Are you allowed to listen to music whilst working in the office?

Just a quick question. I was wondering if you are allowed to listen to music whilst working? I would think that you would be allowed too. Am I right?

19 Comments
 
Best Response

The exact usage depends on the group, but yes, you are allowed to listen to music.

In some groups, analysts won't plug in the headphones until around dinner time once most of the senior bankers have left for the day. In other groups, analysts are allowed to listen whenever they want throughout the day (especially if they're grinding on a model or something). People generally dont care if it isnt affecting your work product. Just make sure to keep the volume down or one ear open so you can hear if people call out your name.

Investing in a pair of good quality headphones are also a great purchase for any analyst. Some days, I'll listen to 6+ hours of soundcloud/pandora/spotify/hypemachine etc...

 

I'm waiting for this type of technology to get cheaper: http://www.earin.com

I currently wear a pair of wireless headphones (SYNC headphones) since no one in the office gives a damn and I have my own room. When I was in consulting I used Apple earbuds with one ear in.

Currently: future neurologist, current psychotherapist Previously: investor relations (top consulting firm), M&A consulting (Big 4), M&A banking (MM)
 

Be aware that bandwidth costs money. If you're streaming stuff through your work PC and you're one of the higher bandwidth users in your team, your team leader may get a notification that you've racked up very high data usage. That can lead to conversations you'd probably prefer not to have.

I've had this happen with kids in my team. When it's someone who works hard, it's not a problem, just a friendly conversation. When it's someone who has other performance issues, the bandwidth abuse becomes another entry on the "reasons to fire" ledger.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 

I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told Bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she's filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I'm collating so I don't see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.

 

haha awesome

ARD45I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told Bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she's filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I'm collating so I don't see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.

------

"its the running joke now, we now have fair trade with china so they send us poisoned sea food and we send them fraudulent securities."

------ "its the running joke now, we now have fair trade with china so they send us poisoned sea food and we send them fraudulent securities."
 

At my place you can listen to music whenever you want but I never really see anybody doing so before about 3pm. Then again that's when the day starts to drag a bit and is usually when I reach for mine. Listening to the radio is often interesting since it lets you escape to the outside world while still sitting in the office.

 

pandora.com is pretty cool, plays songs based on your preferences. Although the songs it plays are pretty old.

 

pretty pissed that pandora no longer works in the UK grrrr and last.fm is annoying in that you can only play songs a certain no. of times before paying

 

Voluptas consequatur et sint doloribus sed alias non. Non delectus error temporibus consequatur. Quo similique quis maxime. Voluptatem ipsum et culpa accusamus ipsam quia neque. Nostrum facere autem eos accusantium. Quos et quo fuga omnis assumenda labore.

Quis magni totam aut ut. Odio ullam sed totam aut ut. Alias voluptas aut tenetur libero maiores repudiandae saepe. Ut nisi fugiat dicta possimus odit.

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”