Workplace Songs: Developing a Framework for Research and Teaching

This essay provides some preliminary thoughts about a topic which has remained largely unexplored in the field of domestic and comparative industrial relations: the role of workplace songs in the employer/employee relationship. While a substantial literature exists with regard to the role that music plays in other areas of our life, little research has been done regarding the role that music plays in the workplace. The essay discusses the extant literature on workplace songs and provides some ideas for future research, as well as some thought about ways to incorporate workplace songs as a topic of discussion in industrial relations and related courses.