Hard-working Tom Boyd – who has severe autism – put in 600 hours of voluntary work at his local Waitrose in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, but was let go when his mum asked for a few paid hours
A volunteer shelf-stacker with autism will now be paid by Waitrose months after they sparked outrage by letting him go from his role when his mum asked if he could get paid for some shifts.
Grafter Tom Boyd, 28, put in more than 600 hours in over four years of work experience at his local store in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester. But when his mum Frances suggested in July they might give him a few paid hours as “recognition for the time, effort and heart” he had put in to his role, the store abruptly ended the arrangement in a PR disaster that triggered widespread condemnation.
And after a u-turn in October, the upmarket chain has now said Tom has accepted its offer of paid employment and he will start his job in the new year.
A spokesman said today: “We’re delighted that Tom has accepted our offer of paid employment and looking forward to welcoming him to start in January, as requested by his family.
“We have Tom’s best interests at heart and we’ve worked closely with his family throughout to ensure Tom gets the support he needs.
“We’re learning from this situation and working with charities and specialists to make sure we can continue to offer fair and rewarding opportunities for people with neurodiversity.”
Frances previously claimed problems arose when she asked bosses at the store if Tom could have a few hours of paid work as recognition for “the time, effort and heart” he had given since 2021, when he started volunteering twice a week.
He request was eventually rejected by Waitrose head office, who then told her Tom’s work experience had come to an end. The row sparked a flurry of headlines and rival supermarket Asda even stepped in to offer Tom paid work.
Tom was unable to work for more than two months and his mum kept the reason secret to avoid upsetting him, instead telling him the store was being cleaned. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham even waded into the row, calling his treatment “truly terrible.”
But in a u-turn last month, Waitrose said it would “like to welcome Tom back, in paid employment, and are seeking support from his family and the charity to do so. We hope to see him back with us very soon.”
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