Tom Boyd, 27, has been told he cannot have a paid job at a Waitrose in Greater Manchester, despite putting in more than 600 hours of unpaid work over four years
A man with autism who worked unpaid at a Waitrose store in Greater Manchester for more than four years was told he cannot have a paid job, his family revealed.
Tom Boyd, 27, carried out work experience at the Cheadle Hulme shop for two full mornings each week, mainly stacking shelves and emptying stock cages. Since 2021, he has given more than 600 hours of his time “purely because he wanted to belong, contribute and make a difference”, his mum Frances said.
When the family asked if he could receive a few paid hours, Frances said Waitrose told them that Tom would not be offered a paid job at the store because he “couldn’t do the full role”.
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Frances described the supermarket’s response as “dismissive” and “cold”, adding: “After everything he’s done, there was no apology, no thanks, and no recognition for his commitment.” She has accused the supermarket of failing to make any “reasonable adjustments” for her son, as required by law.
Waitrose said it ‘works hard’ to be an ‘inclusive employer’ and is ‘well experienced in making reasonable adjustments” to support employees.
In a post on Facebook, Frances wrote: “Our hearts are broken and we need to share this… Our autistic son has been treated so unfairly, and we feel deeply let down.
“For over four years, he’s been doing work experience at Waitrose & Partners store in Cheadle Hulme. Every week, for two full mornings, he worked so hard — emptying four or more cages of stock, stacking shelves, and helping wherever he could.
“He loved it there. The shop staff were absolutely amazing with him and made him feel part of the team. Many of them would say things like: ‘You work harder than some people who are paid to work here.’
“He gave over 600 hours of his time — purely because he wanted to belong, contribute, and make a difference. When we asked if there was any chance he could be offered just a few paid hours — not as charity, but as recognition for all the time, effort, and heart he’s given — we were shocked by how dismissive and cold the response was.
“The manager said, ‘We can’t just let him do his thing’, when that’s exactly what he’s been doing successfully for years.”
She added: “After everything he’s done, there was no apology, no thanks, and no recognition for his commitment. Just silence. He deserved better. He deserved kindness, respect, and the chance for all his hard work to mean something.”
The branch is understood to have referred the family’s request to Waitrose head office, which was concerned about the amount of unpaid work Tom had done and said he could not continue until the situation was resolved.
As a result, Tom has been unable to work for two months. His mum has not told him the reason to avoid upsetting him. “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 told The Times.
A Waitrose spokesperson 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.”
The Mirror has contacted Waitrose for further comment.