PEOPLE & CULTURE

If you’re looking for somewhere you can learn quickly, make a meaningful impact in a fast-paced business, and grow your career, you’re in the right place.

OUR FAMILY

At the heart of our business is our family – our team.

We are wildly passionate about our workplace culture and providing a GREAT place to work for our ever growing teams across all of our sites. Our Values and Behaviours run through absolutely everything we do, from how we recruit, engage and motivate, to how we develop and reward our team of GREAT people. 

If our Values and Behaviours resonate with you and you are looking for a workplace that you can feel proud of, then look no further than one of our garden centres, which we like to call ‘destination centres’, where you’ll find there is so much more in store.

We have a wide variety of career opportunities, so whether it’s a career in retail, catering, warehouse operations, play or one of our head office functions, then this could be the perfect place for you.

OUR VALUES

We recognise that each of us is different in our personalities, job roles and abilities but our Values and Behaviours are what make us an incredible place to work for.

Our whole team make nominations that recognise monthly Values award winners in our six categories, Excellence, Honest, Respectful, Team, Accountable and Positive.

We’ve recently added an additional Value of ‘Climate and Community’ following our commitment to become a leading sustainable business. Our value enables us to be more conscious with our actions and behaviours when it comes to the climate and our local communities in which we operate.

Take a look below at what each of these means to us on a day to day basis.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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’

  • 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

  • We take meaningful action to reduce our carbon emissions both personally and professionally

    We take pride in learning how to care for our planet and we share our knowledge with others

    We make sure that our decisions are as climate conscious as they can be

    We demonstrate we care by giving back to causes close to our hearts

WE GROW GREAT PEOPLE

We invest in developing our people and harnessing their strengths so our team can reach its full potential. We are proud to promote talent from within, offering great progression opportunities that come with training to match. We create training and development opportunities for all our team, from customer service, plant knowledge and first aid training to expanding skills in an apprenticeship or through leadership training.

CREATING A GREAT CULTURE

What we do at Tong goes far beyond profits, we work hard to create an environment where everyone can flourish and be their full self at work. We care passionately about our people and our culture is driven by listening, support and empowerment. With daily and weekly huddles, ‘Time to Talk’ catch ups, team activity days and Mental Health first aiders, we aim to offer everyone the support they need not just at work but as their whole self too.

Annual Awards Night

Each year we celebrate our Values at an unforgettable Awards Night where our management team select six overall Values Champions from a full year of outstanding monthly winners who all demonstrate the values at the heart of our business.

MEET SOME OF OUR VALUES WINNERS

  • Shannon | Positive

    Shannon was the recipient of our ‘Positive’ Award after receiving 8 nominations across the year in recognition of her contribution to the business.

  • Kevin | Team

    Our ‘Team‘ Award winner, Kevin Smith (Joinery Manager, YGC) who has worked across the business, transforming not only the shop floors but also spaces behind closed doors that only our teams see.

  • Steph | Respectful

    Steph won our ‘Respectful’ award and is someone who has demonstrated the respectful value in many ways throughout 2022, nominated 3 times by colleagues for showing care and consideration

OFFERING GREAT BENEFITs

We believe in creating a GREAT place to work and that our team should be fairly rewarded for all the work they do. We are PROUD to employ great people who are passionate about what they do. We offer a wide range of benefits that make our working environment fulfilling, friendly and fun.

  • A great, fun, friendly working environment

    Modern team facilities

    Up to 33% staff discount in store

    A strong set of Values and great Behaviours

  • Colleague recognition schemes

    Pension contributions

    Bonus* (*depending on the level of your role)

    Life assurance scheme

  • Opportunity to work remotely* (*where your role allows it)

    Opportunity for company sponsored development

    Alternate working weekends

    Calendar of staff events

AWARD WINNING RETAILER

Recognised locally, regionally and nationally, we are so proud of our award winning business. We are proud to be an employer who values employee contributions, creates a supportive environment and celebrates individual and team success.

  • 2024 SME Business - Yorkshire Sustainability Excellence Awards

    We’re proud to share the news that we won the SME Business category at the inaugural Yorkshire Sustainability Excellence Awards, which were presented at a celebration lunch at Swinton Park in Ripon.

    The awards were created by the founding group of partners - TheBusinessDesk.com, Clarion, Deloitte, and Swinton Estate - to recognise businesses and organisations that are making permanent and positive changes to their environmental impact.

    Read More

  • 2024 Retail Company of the Year - British HR Awards

    The team at YGC is celebrating after winning a national HR award for the second consecutive year.

    The HR awards celebrate organisations and individuals that are driven by delivering a world-class people experience, so we’re proud and delighted to have won this award on behalf of our great team.

    The British HR Awards is powered by New Possible, a next-generation employee insight platform.

    Read More

  • 2024 Worrall Cup - Garden Centre Association Awards

    The Worrall Cup is awarded annually to the garden centre with the best marketing and community initiative and we’re very proud to have won it for the Kindness Pot programme that benefits local causes that are nominated by our team members.

    The Kindness Pot was introduced in 2022 and donates time, money or products to meaningful causes that resonate deeply with all of our team. Since launch, over 50 local charities, groups, causes and community initiatives have benefitted from the Pot.

    Read More

  • 2023 Community Award - Yorkshire Post Excellence Business Awards

    We won the Community category of the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards that recognise and reward businesses and the vital role businesses play in Yorkshire’s economic success.

    We are delighted to win this prestigious award that is a testament to the efforts of our hard-working team. We are particularly pleased to be recognised for our efforts in the community; each of our centres hopes to play an active role in all their communities and it’s very important to us.

    Read More

Current vacancies

We care passionately about how we do business and are proud to have a robust ‘Climate and Community’ commitment through our FOUR PILLARS that details our pathway to sustainability, the active role we play in our local community and the caring culture we have created for our people.

Sustainability

Community

Love nature

People & Culture

Latest Climate & Community Stories