Waitrose axed autistic volunteer after pay request - as mum shares 'heartbreak'

A man with severe autism who volunteered at Waitrose lost his role after his family asked if he could be paid. Tom Boyd's mum, Frances, said since 2021 her son had worked at a branch in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester.

Frances, from Stockport, said Tom, 27, carried out over 600 hours as a shelf stacker. Accompanied by a support worker, Tom won the praise of colleagues, some of whom reportedly said he worked harder than some of the paid staff. Waitrose said it is investigating what happened "as a priority".

Tom's family and support workers approached the supermarket giant to ask for him to receive a few hours of paid work last year.

His mum told The Times "alarm bells rang" at head office over the amount of unpaid work Tom was doing and he wouldn't be able to work until the issue was addressed.

According to the same publication, it has been over two months since Tom has completed a shift. Frances said: "He does miss it. He did enjoy it and enjoyed going there."

She described her son's language as being very limited and he couldn't communicate with customers but he had support workers there who could have done so for him.

Frances said she would like for her son to return to the shop in some capacity.

She said: "[My son] deserved better. He deserved kindness, respect and the chance for all his hard work to mean something."

Jo Martin, an employment lawyer at Bellevue Law, said: "I'm concerned that Tom has contributed valuable work to Waitrose for years without pay, despite this not appearing to meet the criteria for genuine work experience or volunteering.

"Given his autism, it's understandable that he relied on his mother for advocacy, and I hope Waitrose reconsiders the situation promptly, taking both their perspectives and employment law into account."

Waitrose's parent company, John Lewis Partnership, has been approached for comment.

A Waitrose spokesman told The Times: "We work hard to be an inclusive employer. As part of this, we partner with a number of charities, including to provide work experience, and are well experienced in making reasonable adjustments to help people succeed at work.

"We are sorry to hear of Tom's story, and whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, we are investigating as a priority."