The January Blues are back. The post-holiday let down, the return to the grind, and gloomy weather in much of the country could combine to make record high levels of employee sadness, stress, and exhaustion even worse. For many HR and benefits leaders, this also raises fresh questions about how music and mental health connect in the workplace. What can you do to support your teams that you haven’t tried already? One simple step is to encourage workers (as appropriate) to put on their headphones and test out some tunes as part of your broader workforce mental health strategy and efforts to sustain workplace engagement.
Music can get a bad rap in the workplace—it can be distracting, disruptive, or even offensive. For these reasons, some workplaces elect to ban music and music devices altogether. Yet with the right guardrails, music can become a thoughtful part of your workplace culture instead of a source of distraction.
But don’t overlook the potential benefits music can bring. Not only can music boost moods, in some cases, it can make work easier. Studies suggest that music can improve focus, boost cognitive performance, and enhance creativity, which could also help workers feel less stressed and anxious. So, if music isn’t part of your workforce mental health strategy, consider adding it to your toolbox, including digital Calm music tools that employees can access during the workday.
Of course, the genre of music is relevant; hip hop might not be a great choice for focusing. To help you and your employees get on the right track, here’s some of the science about music and worker well-being—and how you can incorporate it into a modern workforce mental health strategy.
How music supports employee mental health at work
Binaural beats can improve efficiency and accuracy in work, especially for focus-intensive tasks
When a person hears tones with two different frequencies, one in each ear, the brain creates a third tone that represents the gap between them. This third tone is called a binaural beat. In other words, the brain perceives a rhythm that isn’t present in the external sound but can still influence mood and attention. Research shows that people complete work faster and with fewer errors when listening to music with binaural beats.
Employees can test it out for themselves on Calm. Adrift is a 75-minute music program based on binaural beats by Calm Music and songwriter, vocalist, producer and DJ Bklava (Ministry of Sound), designed to help listeners ease into deep focus and a calmer mental state during the workday.
Preliminary studies also have shown that binaural beats lengthen the duration of deep sleep (stage three sleep), improve the quality of sleep, and make waking up easier, according to the Sleep Foundation. For employees, better sleep can translate into improved mood, resilience, and overall mental health at work.
Lo-fi music can help increase focus, reduce stress, and improve sleep for employees
“Lo-fi” (low-fidelity) music is a genre of music characterized by unpolished sound production that gives it a nostalgic feel. Lo-fi is raw and embraces imperfections, such as static or ambient noise. Its slow pace and mellow, instrumental nature can turn a stimulating environment into a relaxing one conducive to focus and productivity, supporting both individual well-being and workplace engagement. Here’s how:
- Studies have shown that background music like lo-fi improves working memory and speeds up performance of skill tasks.
- By skipping the lyrics, lo-fi also may help limit distractions and help workers concentrate on what’s in front of them.
- Stress can take a toll on focus and productivity, but listening to background music has been shown to help people reduce stress while studying or working.
- Lo-fi music may also help employees get better sleep. Its soft, rhythmic patterns can create a calming atmosphere that can help some people fall asleep faster and sleep better.
Employees can test out a selection of lo-fi music from our playlist on Calm, including Memories, Cloudy, Feel This Way Again, and Infinite Lo-Fi for Focus—a set of Calm music tools leaders can promote as part of their employee mental health resources.
Listening to music can boost creativity and problem-solving at work
Do your employees need to be creative to excel in their roles? Creativity combines two distinct types of thinking: generating new ideas (“divergent thinking”) and determining which ideas can be successful/problem solving (“convergent thinking”). Both are essential for innovation, collaboration, and long-term workplace engagement.
Research has shown that listening to music that elicits positive emotions (i.e., “happy music”) boosts creativity when performing a divergent creativity task.
The “Motion” track on Calm uses different music beats and frequencies to bring listeners through the different stages of the creative process, from task assessment to divergent thinking, to convergent thinking. This makes it a practical Calm music tool managers can recommend to teams who rely on fresh ideas and creative problem solving.
Adding music to your workforce mental health toolbox to support engagement and performance
Despite a strong commitment by employers to improve employee well-being, most workers are not feeling any better. Nearly 70% of employees are feeling the same or worse than last year, according to research from Deloitte. Righting the ship will require making fundamental changes to workplace culture, including elevating employee well-being to be a strategic priority. Reinforcing a culture that normalizes breaks, focus time, and tools that support mental health can also help.
At the same time, organizations should ensure they’re offering a full spectrum of well-being solutions, including preventive tools that their entire workforce can access and use—from digital mental health resources to easy-to-try music programs. Amid the January Blues, encourage employees to test out some music to help them reduce stress, regain focus, get better sleep, and improve productivity, and consider highlighting Calm music tools and playlists within your benefits communications. You might be pleasantly surprised by the results.
