As part of our 25th anniversary celebrations, we have interviewed some of our longest serving members of staff, to find out what is was like to work at Tops all those years ago! Our second interview is with Charlotte Percival, our HR Director who has been working for Tops for 25 years.
“I started working at Tops in January 1996. I started as a Nursery Assistant and was promoted to Nursery Manager at Tops Bournemouth in 2000, this was such a huge achievement for me and I was excited for the new, exciting challenges that would await me!
One of my funniest memories was during our first Ofsted inspection at Tops Bournemouth, we were all a bit on edge as it was our first proper inspection. I was horrified when the Ofsted inspector approached me and said “Where is the ladies bathroom so I can wash my face?” As I looked at her she had a great big grey paint mark all down the side of her face! One of the little boys had decided to paint her face instead of the papier-mâché volcano. Luckily the inspector found the funny side to the incident and it didn’t affect the inspection outcome!
In 2008 I was offered HR Directorship. I was extremely honoured and to this day still gives me a great sense of pride. There are many factors as to why I enjoy working with the company, the ethos, the brand, training, support, development, career progression, but to me it has to be the people.
Aside from my NVQ L3 in childcare and Assessors qualification that I completed (many, many years ago!) I am also currently completing my CIPD Level 7 in Human Resource Management.”
