marylsommers: I've had cancer and now need a job

Problems at work? Need advice? Our agony uncle ? and you, the readers ? have the answers

Must I put up with the music that plays all day in our office?

I work in an open plan office ? it is a converted hall so it's a large space with high ceilings. It is a buzzy, agency environment with lots of office noise and phones ringing, and is fairly relaxed (people laughing, etc). Earlier this year, speakers were installed hanging from the ceiling all across the office, and music now plays all day.

Someone else has their finger on the sometimes repetitive playlist (music taste is not shared universally) and the volume, though controlled in three zones, is a problem because it is a big, open space, so that even if I grumpily turn it down in my zone it permeates the building from the other zones.

There was no consultation before this happened, and it's not something I welcome for what I think are good business reasons: it seriously affects concentration levels and makes phone calls to clients more difficult.

Are there any rules governing this kind of thing? I appreciate that it's not like industrial noise, where health and safety is an issue and a specified decibel count would be a suitable measure. Nonetheless, to me it represents an enforced change in the work environment and isn't well-regulated. Unfortunately "music off" seems not to be an option.

Jeremy says

I'm no expert on this sort of thing, but as far as I'm aware there are no obligations placed on employers to consult staff before introducing music to the workplace; neither do I think you have any legal right to challenge such an action. (However, your company will have had to buy a licence from the PRS for Music.)

None of this means that you are stuck forever with a tiresome distraction. The absence of legal rights doesn't prevent you and your colleagues from having an important say in what goes on in your office ? indeed, it is often much more effective to use sweet reason and amiable discussion to make your case rather than looking for rules and regulations. It's all too easy to get labelled a troublemaker. However unjustified the label may be, it can lose you support ? even the support of those who would otherwise be with you. Most people prefer a quiet life to a confrontational one.

So, without being militant about it, find out what other people think. Start by sounding out one or two; if you quickly get a sense that you're alone in your dislike of this omnipresent music, and that the majority of your workmates positively enjoy it, the only option you're left with is to attempt to negotiate the quietest space in the quietest zone on your own behalf.

But if you get the sense that you're not alone, and that most would actively welcome change, you can take the next step. And that should be not a formal, written complaint, but an entirely reasonable solution. People who come forward with positive suggestions are much more likely to get what they want than those who simply register grievances.

I know this music permeates the whole space, but I imagine that one Quiet Zone, where the speakers are turned off completely would, for example, make conversations with clients a great deal less difficult? You may have a better idea.

Don't register all your arguments at this stage, or start collecting signatures. Just make your case very simply, emphasising the impairment of concentration and difficulty with client phone calls ? and then suggest your solution. You may be surprised how easily it is accepted. Only if your company fails to respond should you start to pile on the pressure a bit.

Readers say

? Sounds hideous! As a client I would expect to hear music in the background if I phoned my hairdresser, but not if I phoned someone I was paying a considerable chunk of money for professional advice.

I think you should compile a log to show examples of lost business or lower productivity resulting from the music, and of clients complaining about the noise. If you can demonstrate that the music is detracting from, rather than complementing, the business, you may find your managers take a sympathetic view. louella72

? This would do my head in. I could understand it in a factory, warehouse or farm buildings, but not an office. What about ear plugs? Or could you get some cans to pop on? I have mine on at work if I've got a monotonous task to do or I want to blot out office irritations ? it tends to be Radio 3 at a volume where I can listen out for the phone, or if someone wants to talk to me they don't have to wave at me.

If you didn't want yet more music in your ears you could listen to tracks of sea sounds or birdsong. In the environment you describe, though, you might look a bit unsociable/weird with cans on. But sometimes you need complete quiet and to be denied that must be awful. Loud music is for the car, not the office. BeckyDavidson

I've had treatment for cancer and now I am looking for a job

I am a 50-year-old, female, full-time student on a course which finishes in June. Your advice would be appreciated on how to market myself for a part-time job following cancer, radiotherapy and chemotherapy late last year, given I am now subject to three-monthly check-ups for the next five years. How can I get people to see beyond the disease to the person, particularly as survival rates for ovarian cancer are not totally brilliant? Will an administrative job (rather than a career) be too difficult to find? I have relevant experience up until the last 18 months, and my college course has filled the gap after that.

The aftermath of cancer is a bit like puberty: you're not quite sure who you are at the time you are going through it, and your confidence afterwards is reduced, though essentially you want to get out there and keep working and living.

Jeremy says

I have some slight knowledge of Macmillan Cancer Support ? and what I know has impressed me. If you haven't already done so, do get in touch. There are other cancer-related support groups, too ? research them all thoroughly online

Such groups don't just help with nursing and counselling; they'll be extremely familiar with your own circumstance and state of mind. And while I know it's true that no two individuals experience precisely the same problems and emotions, I am pretty sure they'll be able to help you in the specific area of getting back to work.

You ask, "How do I market myself so that people see beyond the disease to the person?" The answer , I think, is that you shouldn't have to. It is just too big a burden, particularly for someone whose confidence is not at its highest level. You need initially to talk to people who understand what it is like, and who can put you in touch with potential employers who have demonstrated that they are not only capable of looking beyond the disease to the person, but are willing to do so. In other words, you're relieved of the daunting need, over and over again, to explain your circumstances, and are free to let your personality shine through.

In your letter, you do this with a wonderful clarity. You're obviously intelligent, realistic, totally without self-pity, and have an engaging self-awareness. I have every confidence that all these qualities will serve you well when talking to sympathetic possible employers.

Readers say

? Under current employment legislation you no longer need to mention your condition until after you've been offered a job. You'll most likely be asked to declare any existing medical condition at that point, but this is solely to help the employer decide what (if any) adjustment they need to make to help you do your work.

If you meet the required criteria for a job and you're turned down because you've had cancer, the employer is acting illegally. Good luck! Watty145

? Although Watty145 is technically right, I would be inclined to be up front with prospective employers about your experience of cancer and your current position. Waiting until you have been offered a job may not be the best way to start off an employment relationship, and if you are holding something like this back at interviews you are less likely to make a favourable impression.

In addition, there must be positive selling points that you can use, such as having the ability and determination to cope with adversity and having a fresh insight into what is important to you.Best of luck. rob1archon

? Someone employing you will see through your illness to the brave, focused woman beneath, and will want to help you but also benefit from your skills, loyalty and sheer tenacity. Many people are cancer survivors these days, and it touches many lives.

Use your connections to seek work and do consider a related field like a charity, as here your experience will also be inspiring and you might well get opportunities to progress. The very best of luck with it. ExBrightonBelle

Jeremy Bullmore

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