How Music Improves Warehouse Productivity
Employers have mixed feelings about listening to music at work. Some feel that it can be distracting or create isolation amongst employees. While others believe that it can improve employee morale and increase productivity. Fortunately–for both employers and employees–research points to the latter. According to ScienceDirect, this is especially true for employees working in a warehouse or factory floor, where tasks are clearly defined and repeated often.
Still on the fence about whether you should offer music to your warehouse employees? Here are four legitimate ways that music can improve productivity.
1. Improves Mood
Listening to music boosts the neurotransmitter dopamine, which helps to control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Increased dopamine means happier workers. And happier workers tend to work harder and smarter than grumpy ones.
2. Increases Concentration
Another benefit of increased dopamine levels is improved focus, according to ADD coach Peter Quily. He found improvements with ADD patients, but certainly all workers could prosper by from increased concentration.
3. Lowers Stress
Listening to music can also help to lower the perception of tension and . For people working on fast-paced or intricate lines, they won’t feel as stressed when listening to music, even if nothing else changes about their tasks.
4. Increases Work Speed
Music has also been shown to help employees work faster. Teresa Lesiuk, an assistant professor at University of Miami’s music therapy program, discovered that workers completed tasks more quickly while listening to music. She attributes it to the improved mood and calmer disposition, which helps workers take in more options with a clearer head.
Certain types or genres of music are better for warehouse employees. Studies have shown that ambient, classical and electronic music are best, providing the mood-lifting and focus-inducing benefits while removing distracting lyrics or overly-obtrusive melodies.
Additionally, it’s better to listen to familiar music when intense focus is required. This is because with new music, people tend to listen more intently to hear what’s coming next; they already know what is coming with familiar music so it’s easier to tune out and better focus on the task at hand.
How can you account for your employees tastes and familiarity? By using a system that streams local audio over WiFi. You can program up to 16 channels, allowing for varying music preferences and work style, while limiting your employees ability to access the internet and get distracted.
Allowing your factory employees to listen to music can make them happier throughout the day and more productive in the long run, increasing your warehouse’s output and improving overall business growth.