Wayside Youth & Family Support Network wins 2026 Top Workplaces award for fourth straight year

By AI, Created 10:00 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has earned the 2026 USA TODAY Top Workplaces award, marking its fourth consecutive win. The recognition is based on confidential employee feedback and highlights workplaces with strong listening and engagement cultures.

Why it matters: - The Top Workplaces award is a national signal that a nonprofit has built a people-first culture that employees recognize and trust. - The honor can strengthen Wayside Youth & Family Support Network’s recruiting, retention, and public credibility as it serves children, youth and families across Eastern and Central Massachusetts.

What happened: - Wayside Youth & Family Support Network announced on April 30, 2026, that it earned the 2026 USA TODAY Top Workplaces award. - The recognition marks the organization’s fourth consecutive year receiving the award. - USA TODAY showcased the winners online and at the National Awards Summit in Nashville. - The award is given to organizations with 150 or more employees that have created exceptional, people-first cultures.

The details: - More than 40,500 organizations were invited to participate this year. - Winners are chosen from confidential employee surveys conducted by Energage, the HR research and technology company behind the Top Workplaces program since 2006. - Survey results are based on employee responses tied to Workplace Experience Themes, which the program describes as indicators of high performance. - Sara McCabe, president and CEO of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, said the recognition reflects the organization’s culture and its employees. - Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage, said the award reflects an organization’s credibility and commitment to a people-first culture and signals that employees believe in the organization and its leadership. - Wayside Youth & Family Support Network was founded in 1977. - The nonprofit is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. - The agency is nationally accredited. - Wayside provides family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs and community-based counseling services. - The organization serves thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. - More information is available on Wayside Youth & Family Support Network’s website.

Between the lines: - The award is driven by employee feedback, so the recognition suggests Wayside’s internal culture is translating into day-to-day staff sentiment rather than just external branding. - For human services organizations, a strong workplace culture can matter directly for service continuity, staff stability and quality of care.

What’s next: - Wayside Youth & Family Support Network will likely continue using the award as proof point in hiring and community outreach. - The organization’s next credibility test will be whether it can sustain the same employee sentiment in future survey cycles.

The bottom line: - Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has a repeat national workplace award that reinforces both its culture and its standing in the Massachusetts nonprofit sector.