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Rudeness Costs $2.1 Billion a Day | Phrasal Verbs for Workplace Behavior
Episode overview
Rudeness isn’t just bad manners — it’s expensive. A new study from the Society for Human Resource Management found that workplace rudeness costs U.S. businesses $2.1 billion every single day. That’s 208 million acts of rudeness: being short in an email, cutting someone off in a meeting, talking down to colleagues, putting others down, or even talking behind someone’s back.
In today’s episode of Phrasal Verb News, we’ll break down what these phrases mean, give real-world business examples, and explain how small behaviors can add up to big costs.
What you will learn
- be short with someone – to speak in a curt or unfriendly way
- En español: ser cortante con alguien
- cut someone off / talk over – to interrupt someone while they’re speaking
- En español: interrumpir / hablar por encima
- talk down to someone – to speak as if the person is less intelligent
- En español: hablar con condescendencia / tratar como inferior
- put someone down – to insult or humiliate someone
- En español: menospreciar / humillar
- talk behind someone’s back – to criticize someone when they aren’t present
- En español: hablar a espaldas de alguien
- stem from – to come from or be caused by something
- En español: provenir de / originarse en
Practice prompts
- Has anyone ever been short with you in an email or message? How did you feel?
- Do people in your company often cut each other off in meetings?
- How do you react when someone talks down to you at work?
- What’s the best way to respond if someone puts you down?
- Why do you think people talk behind others’ backs instead of addressing problems directly?
- Do most workplace conflicts stem from personal issues or professional disagreements?
Why listen?
This episode shows how everyday English phrases describe real workplace behaviors — and why they matter for productivity and company culture. By learning these expressions in context, you’ll sound more natural in meetings while also understanding the deeper impact of communication at work.
Connect
✉️ Email me at [email protected] for private or group classes.
🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss the next episode of Phrasal Verb News.
View all episodes
By Grant WoltersEpisode overview
Rudeness isn’t just bad manners — it’s expensive. A new study from the Society for Human Resource Management found that workplace rudeness costs U.S. businesses $2.1 billion every single day. That’s 208 million acts of rudeness: being short in an email, cutting someone off in a meeting, talking down to colleagues, putting others down, or even talking behind someone’s back.
In today’s episode of Phrasal Verb News, we’ll break down what these phrases mean, give real-world business examples, and explain how small behaviors can add up to big costs.
What you will learn
- be short with someone – to speak in a curt or unfriendly way
- En español: ser cortante con alguien
- cut someone off / talk over – to interrupt someone while they’re speaking
- En español: interrumpir / hablar por encima
- talk down to someone – to speak as if the person is less intelligent
- En español: hablar con condescendencia / tratar como inferior
- put someone down – to insult or humiliate someone
- En español: menospreciar / humillar
- talk behind someone’s back – to criticize someone when they aren’t present
- En español: hablar a espaldas de alguien
- stem from – to come from or be caused by something
- En español: provenir de / originarse en
Practice prompts
- Has anyone ever been short with you in an email or message? How did you feel?
- Do people in your company often cut each other off in meetings?
- How do you react when someone talks down to you at work?
- What’s the best way to respond if someone puts you down?
- Why do you think people talk behind others’ backs instead of addressing problems directly?
- Do most workplace conflicts stem from personal issues or professional disagreements?
Why listen?
This episode shows how everyday English phrases describe real workplace behaviors — and why they matter for productivity and company culture. By learning these expressions in context, you’ll sound more natural in meetings while also understanding the deeper impact of communication at work.
Connect
✉️ Email me at [email protected] for private or group classes.
🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss the next episode of Phrasal Verb News.