TWG TEA COMPANY PTE LTD
Founded in 2008 in Singapore, TWG Tea offers more than 800 varieties of teas sourced from 46 regions around the world and incorporates a boutique and tea salon concept. TWG Tea now has 70 locations in 19 countries and 3,000 employees globally.
Workplace Policies and Practices
TWG Tea is committed to providing equal opportunities to every employee with the aim to develop their individual potential in their respective roles, as well as to job seekers who are interested to join the company. “Promotion from within” is often practiced across departments and roles as it has proven to be one of the most effective approaches to finding a perfect fit for each job, since existing employees possess a deeper understanding of the Brand knowledge and values, and can integrate a new role more quickly. Outstanding employees are recognised and rewarded for their contributions and are offered opportunities for growth. This approach has also proven to be an effective way to promote employee Brand loyalty.
A professional code of conduct is emphasized to every employee in the company, through our luxury behaviours, created to be an acronym of our brand name: Thoughtful, Willing and Graceful (TWG). These values are an integral part of our company culture. Employees are required to abide by TWG Tea dress codes and grooming guidelines and are given clear and precise instructions at the commencement of their employment. Stringent hygiene and sanitation standards are enforced to ensure only the finest quality products are produced and delivered to our customers. Good manufacturing practices are carefully implemented in our HACCP certified production facilities to ensure food safety requirements are complied with at all times.
At TWG Tea, workplace safety and health is an important aspect. Work processes are carefully designed, and risk assessments are conducted for the production facilities to minimize risks of injury to employees while performing their jobs.
Employee Benefits
From sourcing, production and packing to sales, F&B, marketing, finance and design, a variety of Leave Policies is created to cater to employees’ needs and enable the company to continue to function efficiently at all levels. A thorough structure of leave policies has been developed to include annual leave, medical/hospitalization leave, childcare leave, maternity & paternity leave, compassionate leave, and marital leave.
Dental and Healthcare insurance has been developed for both locals and expat employees. Employees have the option to add on or top up to get additional coverage for themselves or their families. Front line staff benefit from Discount Privileges offered by malls and department stores where they work and all staff of the company benefit from a generous discount on all TWG Tea products. Every TWG Tea Salon & Boutique is given pre-defined Sales Targets for seasonal occasions such as Mid-Autumn Festival and Christmas. If the target is achieved, the teams are rewarded with a special bonus or team dinner. Company Annual Dinner is an annual event to celebrate the achievement of the Brand and our employees for their efforts and dedication towards building the success of the Brand. An Annual & Performance Bonus is awarded to employees for their effort and contribution.
Every TWG Tea employee is offered customized Training Programs and workshops – TWG Tea Brand Experience Workshop and Tea Experience Workshop – in our own TWG Tea Institute, a state-of-the-art training facility to learn about tea, luxury retail, fine-dining service and tea connoisseurship.
Employer Branding
Having won numerous accolades for its branding and design, TWG Tea is the foremost reference in the luxury tea industry. To capitalize on this valuable commercial asset, the management team developed a series of new HR initiatives in 2015. In addition to launching the first global m-commerce application ever developed by a tea company, TWG Tea created a state-of-the- art responsive website conceived to mirror the exceptional TWG Tea Salon & Boutique experience, with career pages and brand information incorporated to encourage spontaneous job applications from individuals with a particular passion for tea and the brand.
In line with the brand’s 10th Anniversary in 2018, TWG Tea launched an ultra-modern global omni-channel eCommerce website and by-invitation-only membership programme, redefining the experience and engagement online and in-store, for both frontline staff and customers. Offering personalised services and a whole host of tea-related rewards and benefits, the “MyTWG” membership programme provides staff with detailed customer’s interactions both offline and online, encouraging staff to forge stronger relationships with privileged guests.
TWG Tea published a new edition of the 4-colour TWG Tea Book in 2015 to include brand values and essential information about TWG Teas and products and to share the inspirational brand story with employees and customers.
A new Employee Welcome Pack was designed to include all relevant employee documentation – from job descriptions to training materials – to outline each new employee’s trajectory and to accompany them throughout their career at TWG Tea.
To give employees the chance to appreciate the iconic design of TWG Tea Salons & Boutiques up close and personal, a state-of-the-art training facility was designed to incorporate a simulated Tea Salon, Tea Boutique, Tea Counter and Classroom, fully equipped to showcase presentations and conduct video workshops with overseas participants.
To give employees vertical and horizontal opportunities to grow their understanding of the tea, luxury retail and fine dining industries, TWG Tea wrote and implemented bespoke workshops, designed exclusively by TWG Tea to ensure retention of key personnel, sales, service and tea connoisseurship. The TWG Tea Brand Experience Workshop is the cornerstone of this program and forms the foundation of learning and development workshops which make up the TWG Tea Institute Learning Curriculum. More advanced courses are proposed to more senior employees on a merit basis to give them new scope for development.
The TWG Tea brand values are defined and added to every new Job Description, to show that the key factors that define all TWG Tea products and experiences – Thoughtfulness, Willingness and Gracefulness – are expectations that we have of each employee and reflected in our company culture.
TWG Tea has created a mentoring program whereby senior managers are invited to participate in an intensive Train the Trainer program. In the last presentation phase of the week-long workshop, participants create their own training program based on their role in the company, giving them the chance to apply newly acquired knowledge to their specific field. Certified professional trainers then asses and critique their presentations and give them useful feedback. The program is offered to managers, from store managers, warehouse managers to office managers.
