Hot Topic: Autistic Workers Deserve Pay – The “Volunteer” Scandal

Summary

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The Neurodivergent Experience

Episode: Hot Topic: Autistic Workers Deserve Pay – The “Volunteer” Scandal

Hosts: Jordan James & Simon Scott
Release Date: November 7, 2025

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Overview

This week’s episode tackles the grim reality behind recent UK news stories where autistic individuals worked extensive hours at supermarkets but were denied pay. Hosts Jordan and Simon passionately dissect employer exploitation, the compounding vulnerability of neurodivergent workers, and societal attitudes that allow such injustices to persist. They draw on two freshly reported cases—the experiences of Tom Boyd at Waitrose and an unnamed young man at Morrisons—to highlight what they call “the volunteer scandal,” and issue a call to action for the neurodivergent community and allies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Introduction and Tone Setting

• Neuro Spicy News Hot Topic: The hosts open with their signature banter, establishing an energetic and sardonic tone to a “hot” news story that is, as they soon reveal, deeply troubling.
• Theme: Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent workers being taken advantage of under the guise of “volunteering” in mainstream workplaces.

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2. Case 1: Tom Boyd and Waitrose

[02:27 – 09:00]

• Summary:

  • Tom Boyd, a 28-year-old autistic man, volunteered for over 600 hours at a Waitrose branch in Greater Manchester.
  • When Tom or his mother requested he be paid for his work, his volunteering was abruptly terminated.
  • Tom found subsequent paid work at ASDA, who were highlighted for their inclusive internship program.

• Key Details:

  • Tom sought purpose and inclusion; was taken on without pay.
  • The Waitrose incident brought mainstream media and public attention to exploitative practices.

• Critical Commentary:

  • Simon: “How dare he, you bastard… getting paid to do work.” [02:58]
  • Discussion on legal and moral aspects: financial exploitation of vulnerable (disabled) individuals is legally very serious, but corporations seem to skirt consequences.
  • Simon shares a personal story illustrating that financial abuse of vulnerable people carries severe penalties in individual contexts, questioning why large companies aren't held to the same standards.

• Systemic Issues:

  • Both hosts question why Tom’s support network (parents, care worker) did not intervene sooner, but Simon points out how families are often “gaslit” by low expectations for disabled people.
  • Simon: “She's probably been told in the same way as a lot of parents are told, 'Your son will never achieve anything... At least he’s getting out of the house.' She probably very innocently thought this was just very good for him on a social scale, that it would actually help improve him.” [09:28]

• Financial Calculations:

  • Jordan: “If the young guy was on today’s minimum wage and he worked over 600 hours, that’s nearly seven grand.” [06:32]

• Reactions to Corporate Statements:

  • Waitrose’s response: Launching an investigation; hosts mock the insincerity and question their motives.
  • ASDA’s response: Praised for supportive action; seen as a rare good actor.

• Notable Quote:

  • Simon: “Like, it’s not enough that we’re neurodivergent and get treated like crap, but now we’re basically forced to work for free and told that it’s good for us.” [08:34]

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3. Case 2: Morrisons and Mencap’s Employ Me Scheme

[14:40 – 19:59]

• Summary:

  • Another mother, Liz Warner, details her son’s experience at Morrisons in Oxfordshire, where he worked six months in customer service without pay.
  • He was initially offered a job through Mencap’s Employ Me charity scheme but struggled to complete Morrisons’ online onboarding, which led to denial of a paid position.
  • Legal action was threatened before anything changed.

• Host Reactions:

  • Frustration at “image” hiring for diversity optics; suspicion that onboarding systems are not adapted for neurodivergent accessibility.
  • Satirical and sarcastic commentary about lanyards, virtue-signaling, and the “neurotypical savior complex.”
  • Outrage at the logic: if the employee was “good enough” for six months unpaid, why is a bureaucratic form a barrier once pay is due?

• Notable Quotes:

  • Simon: “You wouldn’t get a neurotypical working for free, but suddenly they’re neurodivergent and suddenly like, ‘Oh, it’s okay to get them to work for free.’” [18:57]
  • Jordan: “If he was good enough to be in your store for six months and you trusted him with responsibilities, why should your shitty online form be the reason that he can’t do a job he’s already doing?” [19:59]

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4. Systemic Barriers and Societal Attitudes

[09:28 – 13:00, 19:59 – 21:40]

• Gaslighting of Families:

  • Discussion about how parents of neurodivergent kids are led to expect less, which enables exploitation.
  • Simon: “She is probably so gaslit, so beaten down by the negative rhetoric, she was just delighted that her son was even able to get out of the house and be around people.” [10:37]

• Charity as Exploitation:

  • Critique of schemes that use volunteering as a gateway but fail to transition qualified neurodivergent workers to paid roles.

• Systemic Excuses:

  • Companies use process and bureaucracy (“the system”) as cover, despite real-world proof of effectiveness.

• The Value of Disabled Workers:

  • Hosts decry the underlying message: neurodivergent labor is “worth less.”
  • Simon: “It’s saying you being disabled makes you worth less than the undisabled people. And it’s like, you’re basically saying we’re worthless. Completely. Not just worth less, but worthless.” [21:00]

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5. Call to Action & Support

[21:41 – 22:49]

• Encouragement to the Community:

  • Jordan: “I know for a fact that this story is going to create so many more people going, ‘Wait, I should be getting paid?’ Like, yes, yes, you should be getting paid.” [21:40]
  • Simon: “If you work, you should get paid. That’s it. That’s how that works. And anything else is—it should be criminal.” [21:53]

• Community Engagement:

  • The hosts invite listener stories of exploitation and offer to feature more cases: "If there is anyone out there that is having this experience, I think it'd be a really good subject to talk to on this podcast..." [21:53]

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Notable Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Jordan’s Satirical Songs and Humor:

  • “I got brand new news. It’s neurodivergent news.” [01:27]
  • Recurring “meow” banter to relieve social awkwardness. [01:36]

• Raw Frustration at Injustice:

  • Simon: “There is so much that is just fuming my fumes. Digest.” [08:33]
  • “It needs to stop. It needs to be looked at. And luckily, these things are coming into the limelight. But, my God, 2025 people—it’s just so disgusting.” [21:00]

• Empowerment:

  • Jordan: “We will amplify if we can.” [22:49]

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Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |--------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:27–09:00 | Dissection of Waitrose case: exploitation, family dynamics, sum owed | | 09:28–13:00 | Deeper dive into why families accept unpaid work (gaslighting, low expectations)| | 14:40–19:59 | Morrisons case: another instance of unpaid autistic labor, onboarding barriers| | 19:59–21:00 | Critique of systemic excuses, worth of disabled workers | | 21:41–22:49 | Encouragement for listener engagement, call to action |

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Overall Tone

The episode is fiercely outraged, sarcastic, and empowering—balancing biting critique (often with dark humor) against real empathy for exploited autistic workers and their families.

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Final Takeaway

This "hot topic" episode zeroes in on the not-so-rare practice of exploiting neurodivergent volunteers and insists that all work deserves pay. The hosts urge listeners to challenge gaslighting, hold employers accountable, and share their own stories if they’ve experienced similar mistreatment.

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Essential Message:
“If you work, you should get paid. Anything else is exploitation—fight it, expose it, and demand better.”

Transcript

[Jordan]

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[Jessie and Lenny Ware]

Hello, this is Jessie and Lenny Ware from Table Manners, a podcast direct from our dining table where we talk all things food, family, growing up, and everything in between. And everything in between. This season we've had Reese Witherspoon reveal the greatest cookie recipe. We had Gary Oldman, who's freshly knighted. Sir Gary Oldman. Sir Gary Oldman. We did some singing with Gloria Estef and Jeremy Allen White has shared some culinary stories with us. And it's not just this series. We've had plenty of other brilliant guests where you can listen back to all the episodes. People like Cher, Dolly Parton, Kate Winslet, SA, Paul McCartney, John Legend, Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez. We've had them all and we fed them very well. Come and listen to Table Manners, the podcast with me, Jesse Ware and Lenny Ware.

[Jordan]

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[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Oh, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. Hello and welcome to the Neuro Spicy News Hot topic.

[Jordan]

It's getting hot in here, so here comes all your news. I got brand new news. It's neurodivergent news.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Meow, meow.

[Jordan]

You're welcome. I've not written all these down.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

I had no idea how to follow that, so an impression of a cat was all I had.

[Jordan]

If in doubt, just meow it out. That's what I normally do when I get socially awkward. Yeah, right.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Well, carrying on from yesterday's episode, we will be talking about how to be financially more sensible with our money and giving great hints and tips. There was some. A couple of really interesting stories that have come out recently. This one I'm looking at 31st of October and one you've got a couple of days before that. In the fact that it's all well and good being really sensible with your money, but not when you're working and not being paid. Yes.

[Jordan]

So I don't know if you've been living under a proverbial rock. This is a story from the uk, but I think this applies to any autistic individual. Story reads from my page here. Autistic volunteer told he could no longer work for Waitrose, which is a UK supermarket chain, has been hired by Asda. This is Tom Boyd, 28, developed a sense of purpose and belonging while volunteering at a local supermarket before being blocked from returning when he asked for her wage.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

How dare he?

[Jordan]

What? How dare he, you bastard. But this is getting paid to do work.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

So Times have changed.

[Jordan]

Yeah, so this is a guy called Tom in Greater Manchester and apparently he'd been working at this branch of Waitrose since 2021. He gave over 600 hours of his time purely because he wanted to belong, contribute and make a difference.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Says, I am raging. I'm so angry. I am sorry.

[Jordan]

All he would do was just put out stock and tidying the shelves. But this is a billionaire supermarket. And his mum states, you know, he deserved better. He deserved kindness, respect and the chance for all his hard work to mean something. I just wish she'd said this before. He'd worked there for nearly five years.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Okay, so my. We all, we could all agree that the supermarket were just taking advantage of a, of a disabled person, which is the sickest way of taking pretty messed up. Well, I mean that it's actually an illegal thing like that. Not what they did, obviously. How they got away with it, I have no idea. But they definitely shouldn't have been able to get away with it. But the idea of taking advantage of someone is, is a, is a crime. But if you take advantage of someone financially who happens to be disabled as well, it's called taking advantage of a vulnerable person. The, the actual sentence is a lot higher. Like it's, it's taken a lot more seriously. And I know this, I know this because my very own wonderful, wonderful, not so wonderful birth mother actually got convicted and sentenced for this exact thing where she took advantage of a very sick old man and tried to steal all his money. So another thing that, that I can put down to my birth mother being a twisted, evil piece of crap, but yeah, she was actually convicted of that crime and I had to go to court and I listened to the judge. So I'm, I literally know about this, of the fact that if you take advantage of a vulnerable person, that is a very, very serious crime. How is this. Not that how, how, how, how have they got away with it for so long? But I would also like to know the people that are looking after this kid because obviously he's not somebody that, that can look after himself. If somebody's looking after this kid, like, and I really don't want to blame the mum, but I can't help it because you let your son do this. Who, who convinced you? Who does it say anywhere in the article? Like the mother going, well, I thought this was fine. Why did it take you so long?

[Jordan]

Why?

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

But he also has like a care worker, right?

[Jordan]

I believe so. I wouldn't like to say so without sort of clarity. The article I'VE got in front of me isn't highly detailed on the. The guy himself doesn't sort of say like who his support network is. It doesn't say if he's got like, I support needs, low support needs or if he's, you know, non speak. There's no detail on that, really. It's just looking from the kids, worked for free, asked for money, got laid off.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

It's just. It's so bad. It's so bad.

[Jordan]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

It's so bad that it took the mum that long because it's the mum that asks for money from. From what I remember from the article.

[Jordan]

And I've been doing a bit of calculating, if the young guy was on today's sort of minimum wage and he worked over 600 hours, that's nearly seven grand.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

That's.

[Jordan]

That's a lot of money. A lot of money for somebody to. Even if they're only working like 10 hours a week, you know, that's.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

That's over £100.

[Jordan]

Yeah, that's his. He's earned that. Yeah, he's earned that. But I'll. I'll just read from the article. So this was in the Greater Manchester area. The mayor, Andy Burnham, who I actually rate quite highly, said he hoped it would lead to more employees accepting employers accepting a neurodivergent code of best practice which he has launched. And as the spokesperson who has offered this young guy a job said that when the store heard about Mr. Boyd's desire to find meaningful work, they knew he would be a fantastic fit and were delighted to offer him a role. We know that finding meaningful work can be especially challenging for individuals with learning difficulties or disabilities. ASDA has a supported internship program and partnership with DFN Project Search, through which we have welcomed over 30 talented new colleagues into roles across our stores. We have seen the positive impact this has had on the individuals who join for our colleagues and customers too. Whereas Waitrose. You devious bastards.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Buggers.

[Jordan]

Spokesperson said that is of course, it was Waitrose. What do you mean they want to be paid.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Boycott. Boycott it.

[Jordan]

Boycott the Waitrose. Yeah. Who's going to get you smoked salmon now? And they said they care deeply about helping people into the workplace who might not otherwise be given a chance. That the chain is currently investigating what happened to Mr. Boyd. I love that. It's like, well, nobody else was going to give him a free gig, so he did wonderful.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

I. I guarantee it's. Well, he never asked for money, so we just assumed that he was fine with it. Which brings me back to why did the mother take so long to ask for the money? But then when he did ask for the money, they were like, now we're good. Bye, bye. Now you're like, oh, there is so much that is just fuming my fumes. Digest.

[Jordan]

The fumes.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Like, what the hell? Like. Like we don't have it hard enough. Like, it's not enough that we're neurodivergent and get treated like crap, but now, now we're basically forced to work for free and told that it's good for us. Oh, fuck off.

[Jordan]

Yeah, it's a bit like when I first read this story. I was like, wow.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Just wow, wow.

[Jordan]

Like, you know, it's. Again, I don't want to ever, like, point fingers at parents and go, you're to blame. But I was a little bit like, how did you kind of think that this was okay? Like, I really do sort of like sit on that. Like, how can you sort of send a kid off to work every single day? Put them in a uniform, send them on the way. Yeah, maybe they enjoy sort of being there, but nobody should work for free.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

No, no, See, I've. I think that I have the. I'm not saying I have the answer, but from my experience, I think I have the answer to this. And it is not the mother's fault. It is more the fact that she's probably been gaslit. She's probably been told in the same way as a lot of parents are told, your son will never achieve anything. Your son will never do anything. Your son can never contribute to anything. Your son is basically just, you know, he's lucky that he's even breathing out of his own mouth. It's that. It's that sort of rhetoric that is spread by out there that, you know, I mean literally, like RFK was saying, like, oh, you never do this and they'll never do that, and they'll never do this and they'll never do that. And it's. I'm pretty sure he said they'll never hold down a job. And it's like, oh, well, at least he's getting out of the house. At least he's got, you know, he can go and make friends. And she probably very innocently thought that this was just very good for him on a social scale, that it would actually help improve him. Improve his autism. In quotes.

[Jordan]

Fix the tism.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Yeah, it would improve him as a person. And I would absolutely agree that going and doing any sort of job, whether it's voluntary or paid, is. Is good for your for your self worth, for your morality, I guess, rather than just sitting around taking money, you know, you go and work for it. I'm, I'm. That I've got that mindset. I don't like taking. I'm not, let me make it clear. I'm not saying that people who can't work don't deserve money. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if you can work and you're capable of working, then you should go and work because it's, it's contributing and you will feel better. And like I've. We said in the last episode, you'll have your own money and be able to do what you want with it. But this, this is, this is a supermarket or the manager of that supermarket, whoever's in charge, massively taking advantage of, disgustingly taking advantage of the naivete of the young man and his mother. So I would say that it's not. Oh yeah, yes. A terrible mother. Like, I'm not, I'm don't actually don't think that. I think that, that she is probably so gaslit, so beaten down by the negative rhetoric, she was probably just delighted that her son was even able to get out of the house and be around people. She was so proud of the fact that he was doing that. And then at some point she's probably, someone said to her, should he not be being paid for that? And she's probably like, oh, well, maybe he has been there quite a while. It didn't even occur to her that he should be getting paid because she was probably sold it as like, oh, this is going to make him better.

[Jordan]

And then as soon as she asked.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

For money and soon she asked for money, they were like, bye, bye now. So well done, Asda. Fantastic. And fuck you, Waitrose, you absolute stuck up twat of a shop. Let's, let's have a little break and then we can go into this second story that is pretty much the same as this one, which is. There's another one. There's another one.

[Jordan]

Be back.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

We'll be back.

[Jordan]

This is a neurodivergent experience. Public announcement. If you live in England and you or a loved one is waiting for an autism or ADHD assessment, you don't have to wait years. RTN Diagnostics is now part of the NHS Right to Choose scheme, which means if your local wait for a consultant led autism or ADHD assessment is more than 18 weeks, you can choose RTN instead and it won't cost you a penny. Jordan chose RTN for his own family because their care and attention to detail were second to none. They didn't just diagnose autism and adhd, they looked at the full picture, including pda, ocd, anxiety and more. The team is friendly, neuroaffirming and comprises many neurodivergent individuals, so they truly understand. Getting started is simple. Download the GP referral letter and questionnaire from the link in our show notes. Take those to your GP and ask for a referral to RTN diagnostics. If approved, RTN will be in touch within eight weeks to begin your assessment. Remember, this only applies in England and some exclusions do apply. RTN is not currently able to accept referrals for child ADHD assessments, so check the details before you start RTN diagnostics, helping you get the answers you deserve without the wait. Welcome back to your Friday. Hot hot, hot, hot, hot Hot Topic. Unfortunately, there's another shell in the shotgun. There's another one of these stories that's in the news. Come on, Jordan, let's hear it.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meowing. Yes. Well, this one was in the mirror. My autistic son was good enough to work at Morrisons but not be paid. I'm like, well, now it's Morrisons. So boycott Morrisons now.

[Jordan]

U turn out of the Waitrose car park, straight to the Morrisons. Now back on the roundabout.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Everyone, everyone, everyone head to the local Asda or Aldi. Mind you, there's probably something bad about Aldi. They're all terrible. Let's be honest.

[Jordan]

Autistic children, like, chained to the middle aisle.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Jesus. Yeah, it's like, it's like we sell stuff for Bluey. And you're like, yeah, you just take advantage of autistic people selling Bluey cuddly.

[Jordan]

So go on then. What have Morrison's the sadistic bastards done now?

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Liz. Liz Warner was forced to enlist the help of a lawyer after her son was told he had not earned a paid role at Morrison's branch. After six months, not as bad as the last one, but still six months working in customer service. Again, I'll read the rest of it in a second. But again, straight away you're like, well, that's probably someone who's put that kid that position saying, you're okay, you work in customer service. That was going to improve your skills of communication because, let's be honest, autistic people are basically all mute and can't even hold a conversation for three seconds. And we just absolutely lack any ability to have a discussion or talk to anybody ever.

[Jordan]

They just should be so lucky. You can even breathe, boy.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Yeah, you. You're so lucky that people will even give you the time of day, let alone let you work for free.

[Jordan]

And now spit on him.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

So we'll let you work in the toy aisle. Oh, that's fine.

[Jordan]

I'll do that for free.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

That's me, by the way. I'm not having to go at this K. I'm saying that would be me. As long as I'm in the toy aisle and I can take a toy home at the end of the day, I'll do eight hours of work.

[Jordan]

This is why Toys R Us went bust. They had to pay us. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

So. Another angry mother has claimed her autistic son has been poorly treated by a leading supermarket after working for six months in the customer service Morrisons role without pay. Liz Warner said the 21 year old worked in Oxfordshire branch for half a year before being denied paid employment. The youngster, who she has decided not to name. Brilliant, by the way. I love that. Joined the store on a voluntary basis in April 2021, before he was rejected for a role and she was forced to get the lawyers involved. He started working under the charity Mencaps Employ Me scheme and was offered a job three weeks later. But he struggled to complete the supermarkets online onboarding process and was told he was not eligible for paid role within the cafe's team as he had hoped. So basically they were like, oh, look, you know, we got this charity thing, look at us. And it's absolutely an image thing, which is blown up in their face beautifully, by the way. And it is that, oh, oh, look at him. Oh, let's get. Oh, it's a charity. Let's, let's, let's get him, let's get.

[Jordan]

Him some very inclusive. Look at what we've got over here. Introduce yourself.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

I bet, I bet they were like, make sure you wear that lanyard. Make sure. Oh, what's that? Is a T shirt saying I'm two lanyards, I'm autistic. Don't look me in the eye. It's put him out front so everyone can look.

[Jordan]

Careful, don't move too quickly, you'll startle him.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Yeah, Wemmy, do. Do that autistic face. You do try and look more autistic, you know, so we can look like we're doing a good job. Oh, piss off. It's. It is really that way of just treating us like we're so broken that they're. And they're, they're so amazing. That they helped fix us. Was it the. The neurotypical savior complex? And it's like, well, I don't need any neurotypicals to save me. I will save myself. And this is not me having a go at the neurotypicals. I've stopped doing that. I've realized that they are indeed people. And I welcome all people, including neurotypicals, into my circle of friendship. I just.

[Jordan]

Only if you'll work for free.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Yeah, well, that's it, isn't it? It's like, you wouldn't get a neurotypical working for free, but suddenly they're neurodivergent and suddenly like, oh, it's okay to get them to work for free, but then. But then say, oh, you're not eligible because you didn't pass an online onboarding process. It's like, I bet that process wasn't made for neurodivergent people. I bet no one helped him with that. I'd imagine that he's probably dyslexic or has some sort of learning difficulties or even PDA, as most of us end up having.

[Jordan]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

And. And that he shouldn't have had to be made to do that because if he was doing a good job, he was probably doing a good job. Now, I'm not saying that he was right for that role, but I'm still of that thing of like, well, why did you just have him for six months if he wasn't good enough to do the job that you were letting him do for six months when he was for free? Why is he suddenly not good enough to do it and get paid for it? It's bollocks. This is, this is onboarding process. Piss off. You can tell I'm a little bit annoyed. I'm swearing. Sorry, everyone.

[Jordan]

No, but it is frustrating because it's like I'm from of that sort of mindset where I go, well, if he was good enough to be in your store for six months and you trusted him with the roles and responsibilities that you gave to him, why should your shitty online form be the reason that he can't do a job that he's already doing? Like, that just seems like such a freaking get out of jail free card. They're like, oh, well, you know, we have a system. And if they system, then obviously they're not right for employment. But they've been on your shop floor for six months. That is evidence enough that they are capable of doing the role that you're expecting them to do and they should rightfully be paid why is it that we've had two stories here where people go, oh, they're a great employee. We love having them as part of the team. What they want, they want to be paid. Yeah, jog on.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

It's not good. And hopefully there'll be more stories like this will come out, and it will inspire more people to come out and talk, because I would imagine that a lot of this is going on, a lot of this is happening, and it's not.

[Jordan]

Not right.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

It's disgusting. It doesn't. It doesn't. Like being disabled does. Doesn't make you your worth less. And. And that's what this is saying. It's saying you being disabled makes you worth less than. Than the undisabled people. And it's like, well, you're basically. You're basically saying we're worthless. Completely. Our earning potential, not just worth less, but worthless. It's. It's awful. It needs to stop. It needs to be looked at. And luckily, these things are coming into the limelight. But, my God, 20, 25 people. It's just so disgusting. It's gross. It is gross.

[Jordan]

It is crazy. You almost can't imagine something like this happening. But I know for a fact that this story is going to create so many more people that are going, wait, I should be getting paid? Like, yes, yes, you should be getting paid.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

And if you're out there and you're listening and this is. This is happening to you or one of your loved ones, don't for one second think anybody is doing you a favor. They are taking advantage of you or your loved one. They are screwing you over. If you work, you should get paid. That's it. That's how that works. It's it. And anything else is. It should be criminal. It should be a crime. So, yeah, love to see any comments, you know, just let us know, because if there is anyone out there that is having this experience, I think it'd be really good subject to talk to on. On this podcast. So, yeah, we reach out and it's possible that we. We could do a whole episode about how someone was treated badly because it needs to be brought to light. And if we can do that, that is what we do.

[Jordan]

Yeah, we will amplify if we can.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Yep.

[Jordan]

So that is your hot topic this week. Unfortunately, it's a piping smoldering pile of shit, but it was a hot one. So as always, people, stay safe out there. Take care of yourself, and if you can get paid, don't let people take advantage of you, because people are, hi, everybody nightly.

[Co-host (possibly neurodivergent advocate or friend of Jordan)]

Bye.

[Jordan]

Thanks for tuning in to the neurodivergent Experience. We hope today's episode sparks something for you, whether it's a new idea, a bit of validation, or just a moment of connection. Remember, new episodes are every week, so be sure to join us for the next one for more conversations and insights into the neurodivergent Experience. If you've enjoyed this podcast, help us grow. You can do that by rating and reviewing this show. Your support makes a huge difference in helping us us reach more people who could benefit from these conversations. You can connect with us on social media, find us on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok. Just search for the neurodivergent Experience. Thank you again for listening and until next time, take care of yourself. You're not alone in this journey. ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.

[Jessie and Lenny Ware]

Hello, this is Jessie and Lenny Ware from Table Manners, a podcast direct from our dining table where we talk all things food, family, growing up, and everything in between. And everything in between. This season we've had Reese Witherspoon reveal the greatest cookie recipe. We had Gary Oldman, who's freshly knighted Sir Gary Oldman. Sir Gary Oldman. We did some singing with Gloria Estefan and Jeremy Allen White has shared some culinary stories with us. And it's not just this series. We've had plenty of other brilliant guests where you can listen back to all the episodes. People like Cher, Dolly Parton, Kate Winslet, SA, Paul McCartney, John Legend, Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez. We've had them all and we've fed them very well. Come and listen to Table Manners, the podcast with me, Jesse Ware and Lenny Warehouse.

[Jordan]

ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast. Com.