This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 169, English to make your first day at work smooth. welcome to the business english podcast from all ears english get the english skills you need to achieve your dreams in global business for a presentation a meeting or your office party this is real business english with your favorite american hosts lindsay and michelle coming to you from new york city and colorado usa Still translating in your head when you speak English?
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Hey, Michelle, how's everything going today?
Hey, Lindsay. Good. How are you? Good to see you.
I know I've taken a journey across the United States with my dog and we are now here on the East Coast hanging out with my parents.
So I'm I am podcasting from the beach today, Michelle, but it's not a beachy day.
Yeah. Oh my gosh. No, it's, it's not nice here either today.
And it's kind of fun because we are in the same time zone right now for a little while.
We used to be all the time in the same time zone when I lived in Boston and now we're synced up again.
So we can have a lot of fun here on business English today.
Yes. Well, welcome to 9 30 AM on the East coast.
Well, thank you. I know. I know. I like it.
Well, what are we getting into today for our business listeners?
All right. Well, Lindsay, do you think the first day of a new job is intimidating?
I do, Michelle. I mean, how can it not be?
Right. Because we all just want to do well at our work.
And so, yeah, I do think it is. Do you think it is?
Yeah, I do, because there's so much to learn, so many people to meet, names to remember, details.
What's that key word that they use is onboarding, right?
Onboarding. That's an important word for our listeners.
What is onboarding, Lindsay? So that means basically going through whatever process your company has for learning the ins and outs.
Oh my gosh, we're dropping so much vocabulary.
So many things. The ins and outs of the company, learning the ropes, right?
So you are learning how do you file for PTO, the very basic things, and then you'll get more into your subject area, what exactly you're going to be doing.
So sometimes this means you spend a week doing like a learning management system, like courses.
Sometimes that's what happens, Michelle.
Right. And it's just like all new systems and different things.
Like for one of the places where I teach, we do a lot of test rating over videos.
So there's a special system to learn, like how do you put in your annotations?
What do you press? You know, just things like that that are...
At first, it's very overwhelming. And then over time, it's second nature.
I don't even think about those things now.
I could do it in my sleep. It's so true.
Yeah. So but guys, that onboarding. So that's our key word for right now is that's that's a big process.
So if you are about to start a job, though, first of all, congratulations.
And second of all, this episode is for you.
But guys, this is useful for everyone. So we want to direct you also to a couple other episodes.
We did episode 161 was good leaders send signals how to do it in business English.
And then we did a similar episode to this one.
But the other way around was episode 147, how to help your new coworker with first day jitters in English.
So that's thinking about the other side.
So today we are jumping into the person whose first day it is and how can you handle that?
Yeah, I love how the first one we did, you know, first we did it from the perspective of someone else whose first day it is, right?
I like that, right? Thinking about other people, building that connection because that person really needs support.
Now we're in that position, right? From the perspective of day, right? today's episode, and we're going to learn what we can do.
I mean, the key here is, you know, I've seen friends and family kind of onboarding at different companies over the last few years, right, especially with the work from home era.
And you can be a little disconnected at first, right?
Because you're doing usually online courses or some type of, as we said, onboarding program, you're not in the weeds yet with your co workers who you're going to be working with.
So that's the problem, right? So we need to do certain things to reach out and get to know people.
So that's what we're all about today, Michelle.
Yeah, exactly. And guys, before we get into this further, we want to remind you to hit follow wherever you are listening to the Business English podcast.
Guys, let us come to you. Make it easy. The episodes will just show up for you.
You don't have to search for them. so easy i love it so we have a couple of tips first michelle and then we're going to go into a role play and i'm sure some already some amazing vocabulary has come out but probably more will come too yes yes yes yes so all right we have four major tips so the first one is take it slow um you know you're not going to learn everything at once like lindsay said there's this whole onboarding process eventually just kind of realize that you will be able to It will become second nature.
So second nature is another good vocabulary for today.
So second nature means something you have to do without even thinking about it.
Right, Lindsay? Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Michelle, what was it like for you onboarding at the radio station when you interned there?
What was that like? Very interesting. I mean, yeah, I had to learn.
I mean, as an intern, I had to learn how to answer the phone calls.
I had to learn a computer system because we would communicate with the host of the show.
And we would screen the calls. And so we would ask a question on the air.
And then we would have people call in. And so we would answer and you would have to choose, you know, the best, the person with the best story, they would give you a quick answer.
And then you choose the ones with the best, the ones that should be on the air talking to the host and you put it into a computer system, basically the summary so that they know.
So, Those are certain things, you know, full screening.
And so I remember learning that and getting comfortable with that.
And then there were tons of other things that we did.
But yeah, it was, yeah, it was okay. Yeah, that's a fun fact.
Just a side point. I always wondered how that works when you call in, when someone calls into a radio DJ, I figure they just take whatever call comes in, who's on the line, but I guess not.
So these are things that maybe we don't know until we start working in a certain industry, right?
Right. At least where I was. I mean, it's possible that we took some calls right away, like depending on what we needed.
But but yeah, for like a story, you want to make sure you're getting a good good answer.
For sure. I love it. So those are that's a skill you didn't have before the first day, I imagine, especially as an intern.
So you had to learn this stuff from scratch. right so what is something we could say around this idea of taking it slow getting into something new michelle what could what's a phrase i mean you could just say something like i'm excited to get into some new projects or you could say lindsay i liked an expression you used you said i'm you said learn the ropes so you can yeah oh i'm excited to learn the ropes Yeah.
I mean, I think the most important key here is be enthusiastic.
You know what I mean? Be positive, first of all.
That might be an Americanism to be positive, but I think it never hurts to have a positive face, have a smile, go out there, show enthusiasm, show a learning attitude.
Right? Yes. Yeah. Love it. Love it. So what's a second tip?
Yeah. So don't be afraid to ask questions.
You have to ask questions on your first day.
It's better if you ask these things now when you have no idea rather than down the line when you should already know it and then it gets complicated.
Right, Michelle? Yes. It reminds me of, have you ever been in the situation where you ask somebody their name and you first meet them and then you just, you don't use their name for whatever reason and you've forgotten it and you feel awkward and then... Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah. I have a problem with names. Sometimes I blank out when people tell me their names and then it's like two months later, like, what was your name?
Yeah. it's not good it's not good no it's it's tough it's tough um so yeah it's better to ask as these things come up don't be don't be shy don't be afraid you're new right it's okay yeah and I love this construction Michelle that we have here to teach our listeners today this one is really good because it can work for a lot of types of questions that our listeners might want to ask what is that question yeah you could say well it's funny because it's not quite it's almost leads to a statement rather than a question so it says i was wondering about so you could say i was wondering about um how the the operating system works i was wondering about the meeting schedule Yes.
I was wondering about like working schedules or so many things.
Right. But it does work for a lot of questions that you want to ask.
So that's a nice broad question, a broad question starter, Michelle.
Right. Right. Yes. Yes. Next one is to introduce yourself.
Right. Of course. Don't forget that. Yeah.
Tell us more. Yeah. Well, yeah. I mean, I think it can be normal to feel a little bit shy or intimidated by especially if there's a lot of people.
But you got to do it. You know, if, if, especially if you're working next to someone, take the time to introduce yourself.
Um, if there's a if it's a large company and a huge room you know you don't have to go around to every single person and introduce yourself right away that will start to come up over time but at least the people in your immediate surroundings that you're going to be working with so just take that time um it can be a little intimidating um but you never know who's going to end up being your best friend at work you know we've talked about work Work wives, work husbands, work, you know, all these things like these fun relationships and friendships that can come up.
So, you know, maybe even ask someone if they want to join you for lunch.
You know, you just try and be a little bit open.
Yeah, I love that idea. So something very go keep it simple here, guys.
Right. Very simple. It's about that connection.
So say something like, hi, I'm Lindsay. It's my first day.
OK, that is very straightforward. You really don't have to say anything else.
And then kind of let them take the lead a little bit.
It's always good to hang back a little bit, be open, but let other people talk more in the beginning, I think.
Right, right, right. To get the feel, to see, just observe a little bit, be friendly, but also it's okay to observe also and see.
Because you have a whole set of, there's so much to learn.
You have all the ins and outs of your job.
Then there's also just that company culture.
Do people go to lunch together? Do people eat at their desk?
All these things that you're kind of going to be observing in the first few weeks.
Yeah, I mean, I think this goes also for strategic meetings in the beginning.
This might be a little bit controversial because in American business culture, you are judged by kind of how much you talk in a way.
But I think you are at least. Would you agree with that, Michelle?
You're kind of judged by how interactive and how involved you are in a conversation in a meeting, let's say.
Would you agree? Yeah. Yeah. I think so I I think a lot of times you know people might feel pressure to say something just to say something because just because that's valued so sometimes I mean have you ever been in a meeting where you just feel like okay everyone else is talking I better say something all the time I hate that and and in school we had um participation scores yeah it came from our schooling for me it came from my schooling so many years of having a participation score and that tells you what our culture values but what i'm saying here is that is not if you're in a smart company and you have a smart boss that is not the the judge of value right so actually a strategic person at a company might actually hang back and be a little more quiet and spend a lot of time listening in the beginning in the first few meetings obviously be interested be engaged be writing things down then you're really truly listening to what's going on with this company.
We can get into this later when we get into actual meetings, right, Michelle?
But the idea of just doing a little more listening than speaking in the beginning, I think shows competence.
Yeah. And I mean, this makes me think of learning English in general.
Sometimes people do want to hang back a little bit more, listen before they jump in a whole ton.
So it's a strategy. It's a way of doing things.
Yeah, for sure, for sure. And then what is the fourth piece of advice for our listeners for their first day of work?
All right. Well, bring things to make your office space happy.
Now, this doesn't have to be all on the first day and you don't want to come in with like a suitcase full of things on your first day.
It would be a little bit awkward. But think about in the first, maybe not the first day, but the first couple of weeks, like slowly making the space your own.
Maybe you have a picture of your family, maybe a decoration, a plant, whatever it is.
But it's always nice to have things that make you happy at work.
Yeah, for sure, for sure. And I wonder how much of this, because I was reading an article in the Boston Globe, now that I'm here in Boston, I'm reading the Globe in the mornings, and it was saying how a lot of companies like State Street Bank and these companies in downtown Boston, corporates, are actually rearranging their offices, and I think there's a lot more multipurpose space. so like there are desks when people are in the office and then that space is being used another day for a company retreat or a large like a webcam meeting with some people who are remote so i think people might be starting to move around more i don't work in the corporate world so i don't know right But I think people are moving around the office more.
They're in three days a week. They're out two days a week.
So this might be changing a little bit. So obviously observe your coworkers.
Are they bringing in plants and pictures?
You know, follow what they're doing for this kind of thing.
Yeah, right, right, right. Exactly. So but if you're not sure, you could always say to your boss or whoever showing you around, is it OK if I bring my, you know, is it OK if I bring my, you dog small you know they do yeah is it okay if i bring my plant or is it okay if i bring some pictures of my family that kind of thing um we'll do another episode another day about bring your dog to work day because that happens too in american business culture you know It absolutely does.
I actually didn't know. Oh, yeah, totally.
It happens. Yeah, for sure. My dog could never be in the workplace, though.
He would not do well. Oh, I'm imagining Kiefer being like dressed up for work, like business smart.
A little bow tie. Yeah. I love it. I love it.
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Exclusions apply. See details online. All right, Michelle.
So let's put this all together in a role play for our listeners.
What do you think? Let's do it. So you are new and I am your cubicle mate at work.
So I will be working very close to you in proximity in the office.
All right, here we go. Hi, I'm Lindsay. It's my first day.
Hi, Lindsay. I'm Michelle. Welcome. I'm excited to learn about the company and get into some projects here.
Definitely. I know it's overwhelming, but you'll get the hang of everything quickly.
Thanks. Do you mind if I bring my plants?
Sure. Sure. I love greenery. So I was wondering about lunch breaks.
Do people usually eat lunch while working or what?
Oh, no. Our boss encourages us to actually take a lunch break.
Oh, that's amazing. I'd love to get lunch if you're interested.
Oh, I can't today, but tomorrow. Great. Nice.
Now you have a little hole. Oh, that's okay.
I filled in the blank. I filled in the blank.
You did. You did it. You did it. Yes. You're very good.
All right. So what do we do here? What did we do here?
All right. Well, you introduced yourself and you said, hi, I'm Lindsay.
It's my first day. Yeah. And then I said, I'm excited to learn about the company and get into some projects.
So as we taught you guys, I'm excited to what was the construction?
I'm excited to do something or to get into something.
Right. Yes. yes um and then you said uh do you mind if i bring my in my plants now the other one you could say uh is it okay if i but if if this one sounds a little bit more for this situation like you know you're not my like i'm not your boss here right so you're just saying oh do you mind if like oh maybe just in case there's allergies or something that's bothersome but you're not saying is it okay Yeah, and also because the person's right next to you.
So if the person's right next to you in the cubicle, I would advise in general, maybe stay away from like the plants that grow on things and kind of scale up.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or you don't want to be that person that's creating a jungle in your cubicle.
Yes, right, right. We're just being silly here, but succulents are great.
Succulents are small. They're really tasteful.
They don't need much watering. You could probably leave it there on vacation.
But again, check in with how your office is configured now, because after the pandemic, a lot of things, at least in the U.S., have changed around static desks.
I have a feeling are going to become less common because people are in the office three, two days a week at home, three days a week, for example, in many places.
Mm hmm. Very interesting. Yeah. Lindsay, we don't really get to see how that is because our jobs are not, you know, like in the office.
So yeah, I'd be interested to hear more.
It's true. We have some insider connections to the corporate world.
Every once in a while, I listen in on calls and take notes on the vocab.
So yeah. Do you really? Yes, I do. I love it.
That's so funny. Yeah, we have our sources on the corporate world here, guys.
We do. Very strong sources. So it's good.
Anything else we said here, Michelle? All right.
Well, you said I was wondering about lunch breaks.
OK, so I was wondering about and then say it.
I really like that, you know what I mean?
Because it's kind of broad. It's not you are directly asking the person a question after that, but it opens up the topic.
I was wondering about lunch breaks. I was wondering about vacations.
And it's kind of nice that you're not necessarily asking your boss here.
Ask a co-worker. Right. That's a smart route to go.
Right. Yes, that is good. Yeah, there's sometimes when it's okay to ask the boss, but there are some times when you can just kind of get the answer from your coworker.
You don't need to bother your boss with those details.
A hundred percent. And now we have a lunch date tomorrow.
I love it. So we're going to get to know you tomorrow, get to know my coworker, and I'm off to a really strong start.
Michelle, what is our takeaway for our listeners today for their first days at work?
All right, guys. So we'll listen to that other episode that we told you about, about how to be a helpful coworker.
That's episode 147, remember, of the Business English podcast.
And it takes time to adjust to a new job.
We gave you some tips on how to do it. We talked a little bit about company culture, things that you can do to make yourself comfortable, ways to introduce yourself.
We talked about some key vocabulary words today like onboarding and learn the ropes.
So we just hope that if you are starting a new job, that you can use some of these tips and have a great start.
Yeah. And I would say, you know, your key for those first few days, listen a lot, be positive, right?
Be energetic, be positive and listen a lot, right?
Because that will set you up for really great success.
I love it. Awesome. All right. Thanks for hanging out with me today.
I'll talk to you soon. All right. Bye, Lindsay.
Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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