People & Culture

If you think our values match who you are and the kind of place you are looking to work, then get in touch.

JOINING TEAM TONG

We are an exciting Destination Centre located on the Leeds/Bradford border with easy access from the motorways and with on-site parking. We offer a fast moving, dynamic and welcoming team environment. We are continuing to grow and develop so this role has career opportunities for the right person. The team has grown from 45 to 200 people and we have built a strong reputation as a part of the local community.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WORK HERE?

If we were to tell you that our aim is to be one of the best employers across the UK, then hopefully that goes some way to demonstrate our commitment to our People and Culture, which is why we have a dedicated People and Culture team at Tong Garden Centre.

Their purpose is to attract, recruit, engage and develop the best people into our business.

Our 2020 award win for ‘Outstanding Employer’ at the Yorkshire Post Business Excellence Awards goes some way to demonstrate what we are aiming to achieve, here at Tong. Neil and Becki are aiming to ensure we have a GREAT culture as we continue to grow.

Our Values

POSITIVE

We are proud to work here and always give a warm, friendly ‘’Yorkshire’’ welcome to everyone
We have a ‘can do’ attitude and find solutions to any problem
We work in a professional way with energy, enthusiasm, and commitment
We love to ‘get stuck in’ and react positively towards change

ACCOUNTABLE

We take responsibility for our work and ownership of our actions – making sure we deliver on our promises
We own our mistakes and learn from them
We take pride in our work, producing the best of our ability
We pass on knowledge to help others make the right decision or to do the right thing

RESPECTFUL

We are respectful, courteous and considerate towards everyone and everything
We take pride in delivering the needs of others
We respect and care for the environment we work in
We are open minded and non judgemental

HONEST

We give honest advice and feedback in a sincere and genuine way
We are consistent and reliable in our approach
We make time for others when they need us the most
We are inquisitive and ask questions to give the right advice

EXCELLENCE

We use our knowledge and experience to educate each other
There is no ‘faffin’ here, just giving 100% of our effort, every day
We strive to learn and grow – just like our pots and plants
We lead by example at all times
We settle for ‘Great’

TEAM

Our approach is ‘Your team is my team, and my team is your team’
We help and support each other to provide a great experience for everyone
We communicate clearly and effectively with each other so things run smoothly
We are resourceful and versatile in our approach

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WORKING AT TONG?

Here are a few of the great benefits of working for us:

A great, fun, friendly working environment
Growing staff facilities, with new office and staff room in 2021
Up to 33%* staff discount in store (*Discount varies across the store, including concessions)
Family and friend open days
Free car parking
Colleague recognition schemes
Pension contributions
Bonus* (*depending on the level of your role)
A strong set of Values and great behaviours
Opportunity to work remotely* (*where your role allows it)
Opportunity for company sponsored development
Various staff events

These are just the start, we are constantly reviewing our employee offering as we aim to become one of the best employers in the UK.

Our retail team is made up of Tills and Customer Services, Food Hall – Hearty’s (including our very own Butchers, Bakers, Deli and Fresh), Giftware, Garden Sundries, Leisure, as well as our Indoor and Outdoor Plants and Warehouse teams. We also have our famous Christmas and Grotto during the winter months, so if you love Christmas, you’ll love us even more!

We also have a number of head office functions to help us perform at our best, those being Accounts, Marketing, People and Culture and Commercial.

The video below shows you what it’s like to work in one of our restaurant teams 🙂

If you have some GREAT feedback about one of our team members, click here and let us know which of our Values they demonstrated.

CURRENT VACANCIES

CATERING ASSISTANT (VARIETY OF HOURS)

catering assistant

We have a variety of Catering Assistant roles in our Restaurant and Mezzanine teams.

You’ll be responsible for delivering GREAT customer service to all our visitors, whilst serving food and drinks and maintaining GREAT levels of cleanliness out front, whilst in our Mezzanine you will help prepare and serve our delicious Afternoon Teas.

These are demanding roles, so you must be comfortable working fast and being on your feet a lot of the time (15,000 steps a day!), but we know you’ll love working with our team of superstars!

Previous experience of working in a catering environment is desirable but not essential.

The roles are a variety of hours, many including weekend work. We are looking for people who demonstrate our Values and Behaviours each and every day, so make sure you know what these are all about before applying.

To apply, please click here

KITCHEN PORTER (WEEKENDS)

kitchen PORTER – weekends

We are looking for the next members of our expanding Kitchen teams at Tong Garden Centre to help us achieve our ambition of being the BEST garden centre and destination centre, for all the family, in Yorkshire.

Keen to grow a career in the Kitchen? Love the industry but want daytime working hours? Then this role could be for you.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring that our Kitchen and its equipment is kept immaculate and stored tidily. General duties will include washing up and cleaning on a daily basis, so you must be comfortable with being on your feet most of the day.

Previous experience of working in a fast-paced kitchen environment would be preferred but not essential.

These roles require working every weekend and are part time so please bear this in mind before applying.

Take it from us, you will not work with a more supportive team. We believe we are the best Garden Centre to work for in Yorkshire and our feedback demonstrates that.

Just click here to apply to find out more, we cant wait to hear from you!

FOOD HALL ASSISTANT – PART TIME

food hall assistant

We are looking for the next members of our Hearty’s Food Hall team. We have recently expanded our Food offering within the garden centre, and Hearty’s is a fully refurbished, expanded area that champions home produced and regional food. We have always been passionate about our Yorkshire roots and Hearty’s gives us a fantastic opportunity to further champion our own!

Your goal will be to provide a warm welcome to all visitors who visit Hearty’s. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that all products are well stocked, date and temperature checked, that stock is rotated and Hearty’s delivers against its Retail and EHO/Food Hygiene Standards.

In addition, you’ll support the team with preparing food (this can include raw food), as well as help keep the kitchen and other work areas clean and tidy, whilst also sorting, storing and distributing ingredients and deliveries.

This is a busy team so you must be comfortable working fast and being on your feet a lot of the time, but we know you’ll love working with our team of superstars!

Experience of working within a retail environment would be ideal but not essential. However, you must have experience of working in a customer service role.

What’s in it for me?

Take it from us, you will not work with a more supportive team. We believe we are the best Garden Centre to work for in Yorkshire and our feedback demonstrates that.

We want to challenge what other garden centre’s currently do, so you’ll be sure to get an experience you won’t find in any other centre.

There are plenty more pots to plant, meals to make and awards out there for us to win… .care to join us?

Click here to apply – we can’t wait to hear from you!

GRASSHOPPERS – VARIOUS ROLES

We are an award-winning employer who have big ambitions for the future. We are looking for the next members of our Grasshoppers team to help us achieve our ambition of being the BEST garden and destination centre for all the family in Yorkshire.

We have a variety of part time roles in our Grasshoppers team, varying between 5 to 25 hours per week, all working some weekend hours.

Do you enjoy working in a fast paced and welcoming environment? Do you have a friendly personality and enjoy interacting with adults and children? Then we want to hear from you1 We have a variety of part time roles in our Grasshoppers team, varying between 5 to 25 hours per week, all working some weekend hours.

Grasshoppers Assistant x 4

Cleaner (9.75hrs)

Catering Assistant x 2

Kitchen Assistant x 2

Our aim is to provide a GREAT service to all our visitors, whether in our play area, cleaning or in our play kitchen. We are looking for people who demonstrate our Values and Behaviours every day, so make sure you know what these are all about before applying.

Click here to apply – we cant wait to hear from you!

HOUSEPLANTS ASSISTANT (FULL TIME)

HOUSEPLANTS ASSISTANT

As an award-winning employer, you will be joining a team that is passionate about people. Our strong values drive our business, and we truly care about our team. If you share the love of plants and truly believe people make the difference then please keep reading!

We have an exciting opportunity for someone to work in our Houseplants area. Ideally, you will have some knowledge of indoor plants and how to care for them, and a keen eye for detail. Customer service experience is essential as you will be the first point of contact to help with queries and give advice about plant care.

The role will also include making plant arrangements, so you must be comfortable with getting stuck in and thinking creatively to create inspiring displays.

We are looking for people who are friendly, enthusiastic and love to work in a fast paced environment. If this sounds like you, click the apply button! We are looking for people who demonstrate our Values and Behaviours every day, so make sure you know what these are all about before applying.

Click here to apply – we can’t wait to hear from you!

PETS ASSISTANT (1 X FULL TIME OR 2 X PART TIME)

pets ASSISTANT

Do you enjoy to interact with customers? Do you thrive in a sales role? Do you like to work in a fast-paced environment where you are on your feet most of the day? Are you willing to get stuck in and support your colleagues and the business where ever needed? If yes, then this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

If you’ve paid a visit to Tong, you’ll know we have recently expanded our retail floor space, already grown our plant space and have recently opened a new pet accessories area.

Ultimately you will be required to provide a great experience for our customers by ensuring retaining the knowledge we pass on about our products to help you sell.

Ideally, we would like people who have previous retail experience, with lots of enthusiasm and positivity.

As the sales of garden products are seasonal, you will be required to support with our Christmas store – one of the most magical and busy periods for us, so you must be comfortable with this.

This role is advertised as a full time role, however we are willing to consider 2 part time roles.

Our Values are embedded into everything we do, so when you read over these, if they demonstrate who you are – then we’d love to hear from you!

Click here to apply – we can’t wait to hear from you!

Latest News

We’re over the moon with our Outstanding Employer award

We Have Added to the Plants Team with Our First Apprentice