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

KITCHEN PORTER (6.5-25 HOURS P/W)

KITCHEN PORTER

Do you love to work in a dynamic and fast paced environment? Have you worked in a busy kitchen, or a similar environment?

If so, then this role could be for you!

We are looking for a number of Kitchen Porters to work in our Restaurant and Mezzanine.

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 will be part-time roles, working anything from 6 to 25 hours each week (usually between the hours of 0830-1700), and these roles are shifts from Monday – Friday.

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.

BAKERY SUPERVISOR & ASSISTANT ROLES (16-36 HOURS P/W)

bakery team – supervisor and assistants

Do you love to bake? Are you a stickler for consistency? Do you love to help others and work as part of a team? Then we are looking for you!

We are looking for additional support in our Bakery team in ensuring we are delivering a great customer experience by creating great baked goods!

supervisor (36 hours p/w)

We are looking for people who are able to assist with the baking, so if you are more experienced in baking, are comfortable operating independently and taking ownership of your work then get in touch. In this supervisory role you will assist with opening up the bakery and getting the team ready for the day, as well as helping the lead Baker to oversee the day to day operation. Ideally you’ll have previous experience of working in a bakery (or similar environment) and in supervising or managing others.

bakery assistant

Alternatively we are looking for people who will be responsible for ensuing that the bakery is visually clean, tidy and well stocked, as well as helping the bakers in preparing and packing our baked daily goods, such as our delicious cakes, treats, mince pies, gingerbread people and many more scrumptious items!

You’ll also help maintaining our standards around food hygiene, so checking the fridges and freezers on a daily basis..

So what do we need from you?

= Previous experience of working in a bakery or customer service role

= The ability to pay strict attention to detail

= Ability to plan and organise yourself and achieve daily set targets

We have a number of opportunities available, so get in touch if working in a bakery sounds like a good opportunity for you.

Click here to apply.

KITCHEN ASSISTANT (37.5 HOURS P/W)

KITCHEN assistant

We are looking for the next member of our expanding Kitchen and Restaurant 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? Then this role could be for you. You will be helping to prep our food with guidance from our Chef’s, which ranges from sandwiches, salads and decorating our cakes, to helping with whatever support is needed in the kitchen from mopping and washing up, cleaning the surfaces, equipment, plates and cutlery through to general Kitchen duties.

Some experience of working within a Kitchen environment would be ideal, with experience of working on a busy pass desirable, but not essential.

To find out more and apply, click here