Autistic man spends 4 years working for a supermarket for free – but the minute his family requests payment, he is fired

A 27-year-old autistic man has been let go from his voluntary job at a local supermarket after his mother asked that he be paid for the time he had dedicated to his work.

Tom Boyd had spent the last four years stacking shelves and stocking cages for the U.K. supermarket chain, Waitrose. For the 600+ hours of work he had given to the company, he had not been paid a single penny. Last year, Boyd’s mother, Frances, along with his support worker, approached the supermarket to enquire about him being given a paid position as “recognition for the time, effort and heart” he had put in.

Not only was the request denied, but Boyd was then promptly fired from his voluntary job, too. As per an article from GBNews, the store’s head office became concerned over the amount of hours that Boyd had worked for free, and so his shifts were put on pause until the matter was investigated fully.

It’s now been more than two months since Boyd’s voluntary work was put on hold, and neither his mother nor his support worker has received any word from the supermarket on the matter. His support worker met with store personnel who informed them that a paid position for Mr Boyd wasn’t on the cards. What’s worse is that it looks like his old job might be gone too, which is a shame as he enjoyed doing it. It seems the supermarket was happy to benefit from his unpaid labor until he asked for a paid job.

Tom’s mother is trying to protect her son’s feelings

Tom had initially begun working for Waitrose in 2021, working two days a week between 9:30 am and 2 pm. His limited communication skills meant that he was unable to interact with customers, but his support workers were there to handle such exchanges. He was reportedly also a valued member of the team who apparently showed more dedication to his job than some of the paid staff.

Boyd’s mother described herself as “heartbroken” over the situation, criticizing Waitrose and labeling the supermarket as a “cold, harsh, big corporate company that doesn’t see that young person as an individual.” To protect Tom’s feelings, she told him that “the shop is being cleaned.” However, Frances did praise the floor staff at the supermarket, whom she claims had no responsibility for the decision made by head office.

Tom Boyd’s family and support workers are currently looking for jobs at different supermarkets or other cleaning positions. A Waitrose spokesperson claimed that the supermarket “work[s] hard to be an inclusive employer,” but refused to comment on Tom’s situation.