Monarch Healthcare is not horsing around about employee appreciation.
Employees at the Mankato, MN, based healthcare management chain enjoyed happy hour, an inflatable Wild West Shootout game, a mechanical bull, live music and more at their rodeo-themed annual summer party.
Executive Assistant Heather Ayer, who manages Monarch’s corporate office, planned the event that took place at the Buffalo Civic Center and the Buffalo Rodeo Grounds in Buffalo, MN. About 600 employees from 50 sites across the state came to join the festivities.
“I do think everybody really looks forward to these kinds of events,” Ayer said. “As our organization grows, it’s just really nice to be able to see people from other regions in person when it’s not just a meeting.”
While planning, Ayer focused on the details. The cupcakes each donned a mini cowboy hat and were wrapped in cow-print and bandana-print liners. Each table was covered in a red plaid tablecloth, and attendees were encouraged to arrive decked out in cowboy hats, overalls and flannels.
The event began with a happy hour at the Buffalo Civic Center with carnival games and a live musician, and then everyone transitioned to the Buffalo Rodeo Grounds where they watched an actual rodeo.
“There was a lot of laughter,” Ayer said. “Everybody was able to just kind of blow off steam with each other. It seemed like everybody really enjoyed themselves and being able to connect.”
Ayer said events like this happen at both the regional level and on the site level at Monarch locations, which offer rehabilitation, long-term care, memory care and assisted living services.
The summer party tradition started nine years ago to “help staff and leaders at Monarch connect.”
“It’s really important to our executive leadership and our CEO Marc Halpert to show gratitude with these large fun events, and it’s a way for our company to show how much we appreciate our staff and their dedication to the important work they do every day,” Ayer said.
