Employment
Recruiting and developing employees who stammer
This brochure is a best-practice guide for human resource, personnel, and line managers.
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 Benefits of developing PWS
People who stammer can...
People who stammer: some facts
Recruitment
On the job
Equality Act 2010
Additional material and advice
The benefits of developing people who stammer include:
 The person being more confident to contribute and develop their skills and knowledge
Better internal communication as many adjustments and etiquette will benefit all employees
Better team performance
People who stammer:
Can succeed in management, sales, customer service, air-traffic control and a wide range of other jobs
Can contribute a greater awareness of communication issues to the workplace
Can have excellent listening skills
Can understand the value of preparation for presentations and meetings
Can have the resolve gained from working to overcome difficulties
Can send out a clear message that your organisation accepts people on merit and is disability-aware
People who stammer: some facts
What:
Stammering (also called stuttering) is a speech/fluency difficulty where the person has speech blocks, prolongations, or repetitions of sounds
It is individual. Each person stammers differently, and this can vary from day or situation to another. The person may also avoid words and situations because of anxiety and strong feelings about their stammering
It does not result from a personality or intellectual disorder. People who stammer have normal intelligence, competence and ability
People who stammer know what they want to say but sometimes find it difficult to physically produce speech |
Why:
Current research suggests it has a physiological basis in the workings of the brain, but the cause is not known. While stammering can cause people to be nervous about speaking, stammering is not caused by nervousness or uncertainty.
When:
Tiredness, time pressure or anxiety can make stammering worse. It is rare to completely lose a stammer.
Where:
Using the telephone, interviews, presentations and meetings can be more difficult, particularly when there is pressure to speak.
Who:
One percent of adults in the UK stammer. Men are four times more likely to be affected than women. |
Recruitment
When meeting a person who stammers, stay focused on what the person is saying about their experience, abilities and skills. It is normal to feel some anxiety or embarrassment, when listening to someone who stammers, so concentrating on what the person is saying can be a good way to deal with this.
As with most people, a job interview can be the single most difficult speaking situation where their stammer is at its worst, particularly when the person is enthusiastic about the position offered.
Not all aspects of stammering are obvious. The person may come across as hesitant or confused, pausing before words and/or using phrases such as "you know", "well actually", "it could be said". These may be strategies to avoid stammering.
Some people who stammer have found these approaches helpful.
| Remember that your patience and active listening are very helpful for people who stammer. |
Listening attentively and wait for the person to finish. Do not try to finish their words or sentences
Speak normally in a relaxed manner, even if you are feeling uneasy
Try to maintain natural eye contact with relaxed posture
Don't equate hesitant speech with uncertainty
If the person mentions their stammer, they will be more open to discussing it.
(Interviewers will though want to bear in mind the restrictions on pre-employment enquiries about disability under Equality Act 2010.)
On the job
When the person begins the job, introducing them to colleagues and managers can be a valuable way to break the ice. Try to show support by having an open-door approach. Stammering can be a sensitive personal issue that some people may not want to discuss . You may also find it difficult to discuss something you know little about. You can find out more about stammering by contacting the British Stammering Association.
Talk to the employee and encourage training and work opportunities in areas in which they may have excellent skills, but may have previously avoided. When the person feels confident about being open, stammering can become much less of a concern.
People who stammer may hold back from speaking due to:
Fear of a 'classroom' situation in meetings
Fear of stammering when speaking in groups and giving presentations
Lack of understanding of their stammering problem by managers, colleagues and course leaders
Difficulties with using the telephone
"We didn't dodge the issue by ignoring it - we talked about it, and I did it light-heartedly, maybe that was my way of coping"
A manager at British Aerospace Systems |
When speaking with a person who stammers:
| Ask the person about what they want to contribute to a job and any concerns they have |
Show patience and active listening by focussing on what the person is saying
Give the person more time to deal with any stammering
Stammering varies widely, so don't be put off if the person stammers when you would not expect them to
On the telephone, DO NOT hang up if you hear a few moments silence, and avoid negative impressions of a person based on the way they sound
If it seems appropriate, ask the person about how best to respond when they stammer
People who stammer say:
"My stammer hasn't stopped me taking public meetings and giving evidence to planning enquiries. People may be surprised, but they bear with me and it doesn't stop me from communicating effectively"
"By making it clear to me that I would not be penalised as a result of stammering, I became more comfortable in the work environment"
Training and personal development:
| Always look at the person, not at assumptions you may have about them |
Encourage the person to develop their confidence and take on challenges which will benefit their speech, without pushing the person too far
Demonstrate your support by discussing with the person things they would like to achieve, and their successes and difficulties
Personal development and performance plans could include goals for important communication skills, in agreement with the employee. Agree on tasks that can be monitored, for example, talking at meetings, greeting clients and company visitors, and giving external presentations
Consider sponsoring an employee on a speech or personal development course as part of their training. If you are both comfortable with talking about stammering, you may want to discuss this with the person. Courses often result in long-term gains in communication skills and confidence
Promotion and responsibility depend more on the person's skills and experience than on fluency
Case study
John works as an administrator for AWE. "His self nomination for this [speech] course was supported as part of his personal development plan and, as a key player in a busy office, the course offered potential to improve both his confidence and fluency. The investment was rewarded with an immediate and significant positive change. John was much more relaxed and assured in his speech, and competence has been sustained through a programme of continuous personal development. He is now able to successfully take on challenges which have revealed an intuitive understanding about communications that is the envy of colleagues. This course was pivotal in giving access to a talent with wide reaching benefits to AWE and the wider community. Without it, we may have lost a great opportunity!"
Ian Bowes, Director Human Resources and Strategic Development, AWE Aldermaston |
People who stammer can make valuable contributions to a workplace through their awareness of communication. Focussed listening, clear thinking, approachability and an interest in people are qualities that do not depend on fluent speech, and may even be enhanced in people who stammer.
Case study
Christine manages more than 20 staff in Brent Library Service and she is an excellent communicator! This may seem an unusual statement about an employee who stammers, but good communication is about what you are communicating and not just how it is delivered. Her approachable and interested style also helps communication.
Christine has changed the library environments within which she works and has helped to empower staff, senior managers and customers. She is an established advocate for staff development across Brent Council and brings her own personal development experience of managing her stammer to the job, and in particular to helping other staff to develop and improve.
John Readman, Head of Brent Library Service |
Equality Act 2010
Stammering can be a disability under the Equality Act. Discriminating against a person in relation to a stammer may be unlawful and the Act may require you to make some adjustments.
Some people who stammer do not consider themselves disabled, so you may want to mention these adjustments without reference to stammering as a disability.
What adjustments will be helpful should normally be discussed with the person who stammers. Examples of reasonable adjustments could include:
Allowing more time, if necessary, at interviews/presentations and oral assessments. (This, and written responses/alternatives as mentioned below, are best done through a prior arrangement)
Greater consideration given to a job applicant's written information (to supplement spoken answers, which may be limited) or, where appropriate, allowing written responses to interview questions and/or written alternatives to oral tests or presentations
Ensuring the person has an opportunity to have their say at meetings
Ensuring the person has adequate support and preparation when giving presentations
Negotiating arrangements for telephone calls if they are a problem, for example allowing flexibility with a set script of words, and making available a quiet place for calls where the person does not feel overheard
Problems with speech during an interview are not a reliable indication of how speech will be in the job, even in what might be seen as more 'difficult' or stressful job situations.
Access to Work grants can be available for altered auditory feedback devices, which help some people who stammer.
Disclaimer: The above is a broad summary and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice. Some useful sources of help and advice are listed below.
For additional support material and personal advice, contact:
The British Stammering Association
Tel: 020 8983 1003
Helpline: 0845 603 2001
Email: info@stammering.org
Website: www.stammering.org/employers.html
A useful book about stammering is Stammering: Advice for all ages by Renée Byrne and Louise Wright (available from the BSA for £8.99 or any good bookshop).
Equality and Human Rights Commission helpline
www.equalityhumanrights.com
which includes contact details for England, Wales and Scotland.
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
Tel: 028 90 890 890
Website: www.equalityni.org
Stammering and equality law website
Website: www.stammeringlaw.org.uk
The Employers Forum on Disability
Tel: 020 7403 3020
Email: enquiries@efd.org.uk
Website: www.efd.org.uk
Booklet issued: October 2001 (Equality Act update 2010)
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