Ear Buds

[IninefingersI]

I let them listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from 9:00 to 11:00.

 

[Arc-On]

I let them listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from 9:00 to 11:00.

I could see the squirrels, and they were married.

 

[Job Shopper TN]

Where I work allowed one earbud about a year ago with the common understanding you would have enough sense not to have your volume up high and not let it distract you. At first it was good for the guys, morale picked up a little bit and they got a touch more pep in their step. I just recently decided to get some earbuds myself and found it great to help focus and/or de-stress.

Unfortunately that privilege is already on its last legs. Some are constantly pulling their phones out and messing with whatever they’re listening to. Then you got the one fella (in his 50s mind you) who will be talking to his wife or somebody while halfway running a manual lathe or mill. But management never seems to be able to catch the individual, so instead the group gets punished.

I think it’s great to allow them but it has to be kept on a short leash.

 

[Trueturning]

Where I work allowed one earbud about a year ago with the common understanding you would have enough sense not to have your volume up high and not let it distract you. At first it was good for the guys, morale picked up a little bit and they got a touch more pep in their step. I just recently decided to get some earbuds myself and found it great to help focus and/or de-stress.

Unfortunately that privilege is already on its last legs. Some are constantly pulling their phones out and messing with whatever they’re listening to. Then you got the one fella (in his 50s mind you) who will be talking to his wife or somebody while halfway running a manual lathe or mill. But management never seems to be able to catch the individual, so instead the group gets punished.

I think it’s great to allow them but it has to be kept on a short leash.

Yes that one thing was probably what I noticed first about EarPods as in people in public and walking around talking to themselves. To look closer they had the ear pods in and were speaking on their cell.

It is especially distracting if it is a beautiful woman doing that especially if they are mad at some fellow.

 

[boosted]

I don't fall for the "gotta hear the cut argument", Most modern equipment has doors that refuse to open when running and you can't hear shit anyway.

95% of the old school: No broken tool detection. No tool overload detection or tool life monitoring. Door lock was bypassed 20 years ago, but if somebody wants to listen to a podcast while loading parts, they're suddenly worried about safety.

I can see the argument for listening to program prove outs, roughing, etc... But at that point, if the machinist can't use their own discretion to turn off the noise, then you really can't trust them anyways.

If your process relies on operators keeping an ear out for failing resharpened endmills, or lathe inserts that might run for 10 minutes after breaking off - that's probably on you to fix.

 

[Strostkovy]

95% of the old school: No broken tool detection. No tool overload detection or tool life monitoring. Door lock was bypassed 20 years ago, but if somebody wants to listen to a podcast they're suddenly worried about safety.

I find it's more about control. If management has to walk up to you to interrupt you instead of shouting unimportant shit from across the shop then how dare you be such a menace to society.

 

[IninefingersI]

I find it's more about control. If management has to walk up to you to interrupt you instead of shouting unimportant shit from across the shop then how dare you be such a menace to society.

You mean like telling someone they had just pumped 20 gallons of coolant onto the floor because they are busy waving waving their arms and arguing with NPR radio?

 

[boosted]

You mean like telling someone they had just pumped 20 gallons of coolant onto the floor because they are busy waving waving their arms and arguing with NPR radio?

Back in my day we only flooded the shop because were arguing with with broadcast talk radio, or arguing with the machinist across the aisle, or BS-ing the Fastenal rep, or reading a newspaper in the can.

No doubt ear buds can be an added distraction, but every shop seems to have one or two people that will always find a way to lose focus. When you try to clamp down too hard, you chase off the few employees who will hold themselves accountable, and then get left with the dregs.

 

[Arc-On]

95% of the old school: No broken tool detection. No tool overload detection or tool life monitoring. Door lock was bypassed 20 years ago, but if somebody wants to listen to a podcast while loading parts, they're suddenly worried about safety.

I can see the argument for listening to program prove outs, roughing, etc... But at that point, if the machinist can't use their own discretion to turn off the noise, then you really can't trust them anyways.

If your process relies on operators keeping an ear out for failing resharpened endmills, or lathe inserts that might run for 10 minutes after breaking off - that's probably on you to fix.

I find it's more about control. If management has to walk up to you to interrupt you instead of shouting unimportant shit from across the shop then how dare you be such a menace to society.

Back in my day we only flooded the shop because were arguing with with broadcast talk radio, or arguing with the machinist across the aisle, or BS-ing the Fastenal rep, or reading a newspaper in the can.

No doubt ear buds can be an added distraction, but every shop seems to have one or two people that will always find a way to lose focus. When you try to clamp down too hard, you chase off the few employees who will hold themselves accountable, and then get left with the dregs.

This is so much the case. The problem is almost never the earbuds. It's the operator. My BEST employees wear earbuds. If I instituted a policy banning earbuds or whatever, I would get some serious pushback from some very good quality guys. Talented employees can just go work somewhere else if they don't like my policies. I need to be competitive with pay, benefits AND shop working environment.

I know I'm more happy, productive and easy to get along with if I can listen to some tunes and the occasional podcast.

 

[Ox]

This is so much the case. The problem is almost never the earbuds. It's the operator. My BEST employees wear earbuds. If I instituted a policy banning earbuds or whatever, I would get some serious pushback from some very good quality guys. Talented employees can just go work somewhere else if they don't like my policies. I need to be competitive with pay, benefits AND shop working environment.

I know I'm more happy, productive and easy to get along with if I can listen to some tunes and the occasional podcast.

Would you care to disclose what kind of work your "best workers with budds" are dooing?
Machine setup?
Green button pushers?
Welders?
Prototyping?


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[boosted]

All of the above.

I only have half a dozen employees, but literally every one of them will have earbuds in part of the day or all day. I think for anyone under 40 it's just a part of life.

We do mostly five axis prototyping and low volume production. My "best workers" seem to magically have earbuds in whenever a part prove out is over an hour. Once parts are running production, machines are mostly unattended.

 

[Arc-On]

Would you care to disclose what kind of work your "best workers with budds" are dooing?
Machine setup?
Green button pushers?
Welders?
Prototyping?


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Pretty much all of the above.

Programming (conversational) lathe and mill, doing custom fab work, production welding, making one offs, running manual machine tools, and button pushing production.

It is common practice to pull out the tunes when you're running a virgin program or getting a new setup dialed in where you need 100% focus. The guys who are worth their salt don't need to be told when it is and isn't appropriate to use their music. I don't think I've ever had any sort of crash or problem where the buds were to blame.

Podcasts and music you like just makes the day go faster. Especially if the work is monotonous or tiring. I have stopped work, drove across town to best buy and replaced mine when they've broken mid-job. When you've got a mountain of parts to get through it helps in a major way.

I had a welder work for me for a year or two that was at least twice as productive when he has his music. The days he forgot his earbuds it noticeable. He was part time, I tried like hell to hire him full time, but he's trying to buy out his dad's sheet metal shop and didn't want to commit to my shop full time.

I try not to hire people that things like phones and earbuds are a problem. If I have to hassle someone to do their job, its probably not a good fit for us. I expect my employees to think. I don't tolerate idiots or lazy people. If the work is getting done, we're good. I recommend podcasts to my guys that I know they'll like.

I also don't have a start or end time for the day. Get here when you can, leave when the work is done. Take breaks when you're tired, eat lunch when you're hungry. I can't offer much in the way of benefits like health insurance or retirement, so I try to make the benefits more tangible for my employees. Being flexible on time and stuff like music is one way I can benefit my guys. I can't stand being a slave to a clock for no other reason than "boss man says so". So I try not to be that boss. Some days we start at 5, work until 6 or 7. Some days we don't get rolling until 8:30 or 9 and cut out at 4. It all depends on what we've got on the floor, how badly customers are yelping, or how hard we feel like pushing.

 

[IninefingersI]

No doubt ear buds can be an added distraction, but every shop seems to have one or two people that will always find a way to lose focus. When you try to clamp down too hard, you chase off the few employees who will hold themselves accountable, and then get left with the dregs.

True enough. I have a few guys that aren't at risk of ever being a Jeopardy champion. They tend to be my repeat offenders, ear buds or not.

What causes me more grief than anything is the co-eds they hired to pick up and deliver parts. As soon as they show up, productivity crashes immediately and slowly ramps back up over the next half hour. I don't know that either one of them has ever carried a box of parts to the truck, which is what they were hired to do.

 

[Ox]

Just so long as they get that same response from the customer!


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[Booze Daily]

"Whats dat noise?"

That's what I say when my wife turns on her vacuum cleaner, boy does she get hot quick

The other day my wife asked what was on the TV.
I said “dust”.

Swellings almost gone.

 

[Mike1974]

good lawd! topic about earbuds....

your shop, do what you want, but I will say I was much less productive in a shop that didn't allow ear buds or music...

 

[Ox]

good lawd! topic about earbuds....

your shop, do what you want, but I will say I was much less productive in a shop that didn't allow ear buds or music...

Well, considering that I just heard of a few stories of OSHA coming through this week and hitting small business, and mostly construction sites, maybe asking about others experiences with possible distraction devices might seem more pertinent?



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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[Mike1974]

Well, considering that I just heard of a few stories of OSHA coming through this week and hitting small business, and mostly construction sites, maybe asking about others experiences with possible distraction devices might seem more pertinent?



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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

I suppose I should clarify

I am a full time programmer for 15+ years so I don't really *need* to hear the machines running. I get if you have multiple machines to run, saws going, etc etc anywho...

 

[Joe Miranda]

Ox - I am 64 yo and I never liked rock and roll in the shop because it got on my nerves. As other have noted, I too hated working in situations where there were competing boom boxes. I like working to classical music or some jazz. I recently got Axil Ghost Stryke ear buds, they are noise cancelling and sound enhancing, I'm not sure how it works but they really do work pretty decent. I wear them occasionally in the shop if it is unusually noisy. They work ok on the range too.

 

[IninefingersI]

Just so long as they get that same response from the customer!


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Makes me wonder if I put on a pair of yoga pants, a crop top, and bat my eyelashes a little, if I can get people to fall over themselves trying to do my job for me. I think it's worth a shot.