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Distracting

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distracting, but this distraction is a positive force in completing your work.

Another consideration in this discussion is the power of music over which you have no control. Andy Worthington made the point when talking about music as torture that any music can be torture if it is played a) repetitively out of your control and b) with the volume out of your control. Almost universally, waiters and waitresses are subjected to repetitive muzak in their places of work over which they have no control whatsoever. They know it will be turned up to fill the space when no-one is in, and they know that probably there are one or two CDs that will be played over and over again. It will also be music designed as aural wallpaper - seemingly unobjectionable and bland. However, it is that very blandness that becomes intolerable after a few days of repetition - this terrible and destructive practice of using music as wallpaper by employers is detrimental to their employees' mental health. It increases feelings of anger, depression and boredom. This kind of music is not only used in restaurants and cafes, but in shops and shopping centres as well. In fact, if you work on the high street it is virtually inescapable, and it is the ultimate in irresponsible and distracting use of music at work.

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