Autistic volunteer loses job at Waitrose after mum asked for him to be paid

The mother of an autistic man has spoken out after Waitrose allegedly let him go after she requested he be paid for his work.

The man, who has been diagnosed as autistic, with very limited communication abilities, is said to have volunteered at Waitrose for four years, unpaid, and loved his work.

Frances Boyd has since confessed she is ‘heartbroken’ that he was let go, claiming she just wanted him to be recognised for the work he put into the job.

Boyd, a charity worker from Stockport, has claimed her 27-year-old son, Tom Boyd, worked more than 600 hours of work experience at a Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester store. He had been hired in 2021 to stack shelves and work with the stock, something he enjoyed.

Tom Boyd worked at the Waitrose store from 2021 (Family Handout)

Tom had gone on to increase his hours so that he would work from 9.30am to 2pm two days a week, where a support worker would accompany him. The support worker’s role was to make sure he was safe at work.

Tom, who is said to have even been praised by staff at the shop for his work ethic, was left without shifts for two months after his mother reportedly teamed with his support worker to ask the shop to move him into paid work. The request came as part of his development plan, which would see him move into paid employment.

According to the mum, Waitrose was asked last year to pay Tom as part of ‘recognition for the time, effort and heart' he had given to the store. Allegedly, the store contacted its head office to discuss the request, which was when ‘alarm bells rang’.

She claims they halted Tom’s work until the situation could be resolved. However, ultimately, she explained that a manager told her, ‘we can’t just let him do his thing'.

Boyd shared on Facebook that this is ‘exactly what he’s been doing successfully for years’.

Because of her son’s needs and understanding, she has also said that she's had to lie to him.

His employment was terminated after his mum asked for paid hours (georgeclerk/ Getty Stock)

“We told him the shop is being cleaned. We weren’t after 40 or 30 or 20 hours. We said we’d accept four, three or even two -just something,” she said, per the Times.

She added: “He does miss it. He did enjoy it and enjoyed going there. His language is very limited and he couldn’t communicate with customers but he had support staff there who could have done so on his behalf. He’s been doing it for four years, so why can’t that continue?”

As the Cheadle Hulme store is within walking distance of their home, the mum says it’s an ideal workplace for Tom to re-join.

“The staff on the shop floor were amazing and no reflection of the way [the head office] behaved,” she said. “It’s that cold, harsh, big corporate company that doesn’t see that young person as an individual. They are separated. They don’t need to look at feelings and how it affects people. They can just say no.

“I just hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else. [My son] deserved better. He deserved kindness, respect and the chance for all his hard work to mean something.”

Waitrose, which has a Modern Slavery Statement on its website, lists out its priorities when it comes to upholding its values in the workplace.

From a clear stance on exploitation, child labour, who it chooses to partner with, and its inclusivity and diversity standpoint, working with disabled people through a partnership with charities is just one of those branches.

According to a Waitrose spokesman, the organisation provides work experience for those who have additional needs.

They 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.”

LADbible has reached out to Waitrose for comment.