This is the Business English Podcast episode 455.
Does your English take a toll on your work performance?
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Hey there, Michelle. Happy Tuesday. How's it going today?
Happy Tuesday. Everything is good. Lindsay, Lindsay does so much podcasting ever take a toll on your voice?
It does sometimes take a toll, especially some days I'll do a recording with you and then I'll have a guest thing in the middle of the day and then I'll record with Aubrey.
By the end of that day, yeah, it has taken a toll on my voice.
Yes. Oh my gosh. Yeah, I bet. So today we're going to talk about this really useful expression, which is take a toll so guys before we get into it, you want to make sure that you hit the follow button wherever you're listening to the Business English Podcast.
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Right. Good. All right. So take a toll. This is very common to say something takes a toll.
But what does it mean, Lindsay? It kind of means just to wear you out or something. down it wears you out it wears you down so make something worse in some way more tired more burnt out, less healthy, less energetic, right?
Yes. Right. Exactly. And how we use it, we often say something like, something takes a toll on something else.
So does podcasting take a toll on your voice, right? right um yes so another thing you could say is so much sleep Well, too much sleep deprivation takes a toll on mental and physical health.
Or you can say you can shorten it and you could just say it takes a toll.
Right. And people will know what you mean when you say that.
Right. Right. Lindsay, why would this be useful in business?
In business, it's good to be honest. Relationship building happens because we're honest.
So if something is too much. for you, too much for the company, you need to explain that.
This could help you pace yourself, your scheduling, just being honest again about what, you know, what's good for you, what's not good for you, what's good for employees, what's not good.
Okay, transparency. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
So it's really, it's kind of about awareness of what's going on.
It shows that you are thinking on a deeper level.
So let's do a couple more examples here.
I know our company is doing well, but all of these cancellations do start to take a toll.
Yeah. And so you don't need to say, take a toll on me.
You don't have to. You could just stop and we understand what you're saying.
Exactly. Exactly. Mm hmm. Heavy and strict deadlines are taking a toll on our team and their quality of work.
I think we should meet with them. Right.
So yeah, it shows you kind of have your finger on the pulse.
Right. You see what's going on with. yourself or with your employees, with your team.
With the company, there's so much that you can use this about.
You can really use it about anything. Sure.
As a leader, it's important to be aware of what's going on.
And are your policies affecting your employees in a negative way?
Is it making... hard for them to be happy at work, right?
We need to know that and be ready to articulate it.
Yeah, exactly. Or here's another example.
I'm fine with this pace for now, but it might start to take a toll on me if it continues past the fall.
So, yeah, maybe you are in a super busy season and you're kind of keeping up. the longer it goes on the harder it's going to get the more of a toll it will take Exactly.
Or I decided to change careers. All those night shifts were taking a toll on my health.
And here's where we do add something. What is the thing that is being taken a toll on?
And that is your health. Okay. Right. And you could just say all those night shifts were really taking a I don't know.
It would sound a little bit empty if you didn't. say what they were talking at all.
Yeah, that one would be a little bit weird, right?
I think you could get away with it. Just like we've said, you don't have to finish the phrase.
Actually, I think you could say that, Michelle.
I decided to change careers. All those night shifts were taking a toll.
Period. There's no reason why you can't.
I don't think. But it's just... I feel like it's missing something, but it doesn't have to be.
It's okay. It depends on how specific you want to be.
Is the issue your health? Is the issue your family?
Right. Right. Taking a toll on my family, maybe because I was always gone at night.
Or my health or something else. Right. Relationship.
Right. Interesting. Right. So you can really fill in the blank what they were taking a toll on.
And if everybody kind of knows what they were taking a toll on, you don't necessarily need to have it.
But if you want to be specific... Right.
You could say all those night shifts are taking a toll on my family.
Right. But here we're specifying the health.
Yes, exactly. Exactly. Exactly. So do we have any personal examples here?
Michelle, anything you want to share? Yeah, I mean, for me, I always talk about how I'm a night owl.
Definitely, as I get older, I start to feel that they are taking a toll on my energy during the day.
Yeah, yeah. Like, especially right after lunch.
Wow. I'm really tired. Interesting. Yeah.
And then I'll think, I can never get through the rest of this day.
How am I going to get through the rest of this day?
And then my energy... somehow comes back, comes back.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What about you? Anything that you can think of? definitely by Friday for me, Fridays are always like the hustle has taken a toll.
And I really need a break. like I just work really hard.
Well, we have a lot of fun projects going on.
They're fun, but there's a lot we're trying to do.
Here at All Ears English, a lot of emailing back and forth, picking up threads in different places, podcasting, we love it.
But by Friday afternoon, the work, the hustle has really taken a toll and I really just need to get away from my laptop. you know, and go outside or go take a trip somewhere and have a totally different. kind of day or two.
Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think a lot of, I think everybody can feel that.
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All right. So other ways we could say this, there's a couple other things we could say, Michelle, we could say put a strain on. right this is good about relationships right right yeah right So you could say, I don't think they should work together again.
All the negative feedback put a strain on their work relationship. yeah I always wondered about that I mean working with your spouse you know directly like having a business with them or even being coworkers, what that would be like.
I mean, right, could be challenging at times maybe, I don't know.
Yeah. Well, I don't work with my husband totally, but I do help out like A couple of days a week I'll help out.
And I will say that it's hard to turn it off. but that's all I'll say but it's not bad it's not bad it's just that you get really into it and then It's hard to want to stop talking about it.
Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. What's another thing we could say, Michelle?
Is hurt. That's pretty basic. I mean, we're not necessarily talking about getting physically hurt, but hurt in other ways.
Surprise changes can hurt our relationships with clients.
We have to be more transparent. Yeah. Surprise charges or surprise changes.
Oh, did I say change? Yeah. Oops. I meant charges. charges.
Yes. Both could be true though. Right. Yeah.
Yeah. drag something down. The way my boss spoke to me really dragged me down.
I think I should talk to HR. Well, that's not good.
Uh-oh, that's not good. What's the last one, Michelle?
Well, this one is more kind of very this is very direct very this one to me it's the most neutral sounding um All the money spent on miscellaneous items for work has a negative impact on on our overall financial goals.
Hmm. Okay. Yes. Negative. That is the most formal.
I think you're right. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know, you might use that in a presentation or something.
Negative impact. Yeah. Yes. All right. Let's do it.
Let's put them together. Let's mix them up.
So here we are, the heads of a team, and we're reviewing how a project went.
So kind of a... Post analysis. Yes. All right.
Here we go. So overall, I think it went well.
Yeah, but I think we need to be honest about a few things.
True. Well, what did you want to bring up?
Well, I think we are a bit too dismissive of our team's concerns.
I think it really put a strain in our relationship with them.
I don't know if they felt comfortable coming to us.
Yeah, I think we may have unintentionally dragged them down.
Maybe we should talk to them. It's okay now, but experiences like this can take a toll on someone's ability to work productively and feel good about being at work.
That's true. It can hurt the whole company.
Yes, and it could definitely have a negative impact on our financial goals overall.
Good point. Wow, Lindsay, you've thought about this a lot.
Yeah, very. very high level role play. Yeah, I know.
I was thinking that too. I know. It's like an essay.
Very business, too businessy maybe, right?
Yeah. Yeah, maybe a little too businessy.
So let's break it down here. So... Here we have, let's see.
I think it really put a strain on our relationships with them, right?
That's the first thing I said. And then I said, yeah, I think we may have unintentionally dragged them down.
Oh, no. Maybe we should talk to them. It's okay now, but experiences like this can take a toll on someone's ability to work productively, yes.
Yeah. And then yes. Yeah. You're very wordy.
I'm kind of very wordy. Yeah. I'm keeping it cool and you're just What are you doing, Lindsay?
I don't know. I'm just hiding behind my words today.
Yeah, it's like when people are nervous so they keep talking, right?
Oh, yes. I know that. Mm-hmm. And then I said, that's true, I can hurt the whole company.
Yes, and it can definitely have a negative impact on our financial goals overall.
Yes. Okay. All right, Michelle, what's another episode our listeners could check out?
Well, talking about putting a strain on something, we were talking about financial strain in episode.
And episode 452 was strained financially, how to talk about it in English.
That was a good one. Yes, all right. And for a takeaway today, where do we wanna leave our listeners?
I mean, it's about being transparent. And calling things out, right?
Right. And I think it's also about being in tune with what's going on.
And, you know, evaluating as you go kind of taking the temperature of everything on yourself on people you work with, on the company overall and seeing what may work and what may not.
Yes, I think. Yeah. Especially if you're in a leadership position.
If you're a leader in your company, anticipating things, calling it out. making sure your team is balanced and happy and productive as well, of course.
Right. These are all things we have to think about in leadership.
Super important. Interesting. Absolutely.
Yeah. Well, I'm glad we talked about this.
Good stuff. All right, Michelle, you have a good day.
I'll talk to you soon. All right, you too.
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