Asda and Waitrose send job offers to autistic volunteer rejected by supermarket

An autistic man who lost his role at Waitrose after his family asked if he could be paid has been offered a job by rival chain Asda. Tom Boyd, 27, had volunteered at the store in Cheadle Hulme, Manchester, since 2021 and carried out 600 hours as a shelf stacker before being sacked.

His mum, Frances, said she was "overwhelmed" by the support her son had received after she recently spoke out about his experience. She has now confirmed that he has had "some great news", adding: "Asda have offered him two five-hour paid shifts a week."

As reported by the BBC, Frances, from Stockport, added: "It's overwhelming and they are flexible to say if at any time he is struggling they are fine. How amazing that a company could do this."

Tom, who has limited communication skills, was praised by his colleagues at Waitrose who said he worked harder than some of the paid staff. The retailer said it was investigating the incident "as a priority" and has now also offered Tom a job.

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester's mayor Andy Burnham described Tom's treatment as "truly terrible" and promised to "support him to find another placement that works". He added his Greater Manchester Combined Authority "would encourage all employers, including Waitrose, to sign up to our brand new Bee Neuroinclusive Code of Practice".

Tom volunteered at Waitrose two mornings a week and was "so proud of his work" which took up over 600 hours of his time. He started the role as part of his skills development for the workplace further education course.

Frances previously thanked staff at the store for supporting him. She added: "They included him and were absolutely brilliant. I think he was just under the radar - all was running smoothly until it went to head office."

A Waitrose spokesman previously said: "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."