Built for the future, brought to you by the past - Associate Applications Developer Workday Employee Review

2.0
Nov 9, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The Generation Workday program really does do its best to acclimate new grads into the workforce. It's an easy way to meet a lot of really cool people. Workday also tends to hire really honestly nice people as new hires. The snack program is fantastic.

Cons

Make no mistake: Workday is PeopleSoft, Peoplesoft is Oracle, and, no matter how much they try to convince themselves, Workday is Oracle. There is zero career advancement at Workday, and it's designed that way. The management chain from the bottom-up is almost exclusively ex-Oracle, ex-Peoplesoft folk. Oracle employees are actively recruited for management or high-priority roles. There are very few people (to the point where I don't know any, but I've heard of them) who came in to Workday in management positions. If you are not PeopleSoft alumni, your chances of advancement are very, very slim. Internal transfers are slim-to-none despite the constant talks they give new hires about them occurring after their first 12 months. That'd be fine and all if this is just a stop-gap in a career, but as an engineer, Workday has designed a tech-stack that essentially tries to ensure employment solely at Workday. It's all proprietary non-programming, and resembles nothing even remotely similar to programming. It's entirely useless for any future jobs. Don't buy into the "Well, there's a lot of similar ideas and principles with traditional programming languages" talk they give: it's nothing like programming. It's just clicking, and clicking and more clicking. It makes things easy for them, and much harder for the worker, as it's extremely easy to become complacent and your forget traditional programming skills. Working at Workday is a dead end. If you're young and non-Peoplesoft, I cannot stress how important it is to stay far, far away.

Explore other reviews about Workday

5.0
Jun 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance is very good

Cons

Too much org level changes

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Workday Response
1w
Thank you for sharing your experience at Workday. We're delighted to know that you've been making the most of your time with us and have been benefiting from a good work-life balance. This feedback is incredibly valuable as it helps us provide an even better working experience and benefits for our Workmates.
3.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent engineering talent and knowledgeable coworkers. Strong engineering culture with high code quality standards. Modern technology stack and opportunities to work on large-scale enterprise software. Good work-life balance compared to many tech companies. Competitive compensation, benefits, and employee perks. Collaborative environment with supportive teammates. Opportunities to learn new technologies and grow technically. Stable development processes and mature SDLC practices. Strong emphasis on testing, code reviews, and software quality. Flexible work arrangements (depending on team).

Cons

Large organization means decision-making can be slow. Significant amount of process and bureaucracy before changes reach production. Cross-team dependencies can slow delivery. Career growth can depend on organizational priorities and manager support. Frequent reorganizations can shift priorities and disrupt long-term projects. Innovation may move slower than at smaller startups. Internal tools and processes can sometimes feel overly complex. Communication between teams can occasionally be inconsistent. Like much of the tech industry, the company has experienced layoffs, creating uncertainty for some employees. Promotions can take time and require navigating multiple approval levels.

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Workday Response
2d
Thank you for your thoughtful review. We're aware that there's always room to grow, but at Workday, we take pride in our dedication to our Workmates and the 'employee first' ethos we've embedded since day one. We value your feedback as well as the praise you have provided in your review.
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