As more organizations adopt remote workforce models and employees settle into work routines outside an office, an important new question has surfaced: How do you ensure productivity in such a distracting environment.
For many remote workers, music is at least part of the answer. Whether through their streaming service of choice or a physical record collection, listening to music is a proven cognitive performance booster. It can also be a mood enhancer, helping to dispel a host of anxieties brought on by accelerated digital transformation and volatile socio-economic conditions.
Unsurprisingly, consumer investments in music, from both financial and listening time perspectives, have increased since the first pandemic shelter-in-place directives. According to Deloitte, 12% of U.S. consumers alone added a music streaming service to their paid monthly subscription base, while overall time spent streaming music has increased 22.6% worldwide.
In short, music has been a source of positivity since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and will likely contribute to continued productivity gains among remote workers.
But is there one ideal genre of music to listen to while you’re working from home? What about one specific intangible that benefits the most from a dedicated working from home soundtrack?
To get insight into these questions and more, Terranova Security employees participated in a survey about their remote work listening habits. This blog post gives a rundown of their responses, as well as a playlist of work-from-home song selections that help the Terranova Security team build an industry-leading solution to train the world’s cyber heroes.
Here’s What the Terranova Security Team is Listening To
The survey consisted of four open-ended questions, enabling respondents to offer as much detail as they wanted about their remote work listening preferences. The first question was simple: What genre or style of music do you most often listen to while working from home?
As Figure 1 demonstrates, Terranova Security employees anointed rock/oldies as the most popular genre to listen to during a typical remote workday. A close second was ambient or lo-fi instrumentals, coming in just one vote shy of the rock and oldies enthusiasts. Pop and jazz came in third and fourth place, respectively.
(Figure 1)
When asked why their chosen genre was their go-to for music when working from home, respondents cited several prominent reasons. As seen in Figure 2, a significant portion of Terranova Security employees said their chosen genre helped them focus and, in many cases, also provided a much-needed mood or atmosphere booster.
(Figure 2)
Several other respondents also said their chosen musical genre provided them with the motivational fuel they needed to complete the day’s tasks.
There was no single winner among the Terranova Security team when it comes to their streaming service of choice. YouTube and Spotify shared the first-place spot, while Apple Music rounded out the top three. Interestingly, only one respondent replied that they didn’t listen to music via a recognized third-party streaming service.
(Figure 3)
The Official Terranova Security Working from Home Playlist
Finally, the survey asked participants to share a handful of links to songs currently in heavy rotation on their favorite working from home playlist(s) or album(s). We’ve compiled them in a YouTube playlist below, so feel free to save and share the collection of songs with your colleagues, friends, and family.
Remember to always follow your organization’s acceptable use of the internet policies. Use your personal devices to stream music instead of your work computer and network.
Recap
Music has become an integral part of many people’s remote work routines. It increases daily or weekly productivity levels and provides a motivational undercurrent to a typical workday. Perhaps more importantly, it also infuses the average home office with the positive vibes needed to block out distractions and focus on the tasks at hand.
Another crucial component of a successful work-from-home setup is the right cyber security setup. However, safe, secure remote work isn’t solely about installing antivirus software, password managers, or VPNs. It also involves having the optimal level of security awareness knowledge about the latest cyber threats and how to detect and avoid possible attacks.
Enter the Cyber Security Hub, a new online repository created by Terranova Security specifically for end users. Full of engaging, informative content that’s 100% free, end users have access to the insights they need to keep sensitive personal and organizational data secure from cyber criminals, no matter where or from what device they’re working.
The Cyber Security Hub content is also updated every quarter, so be sure to check back frequently for new infographics, blog posts, videos, and more about the most talked-about cyber security topics worldwide. Sign up for instant access today!
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Take advantage of the free Cyber Security Hub – it is your one-stop cyber security awareness and knowledge center with one-click access to our Strong Password Kit, COVID-19 Kit, Work From Home Kit, Phishing Kit and more.