Waitrose store return is just the job for Tom

AUTISTIC MAN WHO WAS REFUSED EMPLOYMENT IS NOW OFFERED PAID ROLE

- By GRETA SIMPSON

AN AUTISTIC man who had been volunteering at Waitrose for four years before being told they couldn’t provide him with a proper job has now been offered a paid role by the supermarket.

Tom Boyd, 28, attracted national attention after the Manchester Evening News first reported on his story.

He had been doing work experience at the Waitrose in Cheadle Hulme for two mornings a week, mainly stacking shelves.

His mum, Frances, estimated he had racked up more than 600 hours of volunteering over the years.

But, when the family asked if he could have a few paid hours in recognition of the hours he put in, they were ‘shocked’ by a ‘dismissive’ and ‘cold’ response from the chain.

According to Frances, Waitrose said that Tom wouldn't be offered a paid job at the store because he ‘couldn't do the full role’.