BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Work 2' English mega-class! 30 minutes of new vocab!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Beth.

Have you ever had a horrible boss, not been paid enough,

or simply got tired of doing the same old boring jobs?

I love presenting 6 Minute English, of course,

but some of my previous jobs have been pretty awful, Neil.

When I waitressed in cafés, I was on my feet ten hours a day. It was exhausting!

Most people have had bad work experiences at one time or another —

maybe a job that was boring, badly paid,

or just working too much and getting 'burned out' —

'lacking energy or enthusiasm because of working too hard'.

But does it have to be like this?

Since most of our waking day is spent at work,

how can we make sure our job doesn't make us unhappy?

That's what we'll be discussing in this programme,

and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

Sounds good, Beth, but first I have a question for you.

The worst job I ever had was the summer I spent

working as a portable toilet cleaner at music festivals,

but according to a recent survey by Forbes magazine,

what was voted the worst job in the UK?

Was it a) A call centre worker? b) A bartender? Or c) A traffic warden?

Hm, I think the answer might be a call centre worker.

OK, Beth, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme.

Now, it's interesting that survey was carried out in the UK,

because being unhappy at work

could be related to the British working culture,

which emphasises working at a fast pace.

Here's Damian Grimshaw,

a Professor of Employment Studies at King's College, London,

speaking with BBC Radio 4 programme Analysis.

Really, it's all about pace, cost efficiencies,

you know, meeting targets, deadlines,

so this is why when people do surveys of what we call work intensity,

right, so how hard you work, are you driven on pace?

Is there a supervisor breathing down your neck?

We score really badly compared to European countries.

Compared to some European countries,

British workers have to meet more targets and 'deadlines' —

'a time or date by which a particular job must be finished'.

The pressure to work quickly

means you might have your boss 'breathing down your neck', an idiom meaning that

'someone is watching you very closely and checking everything you do'.

Not a nice feeling to have at work!

That's right.

A good job is about more than pay and conditions.

It's one that uses your talents

and gives you some choice over how and when you work.

In 2022, Britain's biggest employer, the National Health Service, or NHS,

lost more than 15,000 nurses,

many quitting because of the long and inflexible working hours.

Another sector with long working hours is the construction industry.

Low paid, dirty and physically demanding,

construction workers also risk high levels of work-related injury.

Here, Emma Stewart, co-founder of social business TimeWise,

tells BBC Radio 4 programme Analysis

about her trial project to help builders enjoy their jobs more.

In the work that we've done within the construction industry,

we have trialled what we would call an 'output-based' way of working,

which means we shift away from this sense of presenteeism,

this sense of you are paid by the day,

you are on site from seven in the morning until the last person leaves,

maybe seven in the evening, to a 'task-based' way of working,

which means you are going to do five tasks over the course of this day.

When you've done those tasks, and you've done them well, you can go home,

but we will still pay you the same amount for the day.

They were able to deliver the projects that we worked on with them on time,

on budget, but critically, the feedback from workers

was that work-life balance scores doubled,

and they were able to reduce the amount of overtime that they did — it's a win-win.

Emma describes the current working patterns using the word 'presenteeism' —

'staying at work longer than usual',

or 'going to work when you're ill to show that you work hard'.

But this isn't an effective way to work.

Emma thinks a task-based approach is better, both at getting the job done,

and for improving 'work-life balance' —

'the amount of time you spend at work,

'compared with the amount of time you spend relaxing with your family,

'and doing things you enjoy'.

In other words, flexible working is a 'win-win' —

'a situation that's good for everyone involved'.

Maybe more flexible working

would help some of the jobs I mentioned earlier in my question, Beth —

according to a recent Forbes magazine survey,

what was voted the worst job in the UK?

I guessed it was a job I've done myself — working in a call centre.

That was the correct answer,

although I think my summer job cleaning toilets was even worse!

Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme,

starting with 'burnout' —

'lack of energy or enthusiasm because of working too hard'.

A 'deadline' is 'the time by which a particular job must be done'.

If someone is 'breathing down your neck',

they're 'watching you very closely and checking everything you do'.

'Presenteeism' means 'staying at work longer than usual to show your employer

'that you work hard and are important to them'.

'Work-life balance' is 'the amount of time spend doing your job,

'compared with the amount of time you spend doing things you enjoy'.

And finally, a 'win-win' is 'a situation or result that is good for everyone'.

Once again, our six minutes are up.

Join us again next time, but for now, get back to work! Goodbye!

Bye!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Alice.

And I'm Rob.

So, Rob, did you have a part-time job while you were at university?

Ah, yes, I worked in the student bar.

Ooh! Did you learn anything from the experience?

I learned how to pull a decent pint.

Mm. Did you learn anything else?

Yes, I learned how to add up.

Didn't they teach you that at school?

I wasn't good at doing sums in my head, you know, mental arithmetic.

But I got pretty good at it as a barman.

They didn't have computerised cash registers in my day, you see.

Oh, I didn't realise you were that old, Rob!

Anyway, the subject of today's show is young business entrepreneurs.

So, can you answer this question?

How young were the founders of Facebook and Microsoft

when they first set up their companies?

Were they a) Junior high school students?

b) High school students? Or c) University students?

And Alice, in case you think I don't know,

Facebook is an online social networking service

and Microsoft is a computer software company. OK?

Very good. Well done.

Well, I'm going to say they were b) High school students.

Well, we'll find out if you chose the right answer later on in the programme.

But let's talk now about what 'drawbacks' — or 'disadvantages' —

there are for young entrepreneurs.

What do you think, Rob?

Hmm. Well, I suppose one of the drawbacks of being young and your own boss

is that everyone who works for you is older than you!

Is that a drawback?

Well, let's consider a real case.

Young British entrepreneur Suleman Sacranie

started his first company when he was 17,

followed by another business shortly afterwards.

Then, whilst studying chemistry at university, he started his third company,

an online version of the pound shop — or dollar store in the US —

where everything in the shop is priced at one pound.

Let's listen to Suleman Sacranie talking about his company.

I'm actually quite fortunate now, compared to what I was six months ago,

cos now I've got two additional directors who have grey hair.

Actually, commercial meetings are excellent now, you know.

But, before that, I think I came across quite professional,

but you could still tell they were thinking in the back of their heads,

"I've got a kid sitting in front of me".

So, young entrepreneur Suleman Sacranie

has got two grey-haired directors working with him now.

That's right, but how does having grey-haired executives on board help, Rob?

Well, 'executives' are 'people who run a business'

and 'on board' means 'being part of a team'.

Well, to answer your question, Alice, they bring experience to the table.

I have a few grey hairs, you know — you could learn a lot from me.

Oh, I do, Rob. Every day.

And if you 'bring something to the table', it means you 'provide something useful'.

Well, what do you bring to the table, Rob?

Well, bad jokes, peanuts, crisps, cups of coffee, that sort of thing

I was going to say a 'keen mind', in other words, a 'well-developed mind',

and great business acumen!

Oh, come on, you weren't going to say that!

You're right, I wasn't.

'Acumen' means 'good judgement'.

But don't worry, you have an abundant enthusiasm that makes up for it.

But moving on now, do you think that school prepared you well for working life?

No, not really.

I studied Latin at school, and I don't use that much.

And maths — well, I never use trigonometry or calculus,

so I'm not sure how useful maths lessons were.

Mm, yes, and you only learned to add up in the university bar, after all!

Ah, yes, but I'm very good at it!

And the point is that I've got a fantastic job now.

And if you're really interested in something,

you can always 'acquire' — or 'get' — the skills you don't have.

Let's listen to successful young entrepreneur Jessica Rose

talking about her experience.

She works with jewellery.

I didn't need all these previous skills and experience

to go out there and start on my own.

When I first started, I had no business training whatsoever,

no jewellery training whatsoever, but I kind of woke up one day

and thought I'd really love to be a jewellery designer.

Which is kind of a tricky position to be in,

because it's, you know, a lot of people would say, and did say,

well, you know, you're mad.

So Jessica Rose used her savings to learn jewellery making

and then set up her own jewellery-making business.

And, despite setting out with no business experience and no jewellery training,

her enthusiasm for the article 'paid off'.

And that means 'it was successful'.

A bit like me.

Yes. OK, I think it's time for the answer to today's quiz question.

I asked how young were the founders of Facebook and Microsoft

when they first set up their companies?

Were they a) Junior high school students?

b) High school students? Or c) University students?

Mm, I said b) High school students.

Hmm, and you were wrong, I'm afraid, Rob. Sorry.

— Ah, again. — Yes.

Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates were both university students

when they started their companies.

Zuckerberg was studying at Harvard in the US when he launched Facebook in 2004.

And Bill Gates took a break from Harvard to launch Microsoft in 1976,

but never returned to his studies.

Ah, both at Harvard — that's a coincidence.

— Mm. — I wonder if the bar there was any good?

Now can we hear the words we learned today?

Yes. OK.

They are:

drawbacks,

executives,

on board,

bring something to the table,

keen,

business acumen,

acquire,

paid off.

Thanks, Alice.

Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

We hope you've enjoyed the new vocabulary that we brought to the table.

Very good.

Please join us again soon!

— Bye-bye! — Bye!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Sophie.

And I'm Neil. Sophie, did you go to the corporate awayday last week?

Yes, you didn't miss anything.

A team building guru lectured us on how to work more effectively with each other.

We gave some presentations, had a few drinks after.

Right. OK.

An 'awayday' is 'a day that employees spend together,

'away from their usual workplace'.

And a 'guru' is 'an expert in something'.

So, did this guru teach you anything new, Sophie?

No, not really.

Ah, shame.

I was hoping for some tips on how to work more effectively with my co-presenter.

I think we work very effectively already, Neil.

Now, today's show is about 'team building' —

or 'encouraging employees to work well together as a team

'by getting them to engage in different types of activities'.

And apparently, some companies in the UK are offering their employees activities

such as Hunger Games-style combat days

where teams must work together to "kill" as many of the opposing team as possible.

Have you seen the Hunger Games movies, Sophie?

Yes.

There are also zombie boot camps

where military instructors train you on how to fight 'zombies' —

that's 'dead people who have come back to life'.

For the more 'cerebral' — or 'brainy' — among us,

there are crime investigations modelled on popular TV dramas like Sherlock Holmes.

Well, I'm not sure about the zombie boot camp —

'a boot camp' is 'a short course of hard physical training' —

but the Sherlock Holmes awayday sounds like fun.

I'd definitely go for the zombie experience,

though I'm not sure how it connects with most people's working lives.

Violence, death, the living dead?

Good point.

So let's move on and have today's quiz question.

What did Chairman Mao introduce in China in 1951

as a compulsory activity for workers

and was reintroduced by the government a few years ago?

Was it a) Calisthenics?

b) Calligraphy? Or c) English language lessons?

'Calisthenics', by the way, is 'a type of gentle physical exercise'.

And 'calligraphy', by the way, is 'the art of writing by hand with a special brush'.

Well, I'm going for a) Calisthenics.

Not English language lessons, Sophie?

No. I'll stick with calisthenics, thanks.

OK. Well, we'll find out later if you're right or not.

Now, whilst English lessons might sound like hard work,

ukulele lessons are apparently catching on.

A 'ukulele' is a 'musical instrument'.

Top businessmen Bill Gates and Warren Buffett both do it,

and stressed-out city workers are following their lead.

Here in the UK, a number of companies

have been holding ukulele team building sessions.

That sounds amazing.

And is there anything about the ukulele in particular

that leaves people feeling better after they've played it?

Let's hear more about this from Lorraine Bow,

who teaches people to play the instrument.

But listen with attention,

because she spoke on the phone and the line wasn't great.

Well, I guess it's just the fact that, you know,

people don't often sing in their everyday lives

and it's the fact that you can play and sing — play a musical instrument —

within an hour, it's quite a, you know, it's quite a fulfilling thing really.

It's not competitive, it's quite easy to do

and it's a bit less intimidating than a guitar.

Lorraine, the ukulele teacher,

also says her classes aren't competitive or 'intimidating'.

Which means 'something that makes you feel nervous'.

Now, before we hear the answer to today's quiz question,

let's hear about a company in Abu Dhabi

where leadership is taught through horse training.

Basically, you have to go in the yard with a horse

and persuade it that you're the boss by using body language.

Here's Kelly Eide, co-founder of the company,

explaining why she thinks this approach works.

The horses don't care if your hair is purple, if you're a man or a woman,

if you're old or young, if you are what religion.

So it transcends all of those cultural boundaries.

It transcends age, gender, religion, tradition, et cetera,

so that's a perfect fit.

And in an organisation where you really need groups of people to gel,

who come from backgrounds which have no common norms,

you can teach that most efficiently with a horse.

To 'gel' with someone means 'to connect or get on well with someone'.

So you try and get the horse to do what you want using body language

and the horse feels instinctively whether or not you are a natural leader,

because it doesn't recognise cultural differences, hair colour and age.

Probably easier said than done.

Indeed!

Now, remember I asked what did Chairman Mao introduce in China in 1951

as a compulsory activity for workers

and was reintroduced by the government a few years ago?

Was it a) Calisthenics? b) Calligraphy? Or c) English language lessons?

I said a) Calisthenics.

Well, you're right on the button! Well done there, Sophie!

Calisthenics are used at schools as a warm-up for physical education classes,

during sports day activities,

and by some companies as a way of building morale and a sense of group unity,

as well as to raise energy levels and encourage good health.

Now 'shake a leg' — or in other words 'get moving' —

and tell us the words we learned today.

They are:

awayday,

guru,

team building,

cerebral,

bootcamp,

calisthenics,

calligraphy,

synchronise,

intimidating,

gel,

shake a leg.

Well, that's the end of this 6 Minute English.

We hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to join us again soon!

— Goodbye. — Bye-bye.

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello, I'm Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute English.

With me in the studio today is Neil. Hello, Neil!

Hello there, Rob.

Now, I bet you have an impressive CV, Neil.

'CV' is short for 'curriculum vitae' —

that's a Latin expression we use for the document

in which people list their work history, education, interests and abilities.

In other parts of the English-speaking world, it's called a resumé.

Now, Neil, I know you're a very good teacher and producer,

but does your CV actually shine?

Well, I hope it's good enough to impress hiring managers,

but it's a challenge to prove on a piece of paper or online document

that you're really better than the other people

who are competing for the same position.

Hm. Today we're talking about CVs

and you'll learn some words related to this topic,

which will especially interest 'jobseekers' —

that's what we call 'people looking for work'.

Yes, and jobseekers have to worry about having an impressive CV,

so they get that call for a job interview.

Yes, the CV is just the beginning.

And, as you mentioned job interviews, I'll ask you a question all about this.

According to a recent survey, managers decide quite quickly

if they're going to really consider giving a candidate a job or not.

So, when you go for a job interview how long do you have, on average,

to make a good enough impression for an employer to hire you?

Do you have a) Less than three minutes?

b) Less than five minutes? c) Less than ten minutes?

Well, I think it's probably quite short, so I'm going to go for b) Five minutes.

Well, you'll have the correct answer — the result of this survey —

at the end of the programme.

But people have done all sorts of unusual things to reach the interview level.

One of them is Briton Daniel Conway,

who went from posing shirtless in the street

with the phrase "employ me" written on his chest

to uploading a video on social media asking to be hired.

Ah, this video went 'viral' — it means 'became popular very quickly'.

In it, his daughter appears next to the phrase "give my dad a job".

Yes. Daniel Conway tells us about his experience looking for work.

Which word does he use when he says he wanted to be noticed?

I just thought as a young naive kid that I would kind of walk into a job,

but the truth is, you know,

there are a lot of good people out there who've got just as great skills

and I realised at that point,

you've got to stand out and get your strengths across.

He uses the phrasal verb 'to stand out' —

it means 'to be more visible than others in a group' so that he can be noticed.

Dan Conway uses another phrasal verb — get your strengths across —

to 'get something across' means to 'make something clear'.

In this case, he wants the employer to understand how good he is

as a potential employee, his strengths and his good qualities.

And did he get the job?

Well, yes, he did

and I'm glad to say that after four years,

this 29-year-old man got a job marketing vitamins!

Well, we can say he was good at marketing himself.

Yes, we can.

Well, he was bold and courageous

in his attempts to catch potential employers' attention.

He showed a quality described by career coach Corinne Mills.

Listen to what she says and tell me

what is the quality jobseekers have to show for sure?

Oh, you've got to be confident!

I mean, if you are not confident about your skills and abilities,

then why should an employer have faith in you? So, don't be modest.

This is your opportunity to really show your skills and experience

and what a great performer you're gonna be in the job.

The career coach says you've got to be 'confident'!

It means 'self-assured, believe in your capacity to do things'.

And sometimes we feel that it isn't nice to say, "I'm very good at this,"

or, "I'm wonderful at that," but she advises you not to be modest.

Exactly. 'Modest' means 'humble, moderate when talking about your abilities'.

You know, Rob, I've got some top tips for people writing their CV.

OK, well, let's have them.

Yes. Here is the first one.

You have to be 'concise' —

it means 'brief, give the information in a few words'.

Maybe you could write a brief profile at the top and keep the CV to just two pages.

Thank you. That's a good bit of advice.

And I think you should give evidence of success in previous jobs.

If a presentation you did helped you to get a client, you should include it there.

And be 'accurate', in other words, be 'precise and tell the truth'.

Don't invent things.

And you should also remember to check your spelling and grammar!

Oh, yes, that's very important.

Well, we wish everybody success when writing and sending out their CV,

and we hope they are called for a job interview,

in which they have a very short period of time to leave a good impression.

Indeed! So how long after all is this period of time, according to your survey?

Did I get the answer to the question you asked

at the beginning of the programme right?

Well, I asked you how long do you have, on average,

to make a good enough impression for an employer to hire you?

Do you have less than three minutes,

less than five minutes, or less than ten minutes?

And I said less than five minutes.

And you're wrong.

The correct answer is actually less than ten minutes,

so you have a little bit longer.

Jobseekers have, on average, just six minutes and 25 seconds

during the first meeting to impress potential employers.

That's according to a new study from the website monster dot co dot uk.

And we're almost out of time,

so let's remember some of the words we said today, Neil.

CV, viral,

to stand out,

get your strengths across,

confident,

modest,

concise,

accurate.

Thank you. Well, that is it for today.

Do log on to BBC Learning English dot com to find more 6 Minute English programmes.

— Until next time, goodbye! — Bye!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Welcome to 6 Minute English.

I'm joined today by Finn. Hello, Finn.

Finn?

Hello, Finn?

— Oh, sorry, Rob, you caught me napping. — Ah!

It's that time of day when I need to 'nod off' — or in other words, 'fall asleep'.

Well, 'sleeping on the job' — or 'sleeping at work' — is no bad thing

and I hope today's programme will wake you up

to the idea that sleeping in the workplace might be a good thing.

Oh, really! Well, that's good to hear.

I would have thought that sleeping at work was against the rules.

Not in every office, Finn,

and I'll tell you why soon as well as explaining some sleep-related vocabulary.

But now you're wide awake, how about a question?

Mm, OK, let's hear it.

Right, well, when the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was in power,

she did her job with very little sleep.

But do you know how many hours of sleep she is said to have had each night?

Was it a) Three hours? b) Four hours? Or c) Five hours?

I always thought she 'got by', she 'managed' her job,

with just four hours of sleep a night, Rob.

— Right, not much, is it? — Mm, yeah.

Well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on.

I'm not sure if she chose not to sleep for long

or she just wasn't able to sleep for long.

Someone who can't sleep is called an 'insomniac'.

And I'm certainly not an insomniac!

I enjoy sleeping all night and some of the day too.

And Rob, you said napping during the day is a good thing?

Yes. It's always nice to have a short sleep — or what I call '40 winks' —

during the day, but when you're at work, this can be a problem.

In some companies, like Google and the Huffington Post,

workplace naps are positively encouraged.

They're seen as a way to make staff more productive.

Yes, so you mean they work harder and are more creative

because a 'power-nap' — or a 'quick sleep' —

can make workers feel refreshed and more alert.

I really like the sound of this, Rob!

Yeah, me too! And an Australian health writer called Thea O'Connor

is a founder of a campaign called Nap Now

which is trying to make sleeping at work more acceptable.

She calls herself a 'naptivist'! Let's hear from her now.

What does she say is stopping us from doing this?

I think that our culture is a bit crazy not to embrace it,

and one of the reasons we don't is our attitude, you know,

it's quite counter-cultural to do nothing in order to get ahead.

I just really see that it's time to disrupt the prevailing work ethic

which is all about work longer and harder.

Right, so she wants us to 'embrace' — that's to 'accept' —

the idea of a workplace power-nap.

But it is our 'attitude' — 'the way we think about work' —

that stops society from accepting this.

Yes, she explains that it's 'counter-cultural' —

so 'going against the normal way of thinking' —

to actually do nothing and have a snooze.

That's why she's trying to 'change' — or to 'disrupt' —

our current work ethic of working longer and harder.

She believes this doesn't necessarily bring better results.

But Rob, is this idea just a 'fad' —

'something that's popular for a short while'?

Maybe, but research has certainly shown that good quantity and quality of sleep

— is important for our wellbeing. — Mm.

A few years ago, research by the East of England Development Agency

found 30% of people have their best ideas in bed,

compared to just 11% who have them at their desk.

It called for companies to install beds in the workplace.

Right, well, there aren't any in our office that I can see yet, Rob.

— No, no. — But I think putting beds

or areas for naps in the office

would help us workers feel more able to rest and recharge our minds.

Yes, but an alternative idea would be to change our working hours.

The UK's Sleep Council claims the nine-to-five work culture

doesn't fit into the natural sleeping pattern of the human race

and bosses need to introduce a more sleep-friendly working day.

Ooh, yes, that sounds like a 'siesta' to me —

'a short period of sleep in the middle of the day'

that people in warm places like Spain often have.

Well, my problem with a siesta

is that if I have a sleep in the afternoon I'd never wake up!

— Never at all? — No!

Well, before you nod off now, Rob,

could you please tell me the answer to today's question?

Yes. I asked you if you knew how many hours of sleep

the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher,

is said to have had each night? Was it three, four or five hours?

I said four hours, Rob. Was I right?

— Indeed, Finn. You are right. — Wow.

— Four hours. — For once!

Yes, it's often been said she needed just four hours of sleep —

— but only on weekdays, OK? Not weekends. — OK, long lie-in at weekends.

Well, before you have another power-nap,

could you remind us of some of the vocabulary we've heard today?

Of course. We heard:

napping,

nod off,

sleeping on the job,

insomniac,

40 winks,

power-nap,

naptivist,

attitude,

counter-cultural,

work ethic,

wellbeing,

nine-to-five,

siesta.

Well, we hope you've enjoyed today's programme.

Please join us again soon for another 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

Bye-bye.

— Bye! — Back to sleep!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.