Corona’s office tune

Kannan Somasundaram
Oct 24, 2021 | 20:04 IST

Once there was a clanging mix of gossip and prophecies about the next appraisal but now ...

A study has shown that Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge over Troubled Water make milch cows more productive. Perhaps the analgesic moo-sic persuades cows to shun udder waste of time, like scrolling through their friends’ posts on GrazeBook. If music can cause a spurt in cattle efficiency, can it milk a notorious herd called managers for all its worth?

As India and the world adjust to a new hybrid work culture, reports suggest that music is indeed a comforting accompanist at half-empty offices. Employees are turning to hardy classics such as Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind to water down the silence produced by Covid-era attendance rules. The office soundscape was once a clanging mix of gossip, deadline warnings, and prophecies about the next appraisal.
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