Background Music Part of the Office Experience
Once an employer understands where music works best, the next consideration is how to manage it consistently.
Choosing playlists in advance can help avoid constantly changing music throughout the day. For instance, an office might use relaxed music in reception during business hours and something more upbeat in communal areas during lunch breaks.
It can also be useful to establish responsibility for music selection, particularly in larger workplaces. Without some consistency, the soundtrack can quickly become a matter of whoever happens to be nearest the speakers.
Businesses with several offices may benefit from a more coordinated approach, while still allowing individual locations to adjust their music to suit their working environment.
Services designed to provide commercial background music for offices can help businesses organise playlists, schedule music and manage playback across different areas or locations.
However, the technology is only part of the solution. Employers still need to consider what works for their teams, reviewing the approach as working patterns and preferences change.
How Music Can Affect Mood and Concentration
Whether music helps or hinders concentration often depends on what someone is doing. Repetitive administrative tasks, for example, may feel easier with an upbeat soundtrack. Writing a detailed report or working through a complex problem might require something quieter.
But music isn’t just about concentration. It can also help employees manage their mood and make the working day more enjoyable.
A study of 295 UK office workers, published in Musicae Scientiae, found that employees used music for several reasons, including stress relief, inspiration and managing their personal space. The research also highlighted the importance of taking employees’ musical preferences into account and giving them a say in what they listen to at work.
For employers, this suggests that music can have a valuable place in the office, provided employees have some influence over when and what is played.
Finding the Right Balance for Everyone
For employers, the answer isn’t necessarily to find a genre that everyone agrees on. It’s to offer a degree of flexibility.
Asking employees for feedback is a useful starting point. If music is being introduced into a shared office, a trial period can help establish whether people find it enjoyable or distracting. Feedback should cover volume, music styles and the areas where music is played.
Volume is particularly important. Even a carefully chosen playlist can become frustrating if employees have to raise their voices to speak to colleagues or struggle to hear calls.
Where possible, providing quieter areas gives employees more control over their working environment. Individual headphones may also be an option, subject to workplace policies and the need to remain aware of colleagues.
Ultimately, background music should be something that supports the working day, not something employees have to work around.
What About Music Licensing in UK Offices?
Alongside choosing suitable music, employers need to consider whether they have the correct permissions to play it in a commercial environment.
In the UK, playing recorded music at a workplace, including an office, will usually require a licence. For music covered by PPL and PRS for Music, businesses generally obtain this through TheMusicLicence, administered by PPL PRS.
It’s also important to distinguish between music licensing and a streaming subscription. Personal music streaming accounts, including standard Spotify subscriptions, are generally licensed for private, non-commercial listening rather than playback across a workplace.
Commercial music services can provide permission to stream music for business use. This is distinct from the public performance licence that covers playing music to employees or visitors, so businesses should check whether they also need TheMusicLicence.
Employers planning to introduce music should therefore check their obligations and understand how UK music licensing applies to their premises before getting started.
Making Music Work for Your Workplace
Successful office music starts with listening to employees and choosing carefully where it adds value. Use it selectively in spaces where it is welcome, and keep quiet areas available for focused work.
