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The grocery retailer has changed its determination not to grant a paying position to an neurodivergent person after originally indicating he had to discontinue volunteering at the location where he had donated his time for several years.

In July, Tom's mother requested whether her adult child Tom Boyd could be provided a employment opportunity at the grocery store in the Manchester area, but her application was finally turned down by Waitrose head office.

Recently, rival chain Asda stated it wanted to offer Tom employment hours at its local branch.

Reacting to the supermarket's reversal, the parent stated: "We are going to think about it and determine whether it is in Tom's best interests to go back... and are having ongoing talks with Waitrose."

'Looking into the matter'

A representative for Waitrose said: "We'd like to have Tom return, in compensated work, and are requesting assistance from his relatives and the non-profit to facilitate this."

"We hope to have him return with us shortly."

"We place great importance about supporting people into the workplace who might typically not be given a chance."

"As such, we warmly welcomed Tom and his helper into our local store to gain experience and develop his abilities."

"We have policies in place to support volunteering, and are investigating the circumstances in this instance."

Tom's mother said she had been "profoundly affected" by how people had reacted to her discussing her son's experiences.

Tom, who has challenges with communication, was recognized for his dedication by managers.

"He gave more than six hundred hours of his time purely because he desired community connection, make a difference, and have an impact," said his mother.

Frances recognized and acknowledged staff at Waitrose's Cheadle Hulme store for helping him, stating: "They made him part of the team and were exceptionally supportive."

"I think he was just under the radar - operations were proceeding normally until it reached corporate level."

Tom and his mum have been endorsed by local official the public figure.

He wrote on social media that Tom had received "completely unacceptable" treatment and committed to "assist him to identify different opportunities that functions".

Burnham stated the local government body "actively promotes every business - like Waitrose - to register to our brand new diversity program".

Speaking with Tom's mother, who broke the news of the employment opportunity on media outlets, the public figure commented: "Good on you for bringing attention because we require a major education initiative here."

She accepted his proposal to act as a spokesperson for the initiative.