UC Davis Health recognized with two national workplace awards

UC Davis Health has earned two new national distinctions for workplace excellence. Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group named the health system as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces overall and one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Mental Wellbeing 2025.  

These recognitions reflect the health system’s commitment to fostering an exceptional work environment that supports both professional success and personal wellbeing. 

Overall workplace excellence 

This latest recognition builds on UC Davis Health’s growing national reputation as a model workplace. It follows previous honors from Forbes, including being named one of America’s Best Large Employers, one of California’s Best Employers, and a Best Employer for Diversity and for Women. 

UC Davis Health’s workplace excellence is rooted in comprehensive support for employees throughout their careers. Standout programs include: 

• Competitive benefits and  support for career growth
  

• A strong culture of diversity, equity and inclusion
  
  
• Meaningful improvements driven by employee feedback

“These recognitions affirm our commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive workplace that empowers employees to bring their best to our patients,” said Lyndon Huling, executive director of talent acquisition and compensation services at UC Davis Health. “There’s still more work to be done, and we remain focused on the journey ahead. This is not a destination, but a meaningful milestone that reminds us we’re heading in the right direction.” 

Focus on mental health 

The award for America’s Greatest Workplaces for Mental Wellbeing highlights UC Davis Health’s investment in mental health and resilience across its workforce — an especially critical focus in health care. 

Key offerings include: 

• Flexible, family-friendly workplace policies

• Comprehensive safety and wellness programs

• Expansive health and wellness resources like the new outdoor fitness court and Health UC Davis, a platform which connects employees with physical and mental health resources and funds new healthy initiatives submitted by staff. 

• Accessible mental health services for employees and families

"We’re proud to be part of the broader network of support at UC Davis, providing free, confidential mental health services that help employees and their families navigate life’s challenges,” said Carol Kirshnit, director of the Academic and Staff Assistance Program. “This recognition reflects the university’s commitment to maintaining high quality, accessible mental health support for its employees and speaks to the recognition of our collective humanity." 

Methodology 

The awards are based on one of the largest independent employer studies in the country, conducted by Newsweek in partnership with research firm Plant-A Insights Group. More than 400,000 employees were surveyed, and over 4.9 million reviews of 70,000+ U.S. companies were analyzed. 

For the mental well-being category, companies were scored using more than 120 key performance indicators. These included work-life balance, compensation, leadership, integrity and well-being support. Analysts used both employee feedback and publicly available data. 

Only employers with more than 1,000 employees were eligible, and rankings were adjusted for demographic representation based on U.S. Census data.