It is a truth universally acknowledged that when it comes to selecting a communal office soundtrack, there will be disagreements.
For the most part here at SESOME, we live in harmony. We are all experts and whipping up each other’s preferred hot beverage with no trouble at all, (whether it be the ‘Sanna Speciale Coffee’ or Emily’s forte ‘Builder’s Tea’) and our stomachs have synchronised to perfection when it comes to deciding the ideal moment to exit the office in search of lunch. However, this unity is shattered the second Adrian utters the well-worn phrase ‘are we feeling headphones today, or speakers?’
What with Sanna’s raging hatred of RnB, to Jamie’s ever-enduring affection for Ben Howard (not to mention his inability to regulate the decibel-level of any music he plays, thus earning himself the title ‘DJ Volume’), adhering to everyone’s musical preferences is difficult to say the least.
Since we are sure that this office gripe exists in workplaces the world over, we decided to offer up our best solutions to what we have termed ‘The Office Soundtrack Debate’:
–Radio 6: Specifically the Goddess of alternative tunes, Lauren Laverne. It has become unanimously agreed that between the hours of 10am and 1pm, the SESOME office will be recipients of Lauren’s audio gifts. From the genius of ‘Biorhythms’ to Friday’s amazing ‘Desert Island Disco’, Radio 6 provides the perfect musical middle-ground, and even once featured our beloved ex-intern Shaun as an interviewee!
–Spotify Playlists: We have found that when selecting music, it is much easier to take inspiration from the general mood of the office, as opposed to specific artists. For this, Spotify is ideal – ‘Monday Morning Coffee’ gets us in the zone at the start of the week, whilst ‘Throwback Thursday’ provides the perfect excuse for a communal sing-a-long of 90s Brit-Pop hits.
–The Song-Theme Game: Every now and then, when the day is dragging and team morale needs a boost, someone will suggest a round of this incredible office activity. It works by communally selecting a theme, and individually suggesting songs related to it. For example, some of our most successful have included ‘songs with a country in the title’, ‘songs about food’ and the classic ‘songs that at some point make reference to the numbers 18 and/or 22’.
–Headphones: Well, if all else fails…
Blog post written by Emily
