In 2005, during my tenure at Volvo’s UK headquarters in Duxford, I found myself hitting a mid-afternoon slump. The quiet, focused hum of the open-plan office was making me feel a bit sleepy, so I decided to inject some energy into my system with a bit of "pumping" music.
I reached for my headphones, plugged them in, and selected a track guaranteed to provide a pick-me-up: Abba’s Dancing Queen. I cranked the volume, leaned back, and let the upbeat tempo wash over me. I was really getting into the groove, feeling the sleepiness lift, when I happened to look up.
Every single person in the office was staring at me.
Andrew, leaning over his desk with a look of mild concern, broke the silence. "Wow, Graeme," he said, "you might want to switch that off."
With a jolt of horror, I realized I hadn't seated the headphone jack correctly. The music wasn't thumping into my ears; it was blaring at maximum volume directly out of my computer speakers, serenading the entire department.
For a moment, I braced for a corporate reprimand for disrupting the peace. But then I remembered where I was. In an office full of Swedes, Abba isn't just music—it’s a national anthem. Instead of annoyance, I saw nods of appreciation and wide grins. They didn't care about the noise; they heartily approved of the choice.
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