‘Music with predictable beat can boost retail workers’

One in four people who work in retail report have to spend more than eight hours on their feet in a day and thus suffer from physical and mental fatigue, states a recent research paper, highlighting the role of music at such workplaces.

 According to new research by music licensing company, 25 per cent of workers in ‘standing roles’ in sectors like retail spend more than hours on their feet every day while 43 per cent have to stand for over five hours.

Resultantly, the symptom most commonly felt – by nearly three in four (72 per cent) – is physical fatigue. It’s followed by sore legs or feet (68 per cent) and mental fatigue (44 per cent). 

The research adds that most such workers (86 per cent) play music in the workplace to feel better. Four-fifths (82 per cent) recognise its mood-boosting benefits during a shift, while nearly half (45 per cent) say a good tune helps them feel energised and focused when working.

The music genre commonly played in standing workplaces is pop (66 per cent) and RnB (24 per cent). It’s welcome news after workers confirmed these styles are their favourites (55 per cent said pop and 24 per cent RnB). ROCK (22 per cent) is a genre they’d like to hear more of, though.  

Two in five workers also revealed that customers respond positively to music playing.

Music Therapist for PPL PRS, Marianne Rizkallah comments, “When it comes to music’s ability to boost your mood when working, there’s some research into the effects of rhythm as a ‘temporal organiser’ or providing ‘temporal structure’ to our movements, meaning that if something is presented to you with a steady beat, you’re more likely to be able to tune in to it.  

“I would suggest that music with a steady, predictable beat is more important when working standing, enabling you to perform tasks in time with what you’re hearing and giving you a starting and stopping point.  

“In general, research seems to point to music listening being used (at least in part) to regulate, and usually improve mood. When working long hours, standing or not, listening to a variety of music can serve many functions, like, mirroring someone’s mood, altering their mood state, taking them through the different parts of the day.”