I can definitely imagine a scenario where I weigh the relative pros and cons of one more afternoon with the earbuds, which the manager might see and get upset by, vs the fact that Im about to be on an hour long webinar/conference call/training video and my 2 officemates will definitely have to endure and will definitely be upset by. That is why it is not arbitrary. I dont HR needs to be brought in yet, OP just needs to ask. For may people, theyre the only thing that helps us concentrate in open offices. How can you look at someone wearing headphones and know whether it is an ADA accommodation or not? Yes. When I approached him, I startled him over and over, didnt matter how I did it calling him name, knocking on his cube wall, tapping his arm. Granted that this has some to do with that Im definitely autistic and possibly also ADHD, but nonetheless I am a person who exists and has a job and a sort of person that one can reasonably expect to encounter in the work environment, particularly in my industry. Create a clear policy about headphones and ensure the rules apply to everyone. MommyMD pretty frequently takes the least charitable interpretation of an employees behavior and comments accordingly. So especially in a role like IT, where they need to focus on finding issues that may be buried goodness-knows where, why would you want to make their lives difficult because of optics and some self imposed discomfort by having to wait a few extra moments for them to pay attention. I do get the last word, and sometimes Ill override a decision a team member has made based on information I had which they didnt have when they made the call, of course. my lying coworker claimed someone said I couldnt eat at my desk, telling recruiters I wont move to states that discriminate, AirTag etiquette, and more. Earbuds hurt my ears. The wailing and gnashing of teeth over headphones is kind of mind boggling to me. Employees do better when not treated like children. To the woman needing PT I too had to have some female-anatomy related medical care. Never wear them while walking around the office, and dont let volume hinder your ability to hear emergency signals. For all OP knows, the soon-to-be-ex is the one violating the order and the employee was too afraid to make him leave. Disagree. He probably thought it was okay to wear them for the rest of the day until he could go out and get a pair of earbuds; thats what I would have done. I am on the spectrum, and I dont know whether my distractability from people talking around me is due to that or just bc, but I have been considering purchasing a pair. (I only throw this in here because some commenters seem shocked youre even making this is A Thing and surely we all know headphones are fine and lets be grownups but hey, we dont all come from functional work backgrounds and if I worked in an office and was allowed headphones Id cry with joy. Earbuds can block out just as much ambient noise as headphones. While you are at work and you work for someone (unless I am addressing a business owner). Will you tell me more about your headphones? If I have to take my hearing aids out to use earbuds, not only do I have to worry about losing the (VERY expensive) little devils, but when someone wants to talk to me, I would have to not only remove the earbuds but put at least one of my hearing aids in before I can converse. <> stream _S5 p%=`Y%pxXSh I have kind of weird looking ears and they literally fall out of my head if I move even the slightest bit. OSHA's standard for Occupational Noise Exposure in construction, 29 CFR 1926.52, sets permissible noise exposure limits in Table D-2 and requires the employer to protect employees subject to sound levels exceeding these limits. %PDF-1.7 Another generational things. My hubby works in the ticket support side of IT (raising a ticket by sending an email, rather than a separate system), and he needs to be interruptable by phone and in person as well as email since the majority of tickets actually involve people being unable to use the ticketing system or phone due to network/telephony issues. The concept of personal / private medical problem = gendered issue is quickly disappearing. And this contact, despite the order barring him from contacting her, may be safer for her than reporting the violation. Come on, its a little rich to be rude to another person when youre referring to someones supposed trend of rude comments. i?Q;GF+c/Y%xl>h! ;vl\I#;^Z2]o$5&DqW;;;{7rB#:}1[Fx=^[v[iIlBLwg~lv.'r~};Ai^){U|{;n;d?. do I need to wear nylons to a job interview or are bare legs OK? Thats unreasonable and bordering on tyrant levels. I can hold my breath for two weeks. I agree the earbud/headphone rule is silly. Im not sure IT support is always much less should be that kind of job; not all IT support units are or should be front-line helpdesks. . It is entirely possible to be productive in an office with noise around you and Im a little taken aback that people seem to think that headphones are natural part of the office when in fact they are a perk. I can concentrate without them, sure, but its not near as easy. Just anecdotally, this is not at all true ime. My coworker can ignore it even when theres four or five of them clustered around the area, just banging on at each other. This was the OPs random choice and random time to spring a new rule into place. Agreed. My initial reaction to the actual question wasnot a charitable one. And the 5 seconds to take off the headphones and switch their mental process to whatever the manager wants to talk abut IS responsive. A heads-up on Slack that theyre dropping by in a few to touch base about XYZ? Most people will either say no its no problem to get my attention, thats what Im here for then you take it and go about your business. Right a civil conversation gets more respect than any manager title. Be thankful for the graces youve been given in life and dont attack those who are already down. Earbuds can also raise ear wax accumulation, cause ear infections, gather dirt and bacteria, give birth to germs and make your eardrums burst even if theyd feel completely comfortable. Ive told her several times that I can either work there with headphones, or not work there at all. Not in a rude way as in saying when you bother to show up can you shut up about your problem, but more in a I know you are dealing with a rough time but I need folks to be able to focus on work kinda way. Obviously, you need to be able to hear an alarm or your phone ring, or whatever. I wont even go into how much less enjoyable listening to music would be without said devices, but forcing me to do so would definitely make me anything BUT a happy camper. Smiling and saying other than needing the time off, its not something that should affect or be exacerbated by work, its just one of those annoying niggles thats better taken care of now so it doesnt become a serious nuisance. then changing the subject basically assuming that the manager is asking from a place of concern and checking if you need any accommodations and assuring them you dont should satisfy most people? Even if Im not wearing earbuds, I might be reading something or in a state of deep focus while writing/thinking and it takes me a few seconds to transition out of that state anyways. Im very not clear on what the time difference between removing headphones and removing earbuds is? I wear my over ear headphones most of the day because the music/podcast I like to listen to is not the most appropriate for the office and to not distract others with my music/podcast. Its awkward when someone approaches them for support and theres a brief waiting period for the employee to remove the headphones and acknowledge the person. tl;dr: It seems like it should be a one-to-one replacement but its actually not. U/G. Adults can reasonably differ, even over minor issues. You have no way of knowing why she was with him and its frankly none if your business. interviewing with a service dog in my lap, boss thinks Im a stonerbecauseI called out on 4/20, and more, I desperately need breaks between my back-to-back meetings, I manage a gay employee and our company is homophobic, a coworker told me I talk too much, Im still ruminating over a job I didnt take, and more, should I invite my team to my home for dinner, will my company expect me to work with my ex, and more, after I hired someone, a mutual friend told me Id made a huge mistake. It takes but a moment to remove them and were not wasting any time with repeats. Never fear, you won't begin receiving daily sales emails that belong in a spam folder. theres a brief waiting period for the employee to remove the headphones and acknowledge the person. However you could play music or have talk radio on as long as it didnt disturb the others. and I had no idea he had that backdoor distorted-information channel going on. The LW writing in about a direct report wearing headphones didnt articulate a reason for the rule, just a preference. Just because someone is in it support or customer service, it doesnt mean always immediately immediately available, no exceptions. You may be happy to work without them. I dont wear headphones all the time, but when i do its usually because im absolutely saturated with being interrupted for stupid stuff and really need to calm down and focus. I agree with Fae, I read it is as they didnt have earbuds, so they would make the switch when they got some. Its what Ive okd for my team. This is a fantastic phrase, and you seem like a great boss. My compromise is, if Im doing stuff that can be interrupted but also want to listen to something, to either wear my over-ear headphones on just one ear (with the other side askew, resting on my head behind my ear), or wear over-ear headphones where the two ears are connected by a flexible wire rather than a curved band and keep one ear on and the other clipped to my shirt. I hope that people who do this know that many of the rest of us have to listen to the psss-psss-tsst-pss-ts of their dangling earbud and its super annoying. Shortly after my promotion last year, I started wearing headphones specifically so people (read: new boss) would actually see that Im listening to something. I also agree that the distinction is weird because the net effect (people have to wait to talk to you, you look unapproachable) is the same. It is quite possible that the person in question is on the Autism spectrum, in which case the headphones (specifically headphones, and not earbuds) are an absolute necessity to be able to work effectively (and since most people on this spectrum can concentrate like a computer, effectively is really a misnomer, as their work product is beyond par!). Its not like asking someone to immediately change their clothing. I will say, it definitely sends a signal I am trying tune everybody out and concentrate on something else. So if these IT roles are solely to provide support to internal customers, it is kind of off-putting. Was this a nesting fail or something? How does someone in the office talk to you about an issue that they need assistance with, if they cannot approach you on a phone call? Every letter posted here is one side of a story and we all have to deal with the fact that were not going to get more information. And I work in Finance, not IT.). What, exactly, is the unnerving part? They dont generally do in-person support. Can you ask the marketing guys to tone down the GOT off-topic chatter or let me wear them for the couple of hours a day when they tend to go full-throttle? Or even Can we find a way to signal approachability that still allows me to block out background noise?. so many people will start having neck and hand issues from the poor ergonomics of laptops. I had a spontaneous bleed in my middle finger. The idea of asking them to change because I have to get their attention is flooring. While tuning in can be great in a lot of ways, it can also be dangerous. I found that people think twice about stopping by just to chat when people have their headphones on. I was performing well, was well-liked by end users and teammates and getting good marks on my performance reviews, when all of a sudden my boss started requesting status reports, pulling me into his office to ask what I was working on and such. Not so much. Earbuds are uncomfortable for some people, theyre also not noise-blocking like headphones can be. We have many answers expressing the same opinion, but this one puts it best. And then also, for me its not a matter of acting like the use of headphones to control the auditory environment is generally necessary to produce work given my current office environment, its that for me they factually are; I dont get work done if I dont use headphones. Work doesnt have to be a nest of distractions either. How could the employee instantly change to earbuds the same day? I find this unnerving when I approach either of them and have to wait how does this issue not arise with someone wearing earbuds? (The kind that you wear in front of or over the top of your ears that conduct sound via the bones in your skull.) Please note: The answer is correct at the time of publishing. She had a business justification, which is IT support needs to appear approachable. Those who have never thought to pop a pair in at their desk, however, might not be privy to these potential plus points. It could definitely be worth the money if it helps you. I laughed out loud at this because its so blatantly much ruder than Mommy MDs initial comment. He may have challenges that you cant see. I dont know how I could work in a loud office without them. Like, have you heard that perception from anybody else? ' style of leadership. OP1 could there be a legitimate need for over ear headphones? And unless the rule encouraged bullying, harrassment, discrimination (which it might have, but we have no information to support that) hightailing it to HR seems VERY extreme for this situation UNLESS, theres a history of difficulty between these two. Employers will be liable for a violation of the general duty clause if headphones-wearing employees are exposed to the hazards outlined in the letter. All are excellent points. Nor will you be allowed to use/bring your own monitor & keyboard if you bought one as I did when I started. I would not make this a rule. To ensure that others aren't distracted by music and/or lyrics, have listeners use headphones. ticketed support system = no headphones or earbuds, you need to be interruptible at all times. This. Vote for the 2023 GeekWire Awards! The purpose of your headphones is to help you listen to something exclusively. Why is everyone approaching these people for support so often that a 30-second delay for them to take their headphones off has become a problem? Referring to them as a perk would be like calling wearing a belt or a ring a perk. If theres a problem, we should definitely solve the problem, but even then, we should articulate the problem and work together to find solutions, rather than just mandating solutions (or non-solutions, as seems to be the case here). In addition, you may request that they listen to music on their headphones at a lower volume so . In fact, a recent survey suggests that 71% of staff are more productive when they use their headphones at work. An adult assessment can be upwards of $4,000 (yes, this is an actual figure quoted), meaning that its infeasible for many to get the legal protection of that diagnosis. I wont say that this is absolutely factually the case, but at least I usually consider a perk to be something more like my company gave me a pair of expensive noise-cancelling headphones rather than Im allowed to do a normal thing that theres no business reason for not allowing me to do that latter (and also, that if there is a business reason that its not appropriate to grant exceptions as a reward) I do consider to be a given. I also came here to say this. Otherwise I agree with Alison. $229. Be aware that laws may change over time. This process is automatic. Different positions do demand different levels and I was presenting the side that has to do their job without them since very few in this comment section seem to have such jobs. Would it be difficult for the employee to tell the boss about such a scenario? My org recently rolled out sweeping changes to our expense reimbursement and vendor payment policy. Yeah, kind of surprised the headphone thing is getting more attention than question 2. If possible, choose headphones over earbuds so your coworkers can clearly see that youre wearing headphones. I cannot function with one earbud/headphone on. Most workers (and certainly most skilled workers) wouldnt care for that approach. Just confused as to why is one okay but not the other? I need my noise-cancelling headphones. It was a manager instituting a rule for their group that is within their purview. I have a pair of Bose headphones that are like earbuds but they sit loosely in the ear and have a soft over the ear part that holds everything in place. It takes a second to get them out and pause my music, but Im always responsive as soon as I notice someone come up to stand next to me in my cube. Managers are obligated to manage themselves first in order to manage others well. My coworkers can come into my space and knock on my desk or wave in my periphery and its much less startling to me. My desk faces my door and my computer monitor setup allows me to see when anyone walks by or enters my office. I think the LW had waited 2 weeks for a formal job offer, after having been informally offered the job. Ick. But I realize some managers are nosier than mine. If we consider every possible scenario, then were just spinning wheels to validate, justify one side vs. the other. It is up to the manager to deal with performance issues that concern their employees; if they are using their productivity resources appropriately, no issues should result from simple headphone usage. We do not, under ANY circumstances, accept walk up patients. I would take that as a power play by the employee and would consider that going forward with any issues going forward. +1. It can apply to any device that can download files from the internet or send and receive text messages, emails and phone calls. I have a malformed ear canal. Its asking for clarification and mediation. When Im wearing the earbuds, Im able to keep a slight bit of my attention listening for cues that someone needs me. Earbuds are incredibly uncomfortable for me because I have an ear canal deformity which makes it almost impossible to find comfortable earbuds. It is a signal for I am actively trying to concentrate and block out distractions. People know they can interrupt if it is necessary, but they do think twice about non-essential things. If you dont like headphones, you have to say you dont like headphones. But theres other people who work better without noise. I would not be happy if hearing typical people who can wear earbuds got to continue to enjoy a perk that allows them to concentrate better and I did not because I have other speakers in my ears already. Doesnt necessarily warrant a chat with the IT guy (he does his chatting while at his customers desks fixing their issues! Gabapentin is a structural analog of gamma-aminobutyric acid. I would not have thought oh hey my manager wants me to switch over to earbuds that must take effect right this second and not tomorrow after Ive had a chance to buy a pair of earbuds.. +XeiJt|}V-+6vfeQSYE-+r!u 'x/&EUEeQUdu"B{^$#Xx; },z2";_>l)wS[VegUU1n%, I could go on &on but I had to get physio for all those injuries. of the two it is. It doesn't work that way. Im not going to be rude, but Im a professional adult doing my best to get my work done in an extremely unpleasant environment, not some bad little kid in school. I agree that it should have been explained to the employee, but it could be for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with discrimination. My ear is always on the verge of being itchy and flaky/crusty and I have gotten infections before from my itching it too much. I also am befuddled by the earphones vs. earbuds difference. Yeah, this is getting really close to the employees who serve me should never appear to have other priorities besides me area that you see in a lot of customer service jobs. So I dont think that you can reasonably roll the eyes and toss off a assertion of defiance. I would honestly have just done as the boss asked in the moment; but Id be looking for a new job with a leader who wasnt subject to random whims. The Substance Use Disorder Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Act will be proposed . Yes, and I can imagine a something else that involves the employee being immature or insubordinate, and I can also imagine a something else that involves the boss being abusive or refusing an accommodation. Its like, if Im wearing blue jeans right now and if my boss pulled me into their office right this minute telling me that the new rule was to wear red pants, I would not assume it has to happen ASAP, because I dont have red pants. Nobody should be trying to get IT supports attention in person so frequently. day. This was my impression from the letter I think allowing earbuds may have been an attempt to meet in the middle, even if it wasnt entirely logical, because the main objection in that situation is the appearance of being unavailable when your job is to be available to help people. The cell phone company policy may also be referred to as a no mobile phones at work policy or a bring your own device (BYOD) policy. As an employee, I would assume my boss meant ASAP unless otherwise stated. Yeah, but my boss aint my wife, and theres a lot of things you do to keep a spouse happy that you dont do for your boss. If theyre doing other work that also requires focus, this is just a doubly bizarre request. I am not out as autistic at work. tell the internal clients office hours are X-Y; otherwise use the ticketing system I was speaking to the tons of people in this comment section acting like noise in an office is a brand new phenomena and there is clearly no way to get work done without headphones. Yeah. Let people find what works for them. Its entirely possible to say I think OP has unrealistic expectations for hiring timelines without calling them spoiled or entitled. Bc having to have music playing would just replace one source of distraction with another for me. Free shipping on orders over $9.99 within the continental US, New customer? Also, you couldnt have anything personal any where on your desk. I do recognize that this isnt the way everyone lives, but I think that where thats the case its a problem. Earbuds, especially wireless ones, can be difficult to see. Im a little taken aback that people seem to think that headphones are natural part of the office when in fact they are a perk. I just think earphones and headphones both pose this Oh I have to get their attention thing.). I know its not always the default; there are plenty of shitty managers out there, but really the default should be NOT inquiring for more specifics. In additionearbuds are uncomfortable as heck for a lot of people (me included) and over-the-ear headphones are typically far, far better for your ears and hearing. every. I slot them on my head so only one ear is covered. If I wasnt allowed to wear headphones, everyone else in the office would also be listening to a man with a monotone voice explaining how to set up a new enquiry feature on our case management software, or watching a step by step guide on how to set up your workspace (this was in my first week, obviously Im not doing that every day). When it comes to headphone please alway either go for all or nothing. Frankly, if someone uses a brush off dont want to talk about it sort of thing if I inquire if everything is alright, digestive issues are the very FIRST place my mind goes. Refer to Duties of workers . And to the OP as an HR professional, I agree with Allison. He probably thought it was okay to wear them for the rest of the day until he could go out and get a pair of earbuds; thats what I would have done. Its HR, its not like he went to the managers boss. Just thought i would take a moment to concur with you. What you seemed to be saying is that you find it hard to believe that anyone would need to wear headphones because you yourself work as an admin, and noise isnt a new phenomenon. Headphones would seem to be perfectly appropriate for that role. So should I go ask why someone is using a mobility device because well I dont need it and work fine standing on my feet, why do you need that cane? Thats pretty severe of course but in a lot of cases, if you read the comments, youll see that some people with ADHD or sensory issues do require a quiet space to work and concentrate. (To be fair, headphones will happily take out hair.). Create your account OP would also have to wait if the employee were on the phone to a client, or if Grandboss were standing at employees desk discussing a different project. All you people who want an end to noisy open offices should try approaching the noise as a health and safety problem. BTW my posts on this arent meant to be arguing overall, just filling in the user side of the perspective. I think actually would have made more sense if the LW had thought that their co-worker was making the whole thing up but that appears to not be the case. Just a type of work that requires you to act differently than in other jobs. If I had an employee who heard the rule and then walked back to their desk and used a stapler, I would wonder why and ask. Theyre pleasant people and do a darn good job, why would I rock that boat!? If your job is more independent, is in a large open space, etc, then I can see the uses for it, but otherwise I find it kind of ridiculous. Employees shouldnt have morally charged, pejorative terms lobbed at them over Headphonegate. Its reasonable that someone who would struggle to be productive in a noisy environment refer to headphones as a need, even if it isnt due to a disability or completely impossible. Just something I need to take care of seems exactly right to me. Its a stupid, ridiculous rule. I use my AirPods and dial in for audio-only calls, because Im reasonably sure my coworker would be annoyed by listening to the Q2 Sales Forecasting call over my computer speakers. I once felt extremely bad at work and needed to go home. Its work. If I had to switch to earbuds, then the switch would have to wait until the company supplied me with the equipment they wanted me to use (and equipment that didnt actively pain me to use). Man all this talk of headphones makes me wish Id brought mine, but Im more or less on the verge of phasing out earbuds cause of a skin condition in my ears ): That aside, Im not sure why OP didnt outright rule both outside of phone calls (unless OP prefers they use speaker or the handheld). % Call 800-578-1245 And OP also expected instant compliance with the rule, as though one can simply change over-the-ear headphones into earbuds? Earbuds can be really inconvenient for some people, and I agree with the people above pointing out that earbuds are barely noticeable and can thus cause more awkwardness as colleagues of cliente will sometimes keep on talking until they realise the other person is still not listening. It was mind numbingly boring and the day went so slow. in fact i would say earbuds are a worse problem because it can be harder to see them so people will start talking to you and then you have to take them out and have the person repeat themselves (this used to happen to me a lot). I get butterflies in my stomach and can feel my heart race a little, its more like that weird anticipation feeling when youre waiting for a package to arrive, does that make sense? I think that the breezy, not too serious just something I need to get taken care of is vague enough and shouldnt prompt further questions, and also shouldnt prompt the manager to think ah, female issues immediately, which is something it seems the Letter Writer is trying to avoid. Smaller companies likely wont have someone dedicated only to end-user internal support, but larger companies very much will. I have both contact and atopic dermatitis. Within that role I was able to work without headphones because the functions of my job required different kinds of focus. I dont even think you need to specify what the physical therapy is for. I work in a very small office and no HR. Both these things offended a lot of older people in the office (including my boss) who perceived both these types of headphones as making the person not approachable. earbuds can be even more irritating, because theyre not as obvious to other people who will often just start talking without realizing that the earbud-wearer cant hear them (I wear giant headphones on the subway SPECIFICALLY as a signal that I am not available to speak. No, its really not.