Mental health in the workplace - 6 Minute English

Improve your English listening and vocabulary with BBC Learning English! Huge numbers of people suffer from mental health issues in the workplace. Not only does it make life very difficult for sufferers, it also costs business a huge amount of money. Neil and Georgina talk about things people can do to make a difference.

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬:
Does your name start with the wrong letter?

Are you good at complaining?

Can you spot a lie?

Why do people like sad music?

𝐕𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲:
𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
not dealing with, not helping with

𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐥
huge, very big

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫
someone who has something positive to give

𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞
to make normal

𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
to have a problem but not discuss it or share it

𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 (𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠)
to hold on tight to something

#BBCLearningEnglish #6MinuteEnglish #LearnEnglish

[turkangeyik]

when ı watch bbc's videos, ı don't get bored. I wanna be english teacher so it helps me about improve my english. from Turkey 👋

[arshadbahadur]

Mental Health, the majority of the people of my country is not familiar with this term.
Some People have a firm belief that it is because of sins, even they don't want to recognize it as a health issue.
I have suffered a lot with a mental health issue. Nowadays, these kinds of videos and rebuilding the mindset helping me to have good mental health.

Thanks, BBC Learning English.

[kawinananpatanakul]

Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript

Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.

Georgina
And I'm Georgina.

Neil
Today we’re focussing on the topic of mental health at work.

Georgina
Yes, it’s an issue that can be difficult to see. If someone has an injury, like a broken leg or a serious medical issue, it’s obvious, and we can understand what’s happening. With mental health issues, though, there’s no physical sign and people who are experiencing difficulties maybe don’t get the same understanding as people who have medical problems.

Neil
It’s a topic that has been getting more publicity recently, particularly as members of the British royal family have been talking about it. Also, awareness is raised through events such as World Mental Health Day. And that is the topic of today’s quiz. World Mental Health Day is held every year on October 10th. It aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and their effects on people’s lives. In what year was it first held? Was it...

A: 1992
B: 2002
C: 2012

What do you think, Georgina?

Georgina
I don’t know – I think it will be older than 2012, but as old as 1992? I don’t know. I’m going to go with 2002

Neil
OK. I’ll have the answer later in the programme and we’ll see if you’re right. Mental health problems are very difficult personally for those who suffer from them, and they also have an impact on businesses. Paul Farmer is head of the mental health awareness charity Mind. He spoke on the BBC World Service Business Daily programme about this. How much does he says it costs businesses in the UK?

Paul Farmer, CEO Mind
We know that the cost of failing to address mental health in business is colossal. In the UK, it costs between 33 and 42 billion pounds a year, about $50 billion dollars, and round about 300, 000 people fall out of work every year as a result of poor mental health. So that’s a huge cost to workplaces and to individuals. Behind those numbers, though, are the lives of talented, able, contributors who often just slide away from the workplace because they don’t get the right help and support for their mental health.

Neil
What figures did Paul Farmer give there?

Georgina
He gave the figure of about between 33 and £42 billion – which is about $50 billion dollars.

Neil
That’s a lot of money!

Georgina
It is – in fact he called it colossal. This adjective means huge – really, really big. This is the cost to business he says of failing to address the mental health issue.

Neil
Failing to address means ignoring or not dealing with the problems. It leads to staff leaving work, and he says these people are contributors, they give something to the business in terms of their skill and experience.

Georgina
And because of mental health issues, which could be addressed but aren’t, those contributors are being lost to the business. So it costs companies more money to recruit and train new staff, and you can’t always replace the experience that is lost.

Neil
Let’s listen again.

Paul Farmer, CEO Mind
We know that the cost of failing to address mental health in business is colossal. In the UK, it costs between 33 and 42 billion pounds a year, about $50 billion dollars, and round about 300, 000 people fall out of work every year as a result of poor mental health. So that’s a huge cost to workplaces and to individuals. Behind those numbers, though, are the lives of talented, able, contributors who often just slide away from the workplace because they don’t get the right help and support for their mental health.

Neil
In recent years it seems as if there has been more understanding of mental health issues, not just in the workplace but in society as a whole. Geoff McDonald is a campaigner for the organisation Minds at Work. He also spoke on the Business Daily programme about one way that things were getting a little better.

Geoff McDonald, Minds at Work
I think what’s really changed is people telling their stories, and the more stories that we tell it kind of begins to normalise this. Every single story that we tell is like sending a lifeboat out into the ocean and the millions and millions of people who are suffering in silence, do you know what they do? They cling on to that lifeboat and they realise they’re not alone and they might just be normal.

Neil
So, because more people are talking about this issue, it begins to normalise it. This means it becomes ‘normal’. It’s not unusual, strange or hidden.

Georgina
There are people who suffer in silence – they keep to themselves and hide their problems from others, but because there is more publicity about this topic, they can begin to feel that they are not alone and they don’t have to suffer in silence.

Neil
People sharing their stories are like lifeboats for those who do suffer in silence. In this metaphor they can cling onto the lifeboats.

Right, we’re going to another look at today’s vocabulary, but first let’s have the answer to today’s quiz. When was the first World Mental Health Day? Was it...

A: 1992
B: 2002
C: 2012

Georgina, what did you say?

Georgina
I thought 2002.

Neil
It was actually earlier - 1992. Now, a review of our vocabulary.

Georgina
Failing to address is a phrase that means ignoring a problem or not trying to help with a problem.

Neil
Something colossal is very, very big.

Georgina
A contributor is someone who has something to give, who is a positive benefit to, in this case, a business.

Neil
Then we have the verb to normalise, meaning to make something normal.

Georgina
Someone who suffers in silence, doesn’t talk about their problems and may hide them from others.

Neil
And finally, if you cling on to something, you hold on to it tightly, you don’t want to let it go. And that’s all from us from this programme. We look forward to your company again soon. In the meantime find us online, on social media and on the BBC Learning English app.

Georgina
Bye!

[Zi_gemi]

I had mental health issues before and had to resign from the previous job. I was suffering too much in silence that it affected my physical health. So a perfect topic for me to listen and learn.

[marwansalama]

From Damascus. ...thank you so much. ....it is not only about teaching English in a great way. ...but also about scientific topics

[md.shamimanwar]

I am grateful to BBC learning English for improving my listing skill.

[mannu]

Thank you so much for giving these useful videos to learn english efficiently.🙏

[asadullahsaleh]

Thank you bbc for everything
You are help us to learn English better
And 6 minutes English is really helpful .

[sawusdudus]

Very nice to hear englisch before sleeping. This programm to help to learn englisch. I am not to dream another day wthout watching BBC learning englisch. I live in Poland.

[Xavierppg]

bbc learning English has greatly improved my listening skills especially now that am preparing for my ielts exams..have learned a plethora of vocabularies

[keepsalmah]

After 2 years I would like to say thank you
To this episode it changed my howl life,
Thank you bbc team 💙

[nyeinnumon]

this program is fruitful in learning English thank you BBC

[raulbartologutierrez]

Mental issues have an enormous impact in our lives in different ways

[winstonfraser]

BBC World service programme is helpful for people thank you

[luongthithuthanhntueduvn]

Thank you BBC, 6 minute, it help me not bore and improve English so much .

[marienoelle]

Awareness about mental health is being raised and spread around the world thanks to your efforts 🌿🌿.
You're always giving us interesting subjects to learn to talk about. Thank you😊😊

[lijiawei]

Thanks for BBC learning English！ I think it may be more attractive and helpful if there are some vedios related to the topic.

[jayamohan]

Your video is helpful for learning English as well it gave good information about mental health.
Really mental health issue is very important so it should be discussed and the people who are suffering with mental health should be helped and cared by society.

[maravalverde]

Really there are people that have a problem to share their problems, preffer to keep silence about this issues.

[tammytsang]

As an outspoken person, I do not like to suffer in silence and I prefer to voice out my anger in a peaceful manner.