Ochsner Health receives 2026 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for second consecutive year

Gallup cited Ochsner’s employee engagement and development programs, including career coaching, tuition assistance, and digital learning tools

Ochsner Health has received Gallup’s 2026 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award (GEWA), marking the second year in a row the nonprofit health system has been recognized by Gallup for workplace culture and employee engagement.

“Having a thriving workplace culture enables us to deliver outstanding care for the patients and communities we serve,” Ochsner President and CEO Pete November said in a statement.

Gallup’s recognition referenced Ochsner’s workforce development efforts, including career coaching, tuition assistance through the Ochsner Scholars program, and digital learning tools intended to support ongoing training. The organization also cited partnerships with universities as a way to expand career pathways.

Tracey Schiro, executive vice president and chief people and culture officer at Ochsner Health, said employee engagement is a long-term focus for the organization and pointed to “caring communication, kindness, psychological safety and gratitude” as cultural priorities, along with tools and support meant to help employees develop and perform in their roles.

In describing the broader context for the award, Gallup said its research has found that organizations with higher employee engagement tend to perform better on a range of outcomes. Gallup cited its meta-analysis on team engagement and performance, which it described as drawing on data from more than 3.3 million employees across 347 organizations in 53 industries and 90 countries.