Capitalizing on the old technology - Anonymous employee Workday Employee Review

1.0
Jun 20, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

It's ahead of the competitors. The old technologies from 10 years ago are getting paid off now. The finance team did incredible job of converting all hopes into high stock price. Reasonable work hours. Nice offices. Yes, free snacks!!!

Cons

When Workday was founded 11 years ago, the technology was revolutionary. In-memory storage, NoSQL, Xpresso - those and other things were way ahead of it's time. Workday added a great UI and customer support and produced an amazing HCM product which was a great success - and still is! Unfortunately, 11 years later that technology still sells, but it's showing it's age. Some, like in-memory storage , are no longer unique. Others, like Xpresso language - they've become more a liability rather than an asset. Workday had it's days when it was bringing disruptive changes to the industry but now it can't adapt to the latest challenges it's facing itself. More and more projects end up in stalemates when the powerful old timers (the self proclaimed "guardians of the code") block the new ideas (maybe the fact Workday is using very proprietary technologies like Xpresso with no jobs outside of Workday has something to do with that) and the new people have no power to push the changes through. It results in a lot of politics and turf wars. The company keeps hiring more people and it doesn't help at all and just slows everything down further. The compensation is below market (thanks to the stock price been stuck for years). Also, it's ironic how bad the HR department is giving Workday is a major payer in HR industry. I'd say Workday is doing good job on monetizing it's cash cow HCM app and it's going to be able to milk some cash out of it for years to come. But Workday future is getting cloudy as the internal conflicts heating up, the ability to innovate slows and the morale is sinking.

avatar
Workday Response
9y
We appreciate your candor. If you would like to have a conversation regarding your review, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to employee.feedback@workday.com. Any feedback you share will be kept confidential.

Explore other reviews about Workday

5.0
May 20, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Workday is a truly values-driven company, and you can feel it every day. We’re in the middle of an exciting transformation to drive more innovation and speed, and while that has meant making some tough decisions, those decisions are always grounded in our core values. Employees and customers are consistently kept at the center, and there’s a real sense that doing what’s right guides how we operate and where we’re going as a company.

Cons

Decision-making can sometimes feel slow and unclear, as it’s not always obvious who has true ownership or final say. In a few areas, especially HR, leadership can feel more oriented around selling and positioning our products than around deep, hands-on practitioner experience, which occasionally creates a gap between strategy and the day-to-day needs of employees and managers.

avatar
Workday Response
3w
Thank you for your feedback. We are proud of our culture and the success that we have achieved because of the hard work and dedication of our Workmates. Thanks for your contributions, your transparency, and for being an integral part of the Workday team during your time here.
4.0
Mar 31, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people, benefits, culture, and pay. Lots of "workmates" with long tenures (10+ years). I truly wanted to retire from Workday!

Cons

Leadership changes freaked a lot of people out. Things felt unstable within the org for the last year (2025). The culture shifted from one that focused on employee growth to adopt all AI at all costs, and do it yesterday! It was extremely stressful to learn so much, so quickly, and create your own use cases and custom workflows - then to ultimately be laid off despite significant contributions.

1
avatar
Workday Response
2mo
Thank you for your valuable input. At Workday, we pride ourselves on fostering a transparent workplace, maintaining the highest ethical standards, and promoting innovation. It's heartening to hear about your positive journey as a Workmate. We continue to be committed to delivering exceptional experiences for our Workmates.
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All