Speech and language therapists' perceptions of corporate practice in South Africa.
Ntandoyenkosi L Msomi, Suvishka Barath, Andrew J Ross
PMID 40599012WHAT IT FOUND
Seven South African therapists with no corporate experience viewed workplace speech therapy as a way to bridge cultural gaps in diverse teams.
They felt unprepared for business roles and worried the service would be seen as an elite product only for high earners.
Key findings
01Participants believed corporate speech therapy is essential for supporting professionals in South Africa's multilingual and multicultural workplaces.
02Therapists reported their university training focused almost exclusively on clinical and educational settings, leaving them underprepared for corporate roles.
03A major concern was that corporate services might be perceived as elite, accessible only to high-income individuals or large corporations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only asked therapists who had never worked in a corporate setting, so the findings reflect assumptions rather than actual experience. Participants were recruited from social media groups, which may have limited the diversity of opinions. The sample was very small (seven people) and specific to South Africa's multilingual context, so it may not apply to other regions.
Declared interests
The research received no specific grant from any funding agency.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these perceptions as evidence that corporate speech therapy improves business productivity or employee well-being. The study reports what therapists think might happen, not what actually happened in a workplace.