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Waitrose has overturned its ruling not to provide paid work to an autistic man after originally indicating he had to discontinue volunteering at the branch where he had volunteered for an extended period.

Earlier this year, the young man's parent inquired whether her family member the individual could be offered a employment opportunity at the retail establishment in Greater Manchester, but her request was finally turned down by the company's corporate office.

This week, rival chain Asda said it wanted to offer Tom employment hours at its Cheadle Hulme store.

Addressing the company's change of position, Frances stated: "We are going to evaluate the situation and decide whether it is in the optimal outcome for Tom to return... and are having additional conversations with Waitrose."

'Looking into the matter'

A official for the supermarket chain said: "We'd like to have Tom return, in a paying position, and are requesting assistance from his family and the support organization to do so."

"We hope to welcome him again with us very soon."

"We are committed about assisting workers into the workplace who might usually not be given a chance."

"Consequently, we enthusiastically received Tom and his support worker into our Manchester location to learn the ropes and enhance his self-assurance."

"We have policies in place to support volunteering, and are examining the situation in this case."

Frances explained she had been "overwhelmed" by how the public had reacted to her talking about her son's experiences.

The young man, who has specific communication needs, was praised for his dedication by supervisors.

"He donated over 600 hours of his effort exclusively because he wanted to belong, contribute, and create value," commented his mum.

The parent commended and appreciated staff at the local supermarket for supporting him, stating: "They welcomed him and were wonderfully accommodating."

"I feel he was just not sufficiently noticed - operations were proceeding normally until it reached corporate level."

Both individuals have been supported by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

He wrote on X that Tom had received "truly terrible" handling and vowed to "assist him to identify different opportunities that functions".

Burnham stated the Greater Manchester Combined Authority "strongly urges every business - like Waitrose - to register to our recently launched Bee Neuroinclusive Code of Practice".

Discussing with the parent, who announced of the employment opportunity on local radio, the Labour mayor said: "Congratulations for bringing attention because we require a huge awareness campaign here."

She agreed to his proposal to become an advocate for the campaign.