As a music lover myself, I believe that music is a universal language that has the potential to invigorate the dynamics of a workplace environment. By wisely and selectively incorporating music into the workplace, you can heighten morale, birth creativity, and encourage collaboration among your staff.
Imagine a workplace that provides you with a daily spark of inspiration, jumpstarting your mind out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. That spark may be a great cup of coffee, an inspirational word from God during a quiet time, or a heartfelt word of encouragement from your boss. We all need and appreciate those moments of encouragement and inspiration that keep our energy levels and morale high.
Whether you're trudging through emails alone or brainstorming your organization’s strategic direction together, one unexpected catalyst for inspiration could be the music you listen to. That’s right! Music can be a key to unlocking your team’s inspiration, productivity, and innovative genius.
Science agrees. Studies show certain types of music do more than make you tap your feet—they ignite your brain’s creative juices[1], helping individuals to focus, dream big, and think outside the box.
Would you be surprised to hear that most people like to have fun at work? An enjoyable and fun environment keeps us energized and motivates us. That's why one of the questions we ask on our employee engagement survey is how often staff feel like they have fun at work. Many companies offer creative perks that make employees feel happier and can lead to better staff retention. Believe it or not, music can contribute to an enjoyable and even ‘fun’ environment. If you’re only counting on providing free coffee each morning or a birthday cake here and there to keep workers happy and motivated, you may be behind the curve with employee engagement.
Best Christian Workplaces (BCW) is a faith-based nonprofit. Thus, it’s not surprising that we occasionally begin a staff meeting with a worship song to set the tone and pull everyone into an attitude of prayer and thanksgiving, remembering why we are here—to advance the Kingdom of God through our work in helping improve Christian organizations.
Worship music centers our minds on Christ and bonds us as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Transformative music like this can prompt us to forgive a co-worker, gain fresh insights, or encourage us for the more significant reason and purpose behind the work we do every day. Corporate worship has the potential to bring spiritual life and growth to our workplace experience.
BCW loves to encourage organizational leaders to be innovative in creating an environment that supports and promotes a sense of life-giving work. Allowing freedom to experiment with various forms of music in the workplace, whether the music is considered Christian or secular, is one way to demonstrate inspirational leadership and a heartfelt focus on employee well-being.
The degree to which an organization values diversity impacts the employee's level of engagement with their workplace. That is why BCW has a survey item that asks about valuing diversity in our employee engagement survey. You may wonder, "What does music have to do with diversity?" Let me answer that by asking two questions. Does everyone enjoy the same kind of music? The answer is clearly 'no'; people have diverse musical tastes. Second question: is all music universally motivating or beneficial? Again, likely not. Some styles of music are energizing, while other styles may distract, irritate, or put you to sleep. And one person's response to any song could be widely different from another person’s response. Listening to 80s Rock may bring joy to one employee but trigger traumatic memories for another.
A person’s musical inclinations can be just as diverse as the individual. Therefore, be wise in determining if, when, and where it makes sense to incorporate music into a workplace environment. Consider your staff's level of music appreciation, work performed, and unique work styles. Regarding music appreciation, some people are wired to barely notice background music. In contrast, others find it impossible not to focus on every song's word, note, or beat. Sometimes, we work on tasks for which sounds are not likely to disturb us, while other times, our duties are such that we can’t afford to be distracted at all.
If you’re considering playing music corporately at work, you may want to poll your staff about their musical preferences and respond to feedback about the style and volume of the music. While we can’t please everyone with every song, being sensitive to this can make the difference between enhancing the workplace environment and weakening it.
Creating a musically friendly and diverse organization also means considering musical genres and sub-genres. For instance, there are many kinds of Christian music. A Gregorian Chant may powerfully move one person, while another gets spiritually energized listening to a large Gospel choir. Below are a few common genres of music that can may supercharge one’s creative flow or be downright bothersome, depending on who you ask.
Classical music has generally been shown to lower stress and promote focus. Think of it as a mental massage, relaxing your brain and opening new trains of thought. Structured compositions can enhance clarity and precision in some, although, for others, they can seem mundane or even boring.
I often find myself distracted by the lyrics of a song. But instrumental music can create a perfect soundscape to dive deep into ideas without interference. A study in The Journal of Consumer Research found that ambient noise at just the right level (around 70 decibels) boosts creative thinking by disrupting the monotony of silence[2]. Alas, for some, it’s merely that annoying elevator music they hear when a company places them on hold on the phone.
Imagine songbirds, crickets chirping, gentle rain, a campfire crackling, or the soft rhythm of lo-fi beats playing in the background. These sounds create a space of calm where creativity can thrive, especially when life feels chaotic. Nature sounds and other spa music are proven to lower stress. Lo-fi’s repetitive rhythms help your mind wander productively. This genre can be tricky. Some individuals can be put to sleep by it, defeating your ultimate goal.
The improvisational nature of jazz reflects unpredictability—perfect for shaking up your routine and encouraging fresh ideas. Because it’s often spontaneously performed, jazz encourages brainstorming, helping individuals devise multiple solutions to problems. A study using MRI scans showed that instinctive, ad-libbed music also helps stifle self-criticism[3]. But again, for others, jazz can sound recklessly chaotic and noisy.
When your energy’s low or your creative tank feels empty, listening to happy music can work wonders. Songs with a great beat and a positive feel can shake off irritation and redirect negativity. But it’s probably not the best genre for those working with precision in the finance department or someone trying to construct a complex email.
Look, this is probably a no-brainer if your office is in a church. It is also possible for nonprofits, schools, and businesses to benefit from playing faith-based beats. Obviously, the lyrics alone set a unique tone for your work environment. During difficult seasons, Christian music can have a healing effect. It can unify the group spiritually. However, we must also be wise from a legal and cultural perspective. If you provide services to clientele and visitors who are not necessarily believers, or if not all of your staff follow Christ, the atmosphere that Christian music brings may make them uncomfortable and/or cause them to go elsewhere.
Contextual considerations for music are essential in certain areas of a building or facility. The guest lobby may benefit from having low-volume elevator music pumped in, while the warehouse might blare something entirely different that perks up people. Private offices may use white noise, while a shared workplace full of creatives might really appreciate jazz. You may find some areas of the workplace should be kept music-free altogether because it’s too distracting for the type of work. Again, it's all about listening to people’s feedback to create a pleasant, peaceful, unifying, and/or energizing environment.
Ultimately, you may decide there's so much musical diversity amongst your staff that everyone needs to be allowed to choose if and what they will listen to, using earbuds to enjoy their private playlists. Just be aware that encouraging the use of earbuds could increase your staff’s temptation to listen to podcasts or other non-musical choices that could decrease their effectiveness or productivity.
Utilizing remote and virtual workers is something that many organizations will continue to benefit from in the foreseeable future. That may seem to let some leaders off the hook from considering the impact of music in the workplace. However, even in remote environments, there are still ways you can incorporate music into your staff video calls or during a staff retreat. We heard of one organization that created an ice-breaker to start their strategic planning day by seeing who could guess which TV show theme songs from the 90s he was playing. Look for ways to have fun with music, remembering that research shows having fun at work supports overall employee engagement.
Music can powerfully affect our minds and emotions—both in helpful and unhelpful ways. It's the idea of watching what we put into our bodies—food, TV, movies, games, pictures, books, or art. These are all types of “food” that can be good or bad for us. What goes in must come out. In this way, music is food for our bodies. So, go ahead and experiment with music in the workplace. You may not get it right immediately. But that’s ok. Failing doesn’t mean you should throw out the baby with the bathwater. It’s simply an opportunity to adjust and try again.
So, what steps can you practically take to use music to create an energizing and inspiring workplace environment? Here are several suggestions on how to fine-tune your approach to supporting employee engagement through music:
God created music. We can see this by reading the Psalms or Revelation, where we can peek into the music around God's throne. It must be one of his favorite things if God himself uses it during his workday, overseeing the universe. For us, whether we’re setting the right tone during meetings or creating an ideal atmosphere in common areas, music can be a simple yet powerful tool to inspire and energize our workforce.
If you’d like more information on how to build a flourishing workplace culture that maximizes productivity and supports employee well-being, go to workplaces.org. Best Christian Workplaces offers the leading Christian-based employee engagement survey, coupled with outstanding professional consulting services that will equip and inspire you to build an engaged, flourishing workplace.
(Portions of this article inspired by Power Writers Report at powerwritersreport.com)
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9946974/
[2] https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/665048?seq=1
[3] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226213431.htm
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