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Waitrose has changed its ruling not to offer compensated employment to an individual with autism after initially saying he had to discontinue stacking shelves at the branch where he had worked unpaid for an extended period.

In July, the young man's parent inquired whether her 28-year-old son Tom Boyd could be given a employment opportunity at the grocery store in Cheadle Hulme, but her application was finally turned down by the supermarket's headquarters.

Recently, rival chain Asda announced it was interested in providing Tom employment hours at its local branch.

Addressing Waitrose's U-turn, Tom's mother said: "We are going to consider the offer and choose whether it is in what's best for our son to resume working... and are having additional conversations with the supermarket."

'Conducting an inquiry'

A spokesman for the supermarket chain commented: "We'd like to welcome Tom back, in paid employment, and are requesting assistance from his relatives and the charity to make this happen."

"We expect to see him back with us shortly."

"We care deeply about supporting workers into the workplace who might usually not be offered opportunities."

"Therefore, we warmly welcomed Tom and his helper into our local store to learn the ropes and develop his abilities."

"We have procedures in place to enable volunteering, and are reviewing the circumstances in Tom's situation."

Frances said she had been "profoundly affected" by how people had responded to her talking about her son's experiences.

The young man, who has challenges with communication, was recognized for his work ethic by store leadership.

"He contributed more than six hundred hours of his time exclusively because he desired community connection, make a difference, and make a difference," stated his mother.

Tom's mother praised and thanked employees at the Manchester branch for supporting him, noting: "They included him and were absolutely brilliant."

"I feel he was just under the radar - everything was working well until it became a headquarters matter."

The family have been endorsed by local official the public figure.

He stated on X that Tom had received "deeply concerning" management and vowed to "help him to identify different opportunities that works".

Burnham stated the Greater Manchester Combined Authority "actively promotes every business - like Waitrose - to register to our brand new diversity program".

Discussing with the parent, who broke the news of Tom's Asda job offer on media outlets, the elected official stated: "Good on you for raising awareness because we require a huge awareness campaign here."

She consented to his proposal to serve as a representative for the campaign.