"Great Place To Work" culture is changing - Director Workday Employee Review

3.0
Jul 17, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Aneel and Dave are fantastic visionaries, good and genuine people, and have set up a great corporate culture that inspires the Workmates (employees). "Employee first" mindset. Diversity and Inclusion is a real thing, not just words. Strong compensation and benefits.

Cons

The clash of the "Old timers" who vehemently adhere and advocate the "Workday Way", and the "new timers" who are driving to "get stuff done" instead of focusing so much on making Workmates happy, is causing issues/conflicts. As a result, the culture is starting to break down - in some areas more and faster than others. Though there are executives who believe (privately, not publicly) that the shift to "get stuff done" is overdue and are actively taking steps to change the culture away from "employees first". As a people leader, you are caught between keeping your employees happy (weekly employee sat survey and quarterly reports on the results) and driving for results. Managing through this (unofficial, unstated, and inconsistently applied) culture change is frustrating due to the mixed messages from senior leadership and executive leadership. I recommend Workday to someone applying for an IC role. I do not recommend Workday to someone applying for a people leader position.

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.

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Workday Response
1mo
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.
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
1d
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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