Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber. Rhys Hoskins. Alec Bohm. Brandon Marsh.
Leon Tarlow.
All six hit home runs at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night during the Philadelphia Phillies’ 7-0 win over Houston in Game 3 of the World Series.
The first five are Phillies players, while Tarlow is the CEO and president of Imperial Healthcare Group, which operates 13 skilled nursing facilities and two assisted living facilities across Pennsylvania.
One of Tarlow’s staff members joked about taking employees to the World Series once the Phillies won the National League Championship. Now Tarlow has turned that idea into reality. Through a broker, the company secured 43 tickets to Game 3. Each facility would give a ticket to its administrator, director of nursing and a staff member chosen through raffle.
“Part of our culture is focusing on having the best staff, and we’re always trying to be innovative and creative,” Tarlow said the day after the game. “There’s a recruitment aspect, but we believe on focusing on retention and on appreciation. Everyone says it but we try to live it: Employees are our greatest and most valuable asset.”
The World Series tickets top of a list other investments in staff recognition. Tarlow offers sign-on bonuses, with $3,000 referral bonuses for existing employees. Last year, the company gave trips for two to Florida for some facilities’ employees of the year. One winner was on a billboard holding a check for the trip. And every Imperial facility this fall gave away school supplies to each employee with kids.
“We want everyone to live well, not just our residents,” he said.
For Tuesday night’s game, the tickets were scattered in groups of three or six, and Tarlow spent the first 90 minutes visiting each group. Employees with no Phillies merchandise had some bought for them, “except one Pirates fan who refused,” Tarlow chuckled.
“I had a blast seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces,” he said. “Seeing their hearts filled with realizing that all their sweat and dedication every single day is appreciated. It’s really a once in a lifetime opportunity and that’s what they do for the residents every day, they give them their life.”
Originally scheduled for Monday, Game 3 was rained out. Some folks had to miss the reschedule, but their tickets were snapped up. Those who attended saw a record tied for most home runs in a World Series game.
“It was an amazing opportunity for me to show appreciation to the employees in a unique way,” Tarlow said. “We take care of our residents, and we also want to take care of our employees. It was such a treat for me selfishly. I don’t get as much time with frontline staff as I would like to.”
While he was on the phone with McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, Tarlow got a text from an employee who was at the game:
“What a dream come true. Thanks for this amazing experience.”
