Shadowing Practice: Are you unhappy at work? ⏲️ 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B1
Hello. This is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.
⏸ Paused
37 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Hello. This is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.
2
I'm Neil. And I'm Beth.
3
Have you ever had a horrible boss, not been paid enough or simply got tired of doing the same old boring jobs?
4
I love presenting Six Minute English, of course, but some of my previous jobs have been pretty awful, Neil.
5
When I waitressed in cafes, I was on my feet ten hours a day.
6
It was exhausting!
7
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.
8
But does it have to be like this?
9
Since most of our waking day is spent at work, how can we make sure our job doesn't make us unhappy?
10
That's what we'll be discussing in this programme and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
11
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.
12
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?
13
B. a bartender? or C. a traffic warden?
14
I think the answer might be a call centre worker.
15
OK, Beth. I'll reveal the answer later in the programme.
16
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.
17
Here's Damian Grimshaw, a professor of Employment Studies at King's College London speaking with BBC Radio 4 programme, Analysis.
18
Really it's all about pace, cost efficiencies, meeting targets and deadlines. So, this is why, when people do surveys of what we call 'work intensity', 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.
19
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.
20
That's right. A good job is about more than pay and conditions.
21
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.
22
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.
23
Here, Emma Stewart, co-founder of social business, Time Wise, tells BBC's Radio 4 programme, Analysis, about her trial project to help builders enjoy their jobs more.
24
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 the 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...
25
to a task-based way of working, which means you're 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.
26
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.
27
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.
28
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.
29
Maybe more flexible working would help some of the jobs I mentioned earlier in my question, Beth.
30
According to a recent Forbes magazine survey, what was voted the worst job in the UK?
31
I guessed it was a job I've done myself – working in a call centre. That was... the correct answer!
32
Although I think my summer job cleaning toilets was even worse.
33
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.
34
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 you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend doing things you enjoy.
35
And finally, a win-win is a situation or result that is good for everyone.
36
Once again, our six minutes are up.
37
Join us again next time, but for now, get back to work! Goodbye. Bye.

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

About This Lesson

This lesson focuses on the topic of workplace happiness and challenges that many people face in their jobs. Through the discussion in the video, you will practice listening and comprehension skills while also enhancing your vocabulary related to work culture and employee satisfaction. As you engage with this content, you'll improve your English speaking practice abilities, making it easier to express your thoughts on work experiences in everyday conversation.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Burnout: A state of physical or emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged stress or overwork.
  • Deadline: The specific time or date by which a task must be completed.
  • Breathing down your neck: An idiom meaning someone is closely monitoring your work.
  • Presenteeism: Staying at work longer than necessary to demonstrate commitment and hard work.
  • Work-life balance: The balance between work demands and personal life activities.
  • A win-win situation: An outcome that is beneficial for all parties involved.

Practice Tips

To get the most out of your learn English with YouTube experience, try shadow speaking along with this video. The pace of the conversation is moderately quick, making it effective for practicing fluency. Here's how to do it:

  • Watch the video and listen closely to the speakers.
  • Pause the video after every couple of sentences and repeat what you heard. Focus on mimicking the intonation and rhythm of the speakers.
  • Record yourself to compare your pronunciation and fluency with that of the speakers.
  • Try to summarize the key points discussed about workplace happiness and the factors contributing to job dissatisfaction, which will help reinforce your learning and speaking skills.

Utilizing these techniques will not only help you with your IELTS speaking practice but also improve your overall confidence and ability in English. Remember, the more you practice shadowing on various topics, the better you will become at expressing your thoughts clearly and effectively.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee