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So this morning - the last day of the week just before a long weekend, so a positive moment you'd think, until we all got an email from management saying "no headphones in the office".. 
They've just spent millions having a new state of the art office built, all ultra-modern decked out like an Ikea catalogue with games rooms, sofas, a coffee shop and unlimited corporate slogans adorning the walls along the lines of "this is your office", "we want you to be happy", "work the way you want", and all the usual BS..
I guess whatever you want is fine as long as it's the same thing as what management want too.. this one email has probably undone a lot of the goodwill that's been built up within the company over the last few months 
The stupidest thing is that I don't listen to music that much in the office, but the fact that someone felt the need to send email like this reflects badly on the attitude of management in itself.. what a way to start a bank holiday weekend.
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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At this point, I would push back and demand an explanation for the rationale behind this. Depending on what they come back with, you may need to push back some more.
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In a smaller company I would challenge it, but this is my second stint here and I know (from experience) that the quickest way to get kicked out is to start introducing logical arguments.
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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That doesn't sound like such a bad deal. The words "constructive dismissal" would seem appropriate here.
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Not sure it applies to contractors I remember it was like this the first time round, I just thought they'd turned a corner.
The lesson is (I guess) that it's not the bright, shiny, ultra-modern building that makes the company what it is - it's the people. ![Java | [Coffee]](https://www.codeproject.com/script/Forums/Images/coffee.gif)
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Ah. I hadn't realised you were a contractor.
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Yeah, so it's only a temporary thing for me.. It's just disappointing why some companies put the wrong kind of people in charge and develop a negative culture.
You can understand why Britain has no companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook or Space-X - we're too worried about people wearing headphones or not wearing corporate socks..
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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I work for a US corporation and I can assure you that the US corporate style is far worse, whilst the flash IT world may be Google etc the majority of US corporations are even worse than those in the UK.
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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That sucks.. They must have had training from one of our vast number of Management Consultancies.
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Been working in big finance, insurance, R&D, dot-com startup and marketing industries for the past 30 years. I've never seen anything so bad as this, much less worse.
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Brent Jenkins wrote: I just thought they'd turned a corner
You definitely haven't read enough Dilbert.
employee1: "Things are getting better."
employee2: "Well, yeah, they couldn't get any worse."
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You just need to find the right thing to push back with. I'm partial to fine products from Peoria[^].
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Certainly should be able to "push back" with that!
Dave.
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Then leave. Sounds like a shithole of a job.
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They found a different way of demoralising the dev team here earlier this week.
A job appeared on the notice board for a dev role in one of our other companies with the same skills this lot currently have, but paying (I would guess) around 50% more than they are on.
It's not gone down well.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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World class British management strikes again.. I'm starting to miss British Leyland 
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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"Can't come to work today, I been banned by management." 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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I did ask whether desk speakers were allowed..
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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I would argue that headphones are devices that hold a speaker against your ear. Speakers worn inside the ear are earphones and therefore not covered by the headphone ban.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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That's getting dangerously close to the logical rule see above[^]
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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On a serious note: Let me play the devil's advocate here:
I wish I had the reference, but decades ago, it was shown that music can be counter-productive in the workplace, especially if it is not purely instrumental, but involves singing. Your management is not that unreasonable!
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I think it does depend on what style of music it is. The thing is that would subjective for each individual, and some would prefer no music at all. Isn't this all part of diversity in the workplace?
Sometimes there are genuine reasons why it can't be allowed, but in most cases I think that rules like this are enforced simply because a certain manager or influential group of people in a company either don't like it or can't do it themselves.
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Cornelius Henning wrote: it was shown that music can be counter-productive in the workplace
I dare to bet that a bad morale is much more counter-productive. And so is the sound that the music is probably covering up 
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Sander Rossel wrote: bad morale is much more counter-productive
That's the one
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Cornelius Henning wrote: especially if it is not purely instrumental
actually, very true. Human voices and words in your native language are very distracting.
That is why the Best Must Choice of GREAT DEVELOPERS AROUND the World is INSTRUMENTAL JAZZ!!
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