Do you want the best headset? 
Anyone who’s worked from home knows that when it comes to the potential for damaging technology products, danger lurks around every corner.
Phones can slip off the desk and come crashing down to the floor.
Computers can become victimized by random acts like spilled soda or a nice steaming hot cup of Joe. Either can be hazardous to your computer’s health.
Even your trusted headset doesn’t get a free pass when it comes to the potential for hazards and harm.
In this blog, we’ll point out 9 ways that your headset can become damaged or worse, destroyed.
Once you consider the points raised in this blog, you should be better prepared to enter your workspace each day capable of avoiding the pitfalls that can decommission your wired headset.
Home office wired headset hazard #1
Dog chews headset cord. It’s a well known fact that dogs like to chew on things. In fact, they’re not all that picky about what’s on the chewing menu for any given day. Socks, stuffed animals, slippers, books, you name it. A wired headset is not off limits to your special four legged friend.
Whether the headset was left on a dog reachable table, on the floor, or any other place where the curious canine can get to, there is risk to your wired headset. This risk clicks up a few notches if your wired headset contains the scent of that juicy hamburger you powered down at your desk earlier in the day.
Note to self. Keep the headset out of the dog’s reach.
Home office wired headset hazard #2
Baby likes the headset as a play toy. Over the decades, babies haven’t changed that much. You buy them fun and interesting toys, and they end up sitting on the kitchen floor banging some pots and pans with wooden spoons.
Whether the little tyke can walk or crawl, your wired headset is in harm's way if he or she gets a bead on it. Once noticed, the little diaper sporting toddler will invariably make a bee line to your favorite Plantronics wired headset skipping past any of the cheap, throwaway models. It’s like they have a sixth sense.
Once in hand, babies find great joy in hitting, banging and throwing these kinds of things around. Being that wired headsets have some fragilities, means that babies pose a serious risk to the health and well being of a wired headset.
Best advice? Keep your wired headset out of sight and reach of anyone in your house that wears diapers.
Home office wired headset hazard #3
Rolled over the cord with my chair. If you have an office chair that has wheels, these wheels are a known hazard to wired headsets.
In most cases, the Plantronics wired headset, Voip corded headset or whichever wired headset you’re using, will have a cord that’s long enough to allow you some freedom of movement. The cord length can also allow it to reach the floor. If the cord is on the floor while you’re rolling your office chair, the result can be hazardous.
So what’s the harm in a rolled over cord, right? Here’s the problem; wired headsets have a single cord. At least that's what it looks like on the surface. However, if you strip away the black plastic cord coating, you’ll see that there are in fact a few cords beneath what appears to be one cord.
Each of these cords also have a plastic coating (sheathing). Beneath this sheathing lies the metal cable. If you were to closely examine it, you’ll see that it’s nearly the size of a human hair.
Rolling over this cord with a chair that’s bearing your weight is enough to fracture the cord. The result? Static and/or, a phone conversations that cut in and out.
Our suggestion? Just like look before you leap, we say, look before you roll. A simple behavioral change like this can add extra years on to the useful life of your wired headset.
Home office wired headset hazard #4
Cord gets slammed into the desk drawer. When you’re in the throws of business, you aren’t always in the frame of mind to be checking where your headset cord is. Imagine you’re on an important business call and you need something from the top drawer of your desk.
Looking away you slam the drawer only to discover that your headset cord was resting over the drawer as it was slammed shut. If headsets could cry, this one would be weeping.
As noted earlier, the cords are more fragile than what most people think. A good desk drawer slam is sufficient blunt force trauma to put your wired headset into an audio tailspin..
Our recommendation? Just like look before you roll, we’d say, look before you slam. Once again, a small modification to your daily routine can put extra years onto the life of your close friend and ally, your wired office headset.
Home office wired headset hazard #5
Step on it. No, I’m not referring to speeding things up. I’m referring to what happens when you end up stepping on your wired headset. I’m not entirely sure how this happens, but believe it or not, having a wired headset on the floor isn’t uncommon. Maybe it falls off the desk. Maybe your overly playful feline was on your desk and pushed it over the edge. However this happens, it does happen.
Next comes the surprise. That’s when you come waltzing into your work area, not knowing that your wired headset is on the floor. As your size 11’s come crashing down, you hear that familiar cracking sound that’s always associated with property destruction.
Looking down your heart sinks knowing that you dealt a potentially fatal blow to your wired headset. You’re now facing the reality that you’ll be parting ways with a Benjamin Franklin for a replacement.
What we’d suggest? Just like we mentioned earlier with look before you slam, we’d say look before you step. Paying close attention to what lies before you as you make your way back to your desk will pay dividends in the long run and help you to avoid parting ways with that crisp $100 bill.
Home office wired headset hazard #6
Cord wrapped around the chair arm. Lets face it, the cord of a wired headset can just get in the way sometimes. Yes, it can end up on the floor and be at risk. It can end up getting in the way of your desk drawer and meet its demise. It can also find its way around the arm of your office chair.
That, by itself, doesn’t seem to pose much of a problem, wouldn’t you agree? But, what happens when you quickly stand up with the wired headset on your head?
In most cases, the headset is going to get ripped off your head which can be awkward especially if you’re in the middle of an important phone call. Worse yet, the cord can fracture and you’ll find yourself in the market for a replacement wired headset.
Our best advice? Yes, yes, there’s a pattern here. We’d advise that you look before you stand. Avoid the interruption to your phone call. Avoid the surprise when the headset goes unexpectedly flying off your head. Avoid the risk of injury to you and your headset.
Home office wired headset hazard #7
Twirling the cord. There’s this habit that a lot of people have when it comes to the cord on a wired headset. When they’re on a phone call, or just chatting with someone, they twirl the wired headset cord around their finger. They repeat this process over and over. Pretty harmless, right?
Not exactly. Two things happen here. First, the cord develops a memory which begins to make the cord curly instead of straight. This looks funny and begins to shorten the usable cord length.
This practice also transfers body oils to the cord which over time, causes the cord to get brittle. Later, the cord can fracture which normally leads to static and interrupted sound.
When a cord becomes brittle it’s only a matter of time before it will fail. We’d recommend that you look before you twirl. In doing so, your cord should remain supple, flexible and give you years of kink free, static free service.
Home office wired headset hazard #8
Too aggressive adjusting headband. The truth is, we all have heads that vary in size and shape. For this reason, wired headsets have the ability to adjust to these differing sizes.
One thing that can happen that’s detrimental to the health and well being of a wired headset is when someone gets too aggressive when adjusting the headband.
The headband can expand or contract in size by pulling or pushing on the band. If someone is aggressive, having a bad day or just spending too much time at the local gym, the headband can break if you get overly enthusiastic.
In most cases, if the headband breaks, the wired headset will need to be replaced. Here again, you’ll be waving goodbye to that crisp $100 bill you’ve been saving for that steak dinner.
Our humble advice? Look before you pull.
Home office wired headset hazard #9
The house cleaner. No list like this would be complete without including the ultimate scapegoat, the housecleaner.
Seems when we can’t figure out how something got broken, it can often get tied to the action of a housecleaner. Maybe there are cases where it’s true.
Likely in most cases it’s not true. But, in either case, you should never rule out the house cleaner as a distinct possibility and of course, the ultimate scapegoat.
Feel free to check out this article and video with Angela Brown title “house cleaner broke my stuff”
But if you’re like most of us, and don’t have a house cleaner, that’s when you’d default to placing blame on your spouse or significant other.
Our recommendation, don’t rule out the house cleaner.
Key Takeaways:
When it comes to wired headset safety when working from home, there are some basic things to keep in mind.
- Keep the headset away from the dog
- Keep the wired headset away from anyone who wears diapers 3. Look before your roll
- Look before you slam
- Look before you step
- Look before you stand
- Look before you twirl
- Look before you pull
- Should your wired headset break, consider blaming it on the housecleaner or your significant other.
Following these simple steps will help keep your wired headset out of harm's way, and be available to serve your business communication needs for years to come.
