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The tills are alive with the sound of music

By Thomas Sutherland

Does the playing of Christmas music in the workplace constitute ‘psychological terror’?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year according to Andy Williams, but potentially not for those forced to listen to him sing this several times a day.  Whilst the sound of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or Driving Home for Christmas results in festive cheer for most, those working in a workplace with Christmas songs on loop may be feeling more in tune with the mood of Elvis’ Blue Christmas.

In Austria, workers were driven to distraction to such an extent that their union alleged that their members were being subjected to ‘psychological terror’.  The union put forward that the continuous playing of Christmas classics, such as Jingle Bells, directly led to workers becoming ‘aggressive and confrontational’.

The union also alleged that their members started to ‘develop an aversion to Christmas music’, although who doesn’t after the eighth playing of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday?  Actually, that’s not technically true, as my girlfriend will confirm from seeing me screech it out following a day touring the Latvian Christmas Markets recently…

So what happened?  Well, the union suggested that the playing of Christmas jingles be limited to between 3pm and 4pm each day.  However, the employers concerned decided that Christmas should Stay Another Day and continued to play them on loop throughout the festive period.

The biggest anti-Christmas tunes action I’m aware of is a large Canadian Mall banning the Salvation Army’s hand-bells in order to reduce the sound of their Christmas carols, following complaints from mall workers.  Reports of the workers being placed on Santa’s naughty list for lack of Christmas spirit remain unconfirmed…

Unfortunately for shop workers here, unless the music is being played at a dangerously loud level, there is no direct employment right that protects against the playing of Christmas music!

Therefore, it appears that the tills will continue to be alive with the sound of (Christmas) music!