Workday rolls out a new release twice a year, introducing fresh updates, enhancements to existing features, and entirely new functionalities. This includes significant improvements to Human Capital Management (HCM), empowering organisations with AI-driven talent intelligence, improved workforce planning, and enhanced employee experiences. These updates help businesses optimise their HR strategies, attract top talent, and retain their workforce more effectively. 

It’s an exciting time for both customers and implementers, but with so many changes, staying up-to-date can be overwhelming. To help you navigate the latest release, we’ve highlighted some of the most impactful updates, key changes, and their business implications.

Workstream 

Key Updates 

Feature Description 

Business Impact 

Core Compensation 

Administrator Security for Compensation 

Security updates for compensation reports. 

Ensures sensitive worker compensation information is accessible only to authorized administrators, enhancing data security. 

Defaulting Based on Changes to Guidelines 

Increased flexibility for applying defaulting based on changes to guidelines. 

Enhances compensation management by allowing specific business processes to apply compensation defaulting. 

Increased Flexibility for Compa-Ratio and Position in Range Fields 

New options for displaying Compa-Ratio and Position in Range fields. 

Improves user experience and control overcompensation package analytics. 

Talent & Performance 

Advance Steps in the Assess Skills Business Process 

Enables advancing steps in the Assess Skills business process before completion. 

Improves business process management for skill assessments, enhancing data retention and assessment completion. 

Career Hub and Opportunity Marketplace: Job Match Analysis 

Displays worker’s job match analysis on suggested jobs side panel. 

Enhances user experience by making job comparisons easier and more interconnected. 

Mass Populate Worker Profiles with Skills 

Task to mass populate worker profiles with skills based on job profiles. 

Increases accuracy and engagement with skills data, optimizing the use of Skills Cloud features. 

Payroll 

Benefit Credit Offsets for Workday Payroll 

Setup for benefit credit offsets in payroll. 

Simplifies offsetting benefit costs, improving payroll accuracy and efficiency. 

Lock Pay Group for Auditing 

Lock pay group detail to prevent recalculations during audits. 

Enhances audit efficiency by preventing unnecessary recalculations. 

Period Schedules and Holiday Calendar 

Configure holiday calendars with period schedules. 

Reduces manual effort by automatically adjusting payment dates that fall on holidays. 

Recruiting 

Candidate Home Usability 

Improved user experience for disability status and government ID tasks. 

Increases efficiency and accuracy for external candidates completing application tasks. 

Enhanced Candidate Tracking for Recruiting Agency User 

Detailed status updates and interview scheduling details for agency users. 

Increases efficiency and reduces time to fill positions, improving candidate experience. 

Learning 

AI Summarization of Content Feedback 

Use of Generative AI to summarize user feedback comments on learning content. 

Surfaces valuable comments quickly, categorizes feedback, and provides actionable insights. 

Learning Recommendations in Preferred Language 

Learners can set language preferences for learning content recommendations. 

Enhances learner experience by aligning content with preferred languages. 

System 

Custom Business Process Validations on Worksheets 

Custom validations now trigger on standalone worksheets. 

Ensures data accuracy and reduces manual effort in resolving incorrect data. 

Security History for Users Audit Report 

View changes in users’ or organizations’ security group membership. 

Facilitates compliance and enhances security administration. 

Conclusion 

These updates bring valuable improvements to Workday that can simplify workflows, enhance efficiency, and drive better decision-making. In particular, the latest HCM enhancements provide organisations with smarter tools to manage talent, streamline HR processes, and create a more engaging employee experience.  

Stay tuned for the upcoming blogs on Absence & Time Tracking and Adaptive Planning, where we explore and explain the latest enhancements and their impact on the Workday 2025R1. 

For more information and expert assistance with implementation, contact us today.

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