The Impact of Background Music, State of the Global Workplace, and Why Good People Do Bad Things.

Cognicent | 29, July, 2025 | Newsletter

Welcome to the July edition of our Insight Articles!

This month, we explore what really goes on beneath the surface of everyday workplace dynamics. From how background music can quietly drain employee focus and morale, to why only a small portion of our workforce feels truly engaged, to the surprising ways our behaviour can shift just by being part of a group. These insights challenge us to rethink how we lead, collaborate, and create environments where people thrive.

Have you ever walked into a shop or restaurant and been put off by the music? Maybe it was too loud or didn’t match the vibe of the place. Now, imagine how the staff feel!

Many employers, particularly in customer-facing industries like retail and hospitality, choose music with the customer in mind, often overlooking the impact it may have on employees.

A recent study from Ohio State University explored how background music affects employees’ ability to perform their jobs.

The researchers found that:

1.  When music was out of sync with the demands of the job, it led to increased fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and lower job satisfaction.

2.  While music preferences are highly individual, playing music that doesn’t align with an employee’s taste reduced positive feelings and increased mental exhaustion.

3.  Those who struggle to filter out background noise (known as low stimulus screeners) were especially affected, reporting more cognitive strain and emotional fatigue.

4.  Music misfit also influenced behaviour. Employees exposed to unsuitable music were more likely to engage in counterproductive actions, such as working more slowly, venting frustration, or withholding effort. Positive workplace behaviours, like helping colleagues, also declined.

The study also highlighted that music fit isn’t fixed. What works for one person (or one task) on one day may not work the next. This variability suggests the need for flexible, employee-centred music policies.

If music plays a regular role in your workplace, consider the following strategies:

1.  Introduce regular periods without music to offer mental and emotional relief.

2.  Strike a balance between music that supports a positive customer experience and what staff can comfortably work with.

3.  Where feasible, give employees the option to choose or listen to their own music – it can meaningfully support wellbeing.

4.  Provide quiet spaces for breaks or consider tools like smart earbuds that allow communication while minimising ambient noise.

Article Reference:

Keeler, K. R., Puranik, H., Wang, Y., & Yin, J. (2025). In sync or out of tune? The effects of workplace music misfit on employees. Journal of Applied Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001278

Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report offers a revealing snapshot of how people experience work, both globally and closer to home.

Gallup, a global analytics and advisory firm known for its public opinion research, conducts annual surveys tracking levels of employee engagement across the world. Its State of the Global Workplace report presents insights into how employees are feeling, what challenges they face, and where organisations may be falling short.

The 2025 report includes data specific to Australia and New Zealand, with several key findings that highlight a growing need for cultural and structural change in the workplace:

1.  Only 23% of employees in our region report being “engaged” at work. The remaining 77% are either “not engaged” (displaying presenteeism) or “actively disengaged” (working against company goals).

2.  Stress was the most commonly reported emotion, with 49% of respondents saying they felt stressed for much of the previous day.

3.  53% of women and 46% of men reported significant stress, with 55% of under-35s more affected than their older counterparts (45% of those aged 35+).

4.  42% of employees are either watching for or actively seeking a new job opportunity.

Beyond these regional insights, the global data reveals deeper organisational challenges:

1.  Employee engagement worldwide has declined, from 23% to 21%, with Gallup estimating this drop cost the global economy $438 billion in lost productivity.

2.  Manager engagement is also slipping, down from 30% to 27% globally. Female managers and those under 35 reported the steepest declines (7% and 5%, respectively). This matters because Gallup found that managers’ engagement levels directly influence their team’s engagement.

3.  Yet, only 44% of managers globally have received any formal management training. The report highlights a pressing need for better upskilling, coaching, and performance management.

These findings pose important questions for every team and organisation:

Are your people genuinely engaged in their work? What are you doing to build and sustain that engagement, particularly among managers?

How are you actively supporting your team in managing stress and preventing burnout?

With nearly half the workforce considering a move, how are you attracting and retaining great talent? What’s your point of difference?

Are your leaders equipped and supported to lead well?

Article Reference:

Gallup. (2025). State of the global workplace: 2025 report. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx

It is no secret that when people form groups they can start to act differently. A study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explored the psychological effects of intergroup competition (i.e., creating ‘us’ and ‘them’ scenarios). Researchers examined how group dynamics influence individual behaviour, revealing important insights:

1.  Anonymity and Accountability: Individuals in groups often feel more anonymous, leading to a decreased sense of personal accountability for group actions.

2.  Reduced Self-Reflection: Functional MRI scans indicated that during group competition, activity in the part of the brain associated with self-reflection and moral reasoning was diminished. This suggests that individuals may “lose touch” with personal morals when acting as part of a group.

3.  Increased Willingness to Harm Competitors: Participants were more inclined to harm members of competing groups, indicating that diminished self-reflection can facilitate harmful behaviours towards out-group members.

These findings shed light on the concept of “mob mentality” and have implications for workplace dynamics, especially when different departments or teams must collaborate. Encouraging team members to reflect on their personal values and moral standards, even when operating within a group, can help mitigate the risk of undesirable group behaviours.

Consider:

How are we currently managing inter-team dynamics in our workplace?

Are there “Us vs Them” mentalities between departments or groups?

What strategies can we implement to encourage individual accountability within teams?

Article Reference:

Cikara, M., Jenkins, A. C., Dufour, N., & Saxe, R. (2014). Reduced self-referential neural response during intergroup competition predicts competitor harm. NeuroImage, 96, 36–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.03.080

We hope that you have a safe, well and productive rest of your week.

– The Cognicent Team