# Talking about CULTURE at work - Business English vocabulary lesson (Ep.63)

An episode of [Breakout Business English - Improve your vocabulary and confidence using English at work.](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1616739393), 14 Jan 2026, 25 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2022761/episodes/18506211-talking-about-culture-at-work-business-english-vocabulary-lesson-ep-63.mp3

Send us Fan Mail Workplace culture is important, but sometimes what a company says it does and what it actually does are two different things. Today we talk about the vocabulary that native English speakers use to talk about this problem at work. So when your company's goals don't match how they use their resources, or their values don't match how they treat their staff, today you'll learn the vocabulary you can use to discuss this in a natural and native sounding way. If you speak English at work and want to sound more native and natural when talking to colleagues, customers, or clients, then I hope that the vocabulary, grammar, and communication tips in today's episode will be useful for you. 🔗 Book a one-to-one coaching session with me at breakoutbusinessenglish.com 🎁 Use code PODCAST30 for 30% off your first coaching session Do you want to see what I do? Click here: https://youtu.be/MYsqlV3nkHs?si=mn3dXVAz5MF1dgSW Also, if you're studying for the IELTS, TOEFL, or Cambridge English tests and exams then you might find some of the vocabulary in this episode really useful. This podcast is all about helping you to communicate better, in English, at work. I work with international English speakers from around the world who use English, at work, as a second or third language and I hope that I can bring some of the ideas, vocabulary, and grammar, from those sessions, to you in this podcast. Don’t forget that my full time job is helping international professionals who use English at work to improve their communication skills. So, if you need English to do your job but don’t speak it natively then maybe we can work together to help you to achieve your language goals. 👉 Don’t forget to leave a review, and request future topics! 📅 New episodes released every Wednesday 📺 Watch English speaking analysis on the Breakout Business English YouTube channel #businessenglish #englishtips #englishclass #ielts Support the show Book a coaching session with me at: https://www.breakoutbusinessenglish.com

## Transcript

Welcome back to the breakout business English podcast. My name is Chris. I'm a business English and communication coach and I have personally worked with over 1,000 international professionals likely just like you to improve the way that they communicate That's work. In English. Thank you so much for listening and for your time. I really do know how valuable it is. And our topic today is a little bit psychological. But definitely necessary for the modern workplace. And today we're talking about cultural dissonance. Cultural dissonance and we'll come on to what that noun means in a moment.So, I wonder if anyone listening to this podcast has ever joined a company Because the website said they valued work-life balance. But then you get there and you realize that sending emails at midnight and replying to emails at midnight is considered normal. Or maybe you work for a company that claims to have a flat organizational structure, a flat org chart. Where everyone is involved in decision making and the managers are really approachable. But then in reality, it actually, Italy has a very strict hierarchy and everyone has to stay in their place, in their position. This feeling where the company says one thing and what it really does is completely different. This is called cultural dissonance. When a company says that it has a certain set of values, but the reality of working there doesn't really matter. Dissonance, that's D-I-S-S-O-N-A-N-C-E, dissonance, usually refers to a lack of harmony in music. When two notes don't sound like they go together, they don't sound like they're supposed to be in the same song. In business, it means a gap. Between what we say we do and what we actually do in reality. Between what we say and what we really do.So today we're going to break this down into two ideas, into two halves. We're going to look at the vocabulary you need to identify and describe this gap without sounding like you're just complaining. And second, we are going to look at

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