Acentra Health Named to Newsweek's America's Greatest Workplaces for Entry Level 2026 — Recognising Commitment to Early-Career Talent
Talent Management / Employee Experience | 3 min read
Acentra Health, a technology and health solutions company dedicated to accelerating better health outcomes for government and commercial clients serving more than 170 million people across all 50 US states, has been named to Newsweek's "America's Greatest Workplaces for Entry Level" 2026 list. The recognition — presented by Newsweek in partnership with Plant-A Insights Group — is based on one of the largest independent workforce studies in the US, analysing over 610,000 company reviews from employees aged 18 to 28 along with millions of additional data points across workplace culture, work-life balance, and career development. Acentra Health was included among 178 US companies with between 1,000 and 5,000 employees that received the highest five-star rating. All 1,000 organisations featured on the full list — including globally recognised brands — are highlighted for demonstrating a strong commitment to helping early-career employees succeed.
"Acentra Health is honoured to be recognised by Newsweek as one of America's greatest workplaces for entry-level professionals. We are deeply committed to creating an environment where early-career professionals can learn, grow, and make meaningful contributions to our mission of accelerating better health outcomes. This recognition reflects the dedication of our teams to mentoring, supporting, and empowering the next generation of talent."
— Kelly Schlageter, Chief People Officer, Acentra Health
What Drives the Recognition: Culture, Wellbeing, and Community Impact
Acentra Health has reported high employee engagement survey scores year over year, reinforced by a set of intentional people programmes. The company offers all employees and their families free access to the Calm Health app as part of expanded wellbeing benefits. Flexible schedules in remote and hybrid work environments are supported, with the current model shaped by feedback from 86% of employees — ensuring that flexibility is genuinely grounded in what employees say they need. Through its "Acentra Health Cares" programme, the company integrates community impact directly into the employee experience. Internal initiatives including the annual "Be the Light" campaign to fight hunger and the recent "Kindness Olympics" competition have mobilised employees across the US and India — resulting in more than 3,600 volunteer hours and over $340,000 in community benefit dollars in 2025. Chief People Officer Kelly Schlageter emphasised that creating an environment where early-career team members do meaningful, mission-driven work and are supported by leaders invested in their growth requires intention, strong leadership, and a culture that values development at every stage.
Key Takeaways
- • Acentra Health (technology and health solutions company; serves federal, state, and commercial clients in all 50 US states; improves health outcomes for 170+ million people) has been named to Newsweek's "America's Greatest Workplaces for Entry Level" 2026 — a recognition presented by Newsweek in partnership with Plant-A Insights Group, based on one of the largest independent workforce studies in the US.
- • Study methodology: analysis of 610,000+ company reviews from employees aged 18–28; millions of additional data points across workplace culture, work-life balance, and career development; evaluates companies with more than 1,000 employees using national survey, desk research, and third-party data. Acentra Health received the highest five-star rating and was listed among 178 companies in the 1,000–5,000 employee category.
- • People and wellbeing programmes driving the recognition: high year-over-year employee engagement scores; free Calm Health app access for all employees and their families; flexible remote and hybrid schedules shaped by feedback from 86% of employees; mentoring and leadership investment in early-career development as explicit cultural commitments.
- • Community impact integrated into employee experience via the "Acentra Health Cares" programme: annual "Be the Light" campaign (fighting hunger); "Kindness Olympics" competition; employees mobilised across the US and India resulting in 3,600+ volunteer hours and $340,000+ in community benefit dollars in 2025 — reinforcing mission and values alignment at an employee level.
- • The strategic framing from Chief People Officer Kelly Schlageter: creating a great workplace for entry-level professionals requires intention, strong leadership, and a culture that genuinely values development at every stage — not just senior levels. Acentra Health's mission-driven work (accelerating better health outcomes for government and commercial populations) creates a purpose alignment that supports early-career engagement and retention.