Tesco online shopping picker not fast enough

[WordsFailMeYetAgain]

Hoping someone will have advice for my son.

My son is 20 (almost 21) and works at Tesco as an online shopping picker. He is also at university, will be starting his second year in October and this job is so that he has money to support himself through uni.

He has ASD, Dyslexia and is hypermobile. Tesco are aware of this and knew this when he was employed. He has been with them since September last year.

He has just come home from work and told me that he has been called into a meeting tomorrow and is worried that he is going to be let go because he is too slow. Tesco have a pick rate and my son is consistently below this due to his dyslexia primarily but also his hypermobiity which makes it difficult when the trolley is getting full.

He is in the union and I have told him that at the meeting tomorrow, he must point out his disabilities and following the meeting he must seek out his union rep and tell them what has happened.

Does anyone know whether they can legitimately get rid of him because he is slow due to his disabilities?

not really. He isn't making the pick rate. It is no matter if he thinks others aren't and not getting disciplined, it is nothing to do with him.

If he really thinks they are not treating him fairly because of his disabilities, he needs to get his Union rep onto that. He is young, you may want to/have to help him on that.

This is work-life, not uni-life or school-life where more allowances are made.

Which is why I wrote "reasonable" adjustments. At no point have I suggested that Tesco should turn themselves inside out making endless adjustments for a disabled employee who is never going to make the grade (the law wouldn't require them to and indeed, they could justify dismissing on the basis of capability).
Two days ago OP's DS' pick rate was 164ph against a target of 180ph, yesterday he'd increased it to 170ph, and today he's increased this to 184ph working on chilled products only, and given that he has almost a fortnight to maintain this rate across all products OP is hopeful he will achieve and maintain the target. He's not far off the target at all, however, the PP's comment you've chosen to defend at great length did not "suggest" OP's DS would be better off finding another job and I'm astonished you're characterising it as having been written "not in the most sensitive of ways" - it was charmless and unkind which people can see for themselves (but not you, apparently).
I wasn't suggesting that people who aren't in paid employment don't have healthy self-esteem or contribute to society - I did 10 years of voluntary work myself when I left paid employment - but this 20yr old is just setting out in the world of work where he will likely judge his self-worth on being able to hold down a paid job like many of his peer group and earn money like them to be able to afford to do the things youngsters enjoy doing. You're being naive to think otherwise.

And yet OP's told us the target pick rate for the location her DS works at is 180ph. Maybe this is another example of AI not being so I?

Well done you! "Every cloud ..." and all that. 😊

That’s in the OP

It appears that yours is the only opinion allowed (in your opinion), but when people point out that your own opinion can also be misinterpreted, you are also in the right (in your opinion). Good for you. Perfect in all respects. And not naive at all, unlike anyone disagreeing with you.

I would remind you that at no point did your response specifically address any of those things - you leapt on the pp saying "So you don't think employers should make reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities then? You think disabled people shouldn't be given the opportunity to join the work force, earn their own money and have the healthy self-esteem that comes from contributing to society? (Fortunately, UK discrimination law disagrees with you.)" That was not what the pp said. You generalised from the specific. They didn't.

I find you charmless and unkind too, but I wouldn't have mentioned it until you stooped to personal insults to defend your dubious argument that you didn't say what you said.

The pick rate varies by store. It takes into account the size of the store and how far away from the shop floor the dotcom area is.

His manager probably isn’t being a bitch by not authorising his holidays, they’ve probably all been booked wayyyy in advance, especially summer holidays. As soon as the holidays become available to book on the app he has to try for them, my staff have next year booked already and only so many are allowed off at once.

No, I think people should do jobs they can do. There's no reason he can't do something else he's actually capable of.

With respect you don’t know my son. You are quite incorrect in your assumption that he cannot do the job. He is more than capable but is slightly slower than others. There are others slower than him.

I believe this has been brought up due to the disciplinary.

Well, that may be your opinion but the paperwork and assessments from the specialist clearly refer to auditory dyslexia. This is a recognised dyslexia not”poor auditory working memory”. My apologies, my earlier post refers to aural dyslexia but I’ve just got the paperwork out and it clearly states auditory dyslexia.

I didn't say anything whatsoever about "endless adjustments". My statement was quite correct. The law is the law, disability is a protected characteristic, and what Tesco wants doesn't come into it.

Well thank goodness the law disagrees with you and disabled workers in the UK are indeed entitled to reasonable adjustments in the workplace to allow them to earn a living.

What if half the staff is like that, then you'll need more staff, therefore costs then get passed onto consumers. I don't really understand why people don't do the jobs they are capable of. I'm not very strong so I wouldn't choose to do a job where I needed to lift heavy equipment etc. It just doesn't really make much sense tbh.

Who knew that being a supermarket picker would be so demanding on people with disabilities

No wonder when I’ve asked a picker in the past where something is they’ve looked so startled

I’ll make sure not to ask them in the future.

How to make a crappy job even worse by setting high targets

I didn’t think Asperger’s was used anymore, and you’ve either got ASD, or you don’t - it’s not mild or severe?

You are quite correct regarding Asperger's not being used anymore. I do, however, disagree with the mild or severe. I know, technically, what you say is correct but having met many people with ASD, there are levels of severity from those who are non-verbal, cannot live without care and those who are like my son and can have a reasonably normal life without care and supervision.

That is a great post @PhilippaGeorgiou - I really dont understand why some people dont seem to understand that not all jobs can be adjusted enough for everyone to do. We are at a tipping point, fueled by a larger sense of entitlement in society, where there seems to be a sense that just because you want to do something, you should be able to. I believe in everyone being given a chance for sure - as a kid from a council estate who was written off academically at an early age, but made it to one of the best unis in the country, I can attest to the vital need for that. But we have gone too far. For example, people who want certain careers but who struggle to manage stress. But some jobs are just stressful. At some point you have to accept that, unless you learn to manage stress, its not the career for you. We seem to have lost a sense of realism.

Not a comment on this case btw - sounds like with the adjustments he has got his pick rate up to what they want, and if they can support it great, that is how it should be.

The key to reasonable adjustments is “reasonable”.

Many reasonable adjustments cost nothing. According to ACAS the average is £75. Access to Work can help employees with extra costs e.g equipment.

As a society we have an increasing number of young people with disabilities claiming benefits rather than working. This is unsustainable long term.

The question is which is better people living solely on benefits or people doing 80% of a job, possibly with benefits topping them up?

The key thing employers, and potential colleagues, need is creativity. This doesn’t just apply to people with disabilities but to pregnant women, working parents, carers etc. for example:

• flexible working be it part time, start of finish times, longer breaks etc. Not possible in all jobs but in many.
• Adjust targets e.g. 10% reduction.
• Provide guidance on the range of reasonable adjustments that managers have discretion to use.
• job redesign
• Engage with the individual to find out what barriers they face

In this case a % reduction in pick rate and/or limiting to the frozen/chiller sections is a proportionate reasonable adjustment. Which is why this is what has been put in place.

Just remember any one of us can become disabled at any time e.g. car accident, illness etc. How would we want to be treated.

It's not always about moving employees to a different part of the store . It's about the hours available. Someone applies for a dot com job , is unable to do it and has a protected characteristic. So they need moving to checkouts or replenishment. The hours might not be available but the employer has to find them a role , going over hours in that area and then still having to employ a picker. It's just not that easy moving departments.

I'm glad the change to picking chilled is working out so far. If he gets put back on bigger sections, it's reasonable to request a foorplan including the promo sections. In my store (not Tesco) they're printed and stuck on the top of our trackers. I can't see it because I'm too short so I take a photo.

He could also join the Reddit Tesco forum, and look up tips shared on there.

I'm reading with interest the comments on reasonable adjustments. I've got declared disability and had previous OH assessments etc. But I'm not sure where the line is on business need vs disability. I thought Employers' were permitted to have set targets and would fall outside of a reasonable adjustment

I haven't picked in a while because I'm too slow. I'm getting put back on it and I'm conscious it's a move to manage me out.

Anyway best of luck to your son and I hope management acknowledge his improvement and continues to support

politely, it’s not a correct term for dyslexia. Was the assessment done by a psychologist? Some use out of date terminology. SASC guidance (the guidance we have to follow) does not mention auditory dyslexia.

Never ask a picker for help, always ask someone who’s filling because unless they work for Aldi or Lidl they normally don’t have targets like dot.com staff.

Quick update:

DS had his disciplinary this morning. He has been given a written warning which will stay on his record for six months for the holiday mishap.

His pick rate this morning was 187 so comfortably above target.

Once again, thank you all who provided valuable links and help. It was all very much appreciated.

In the NHS, we would use the term ‘auditory processing disorder’ rather than auditory dyslexia. The latter is very uncommon in the UK.