This is the kind of Workday mistake you only need to make once.
Late on a Friday, a new approval step was added to the Hire business process. The intent was simple: add an extra approval when hiring senior employees in a specific part of the organisation.
The condition looked neat in the step:
Company = Subsidiary A
Worker Type = Employee
Management Level ≥ 3
Evaluation: All of these conditions
Save. Exit. Weekend.
On Monday, onboarding stalled.
Approvals weren’t appearing in anyone’s inbox.
New hires sat stuck in “in progress” with no obvious next action.
Slack/Teams channels lit up with “Why is Hire not moving?” messages.
The root cause? That beautiful condition almost never evaluated to TRUE at that point in the process.
Real hires were more complicated:
Some were being hired into a different Company and moving into Subsidiary A later.
Some didn’t have Management Level populated yet at the time the step ran.
Some didn’t match all three attributes simultaneously in that specific Hire context.
On paper, the step looked perfect. In production, it was effectively invisible for most real-world transactions.
No approver. No routing. No progress.
Several hours were then spent:
Digging through Business Process History.
Manually advancing urgent hires via BP Actions.
Re-routing and cleaning up partial transactions.
All because one Boolean was wrong.
That incident led to a personal rule: Treat Workday changes like production deployments, not quick edits.
Here’s the playbook that came out of it.
1. Write the Routing Rule in Plain English First
Before touching the condition builder, force the logic into a simple sentence:
“If the Worker is Management Level ≥ 3 OR in salary band X, route Hire to HR Director.”
If you can’t express it clearly in one sentence, or it sounds like a legal contract, you’re probably trying to cram too many scenarios into a single condition.
Only after the plain-English version is clear should you translate it into Workday terms:
Which field(s) exactly? (e.g., Management Level, Grade, Compensation Grade Profile)
Which object? (Worker vs Position vs Job)
At which step in the Hire BP will those fields reliably be populated?
If you skip this step, you risk building a condition that looks right but never matches reality.
2. Prefer Small, Testable Steps Over Mega-Conditions
Complex routing buried in one step is hard to reason about.
Instead of one approval step with five ANDs and three ORs, consider:
Two separate approval steps with simpler conditions.
Clear, specific criteria for each step (for example, one for senior management, one for specific companies or countries).
Two clean steps that you can easily test and explain are safer than one monster step that only you understand.
Simple rules are easier to:
Review with HR/Finance.
Debug later.
Hand over to another Workday admin.
3. Test in a Non-Production Tenant With Real Personas
“Happy path” testing is how mistakes sneak through.
When testing a new Hire step in Sandbox/Preview, don’t just run one generic Employee hire. Use edge personas:
Different Companies and legal entities.
Different Worker Types (Employee vs Contingent Worker, where appropriate).
Different Management Levels, Grades, or Job Profiles.
Different Locations and supervisory orgs.
Try to recreate the weird hire that always shows up in week 3 of every go-live:
Senior hire into a new entity.
Rehire with unusual history.
Cross-company or cross-country moves that go through Hire.
If your condition only works in a perfect, single-country scenario, it isn’t ready.
4. Validate the Routing, Not Just “Does the Step Save?”
It’s easy to stop testing when the step configuration saves without errors. But what matters is how the business process behaves.
For each persona test:
Run the Hire end to end until your new step is supposed to fire.
Check if the step actually renders in the BP history.
Confirm the approver receives a Workday inbox item and can act on it.
See whether the step is skipped, triggered, or silently bypassed.
BP History is your best friend here:
If you don’t see your step at all, your condition never evaluated to TRUE.
If it appears and auto-skips, your logic or prerequisites may be off.
If it appears but nobody gets an inbox item, security or assignee setup might be wrong.
“Step saved” isn’t enough. “Step appears, routes, and can be actioned” is the real bar.
5. Document Like an Auditor Will Read It
If you ever need to explain a routing decision under time pressure, documentation saves you.
Capture:
A screenshot of the full condition in the step.
A short “Why” paragraph: what this step is for and what it protects (for example, “Extra review for senior hires or high-salary positions”).
Positive examples (transactions that should match) and negative examples (transactions that should not match).
The effective date and which tenant(s) it applies to.
Store this where your Workday team can find it (shared documentation, change log, or configuration library). Future you—and future admins—will thank you.
6. Guard Security-Related Changes With Extra Care
If your change touches domain security or BP security:
Make sure you Activate Pending Security Policy Changes. Without activation, nothing actually takes effect, and your tests may be misleading.
Re-test the end-to-end Hire with the proper security context, not just as an all-powerful admin.
It’s surprisingly easy to think “the logic works” when you’re testing as a user who has more security than any real stakeholder. Always try at least one run as a realistic role (HR Partner, HRBP, Manager, etc.).
7. Make Peer Review Non-Negotiable
A five-minute review from another Workday practitioner can save a five-hour fire drill.
Before migrating a change to Preview/Production:
Have a peer walk through your condition line by line.
Ask them to repeat the logic back in plain language.
Ask, “Where could this fail in a real Hire scenario?”
Many subtle mistakes—wrong field, wrong object, wrong timing are obvious to fresh eyes and invisible to the person who built the step.
A Reusable Playbook for Hire Approvals
That one onboarding incident turned into a reusable checklist for Hire BP changes, especially approvals:
Start with one condition. Prove it works with multiple personas.
Add one more condition. Prove it again.
If you use Any of (OR logic), justify it clearly in the step comments.
Run edge-case personas from different companies, worker types, and management levels.
Capture screenshots plus a short explanation thread.
Get a peer review before promoting.
Promote to Production only after it passes fully in Preview/Sandbox.
One Boolean can stall an organisation.
Treating Workday like a production system where every change is a mini-deployment with design, testing, documentation, and review is how you ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Most talent teams blame tools, dashboards, or “system limitations” when their recruiting numbers do not look right. But in many Workday tenants, the real problem is simpler and more dangerous: bad recruiting data. Duplicate candidates, overwritten stages, inconsistent statuses, and missing fields quietly distort every pipeline metric and hiring report.
You might have a great implementation of Workday Recruiting. You might have strong pipelines and carefully designed business processes. Yet if your data is messy, your reports will mislead you, your funnel analysis will be wrong, and your leaders will lose trust in Workday’s numbers.
Bad data is the silent killer of Workday recruiting analytics—not because Workday is weak, but because messy processes and integrations feed it the wrong inputs.
How Bad Recruiting Data Shows Up in Workday
Bad data in Workday Recruiting rarely announces itself. It sneaks in through everyday activity:
The same candidate appears multiple times under slightly different names or emails.
A background check tool pushes a candidate back to an earlier stage, overwriting recruiter progress.
Required fields are left blank, so you cannot filter, segment, or report properly.
Candidate sources are inconsistent, making it impossible to trust attribution and ROI.
On the surface, Workday still “works.” Recruiters can move candidates through stages, hiring managers can review applicants, and offers can be created. The damage only becomes visible when you try to answer questions like:
How many candidates did we really screen last quarter?
What are our conversion rates from application to offer by channel?
Which job boards or campaigns deliver the best hires?
If your underlying data is inconsistent or duplicated, these answers will be wrong—or impossible to get with confidence.
Where the Bad Data Often Comes From
In many Workday tenants, bad recruiting data comes from a combination of three sources:
Integrations that overwrite progress Job boards, CRMs, and background check tools sometimes update candidate records without respecting the recruiter’s current stage. For example, an integration might reset a candidate’s pipeline step or change a status based on external events, wiping out important history.
Manual shortcuts and inconsistent practices Recruiters may skip fields, reuse old requisitions, or manually move candidates in ways that do not match the intended process. Under time pressure, they prioritise speed over clean data.
Lack of validation and controls in Workday Business processes may allow hires when key fields are missing or background checks are incomplete. Without validation steps, bad or incomplete data passes through the system unnoticed.
None of these issues are unique to Workday. They are design and governance problems that can be solved once they are acknowledged.
Strengthening Data Quality Inside Workday Recruiting
To protect your recruiting analytics, you need Workday itself to help you prevent and flag bad data. There are several ways to do this:
Use Workday validation and BP steps wisely Include validation steps in your recruiting business processes that prevent hires when key data is missing or when background checks are incomplete. Require certain fields (like overall background check status or final disposition reason) before closing a requisition or moving a candidate past critical stages.
Standardise candidate stages and statuses Make sure your candidate pipeline stages and statuses are clearly defined, with simple guidance for when to use each one. This reduces “creative” status usage that breaks funnel reporting.
Build audit and quality reports Create audit reports that highlight candidates with missing critical fields, inconsistent statuses, or duplicated records. Run them regularly and assign owners to clean up issues.
These steps help Workday become an active guardian of your data, not just a passive container.
Smarter Integrations: Stop Overwriting Good Data
Integrations with job boards, CRMs, and background check systems are often the biggest contributors to messy candidate data if they are not designed thoughtfully.
Key integration principles include:
Do not blindly overwrite stages Inbound feeds should respect the candidate’s current state in Workday. Use timestamps and “last modified” logic to avoid rolling candidates back to earlier stages just because a third-party system sends an update.
Write back meaningful statuses from external tools Background check or assessment tools should update specific fields and trigger the right steps in Workday, rather than loosely changing a candidate’s overall status without context.
Use stable IDs and keys across systems Align on unique identifiers (for example, combinations of email, Workday ID, and external system ID) to reduce duplicates and ensure records truly match across platforms.
When integrations follow these principles, they enhance your recruiting data rather than quietly corrupting it.
Tackling Duplicate Candidates
Duplicates are one of the most visible and frustrating recruiting data issues. They cause confusion in pipelines, double work for recruiters, and inaccurate metrics at every stage.
To reduce duplicates:
Encourage candidates to use consistent emails and profiles Clear messaging on career sites and portals can reduce accidental duplicates.
Use Workday’s duplication and merge capabilities where available Leverage tools and processes that help you identify and merge duplicate candidates or prospects, keeping a single, clean record.
Align external systems with Workday IDs Feed Workday-generated candidate or worker IDs back into your CRM, talent community, and assessment tools so future interactions map to the right record.
Treating duplicate management as a continuous process, not a one-off cleanup, is key to keeping recruiting data usable.
Turning Bad Data into a Fixable Problem
The good news: messy Workday recruiting data is usually fixable with structured effort. A practical approach might include:
Baseline your data quality Use audit reports and analytics overlays to identify where your recruiting data is incomplete, inconsistent, or duplicated.
Prioritise the most important fields and metrics Focus first on the fields that drive your core metrics: time to hire, source of hire, conversion rates by stage, diversity metrics, and quality-of-hire indicators.
Clean historical data in waves Start with high-impact roles, regions, or time periods. Correct the worst issues, then move forward with better processes to prevent them from returning.
Educate recruiters and hiring teams Show them how their actions in Workday affect data quality and the downstream metrics leadership relies on. When they see the connection, they are far more likely to follow good practices.
Clean Recruiting Data = Better Hiring Decisions
Ultimately, the goal is not to have “perfect” data for its own sake. The goal is to make better decisions about where to source, how to move candidates through the pipeline, and how to allocate recruiting resources.
With clean Workday recruiting data, you can:
Trust your pipeline and funnel metrics.
See which channels, campaigns, and recruiters perform best.
Track diversity and quality-of-hire in meaningful ways.
Give leaders confidence that Workday reports reflect reality.
Bad data may be the silent killer of Workday recruiting analytics—but once you see it clearly, it becomes a problem you can systematically solve.
It’s 8:47 AM on Monday morning. Sarah’s first day.
She arrives at reception, excited and nervous. The receptionist searches for her name in the visitor log. Nothing. After 15 minutes of phone calls, someone from IT appears with a laptop. Wrong laptop—it’s configured for the previous new hire from three weeks ago.
By 10:30 AM, Sarah still doesn’t have system access. Her manager is in back-to-back meetings until 2 PM. No one told Facilities to set up her desk. The team didn’t know she was starting today.
By lunch, Sarah’s questioning whether she made the right choice accepting this job.
This isn’t fiction. This happens every single week at companies that haven’t configured proper onboarding workflows in Workday.
Here’s what’s frustrating: Workday has all the tools you need to prevent this disaster. Workday Journeys, Onboarding Tasks, automated assignments via Business Process Framework, preboarding self-service—it’s all there. Most companies just don’t use it correctly.
This guide shows you how to configure Workday Onboarding that makes new hires feel like you actually planned for their arrival. We’ll build tasks, create journey templates using Workday Journeys, configure the Hire business process, and create an experience that starts before day one and extends through the first 90 days.
Understanding Workday Onboarding Terminology
Before we dive in, let’s clarify Workday’s onboarding terminology:
Workday Onboarding Plans vs. Workday Journeys
Workday Onboarding Plans: Workday’s marketing name for the overall onboarding product/feature set. This is what you see on Workday.com product pages and sales materials.
Workday Journeys (Onboarding): The technical framework used to build onboarding experiences in your tenant. This is what you actually configure.
In Practice: When configuring, you’ll work with “Workday Journeys” and select “Journey Type: Onboarding.” When discussing with stakeholders or reading Workday marketing materials, you’ll see “Onboarding Plans.”
They refer to the same functionality.
Pre-Hire vs. Preboarding – What’s the Difference?
Pre-Hire (Workday Recruiting): In Workday Recruiting, “Pre-Hire” is a candidate status for those who have accepted offers but haven’t started yet. This is the recruiting-side status.
Preboarding (Workday HCM): The phase where new hires access Workday before their official hire date to complete tasks like I-9, benefits enrollment, and paperwork. This is the HCM-side functionality.
How They Connect: If you use Workday Recruiting, the Pre-Hire status automatically transitions to an active worker in HCM on the hire date, enabling seamless preboarding access. If you use an external recruiting system, you’ll manually create worker records to enable preboarding.
Let’s talk about what happens when onboarding works versus when it doesn’t.
When Onboarding Breaks
Week Before Start Date: No communication. New hire wonders if the offer was real.
Day 1: Scrambling to find laptop, create email, assign desk. New hire waits awkwardly.
Week 1: No structured training. Manager too busy. New hire feels lost.
Day 30: New hire still unclear on expectations, hasn’t met half the team, considering other offers.
Day 90: New hire quits. You’re back to recruiting. Cycle repeats.
When Workday Journeys Works
Week Before Start Date: New hire receives personalized welcome email with link to Workday tenant. Completes preboarding tasks via self-service portal: I-9, benefits enrollment, uploads documents from home.
Day 1: Laptop ready, email active, desk set up. Manager greets new hire at 9 AM sharp. Team welcome lunch scheduled.
Week 1: Structured Workday Journey guides new hire through orientation, training, system access. Daily check-ins with assigned buddy. Clear expectations set.
Day 30: New hire has completed role-specific training, met all stakeholders, contributed to first project. Manager conducts formal 30-day review.
Day 90: New hire fully productive, integrated into team, happy they joined. Retention risk: low.
The difference? Configuration in Workday HCM using Workday Journeys. Someone took the time to build onboarding workflows using Business Process Framework, Journey templates, and Task Management instead of relying on spreadsheets.
Understanding Workday Onboarding Architecture
Before configuring, understand how Workday Onboarding components work together.
Core Components
1. Onboarding Tasks Individual action items assigned to workers, managers, or administrators (e.g., “Complete I-9”, “Provision Laptop”, “Assign Buddy”).
2. Workday Journeys (Onboarding Framework) Collections of tasks organized into phases with timeline visibility and progress tracking. Journeys provide the structured experience framework that guides new hires through their onboarding process.
3. Business Process: Hire The automated workflow that triggers when a new worker is hired. This is where you configure automatic journey assignment, notifications, and approvals.
4. Worker Sub-Process: Onboarding A specialized sub-process within the Hire business process specifically for onboarding-related tasks and data collection.
5. Preboarding (Pre-Hire Access) Functionality that allows workers to access Workday self-service before their official hire date to complete tasks.
6. Task Templates Reusable task definitions that can be assigned across multiple journeys or business processes.
Phase-Based Onboarding Framework
Workday Journeys follows a three-phase journey structure:
Phase 1: Preboarding (Offer Acceptance → Day 0)
Workday Term: Preboarding Phase
What Happens: New hire completes paperwork, enrolls in benefits, learns about company culture—all before their Hire Date (Original Hire Date field).
Workday Functionality:
Worker Status: Pre-Hire (in Recruiting) or contingent status (in HCM)
Preboarding Portal: Self-service access to Workday for completing assigned tasks
Task Visibility: Only preboarding-enabled tasks appear
Milestone Tasks: Tasks triggered on specific days (30, 60, 90)
Performance Enablement Integration: Connect onboarding to goal setting
Completion Tracking: Dashboard showing onboarding progress by cohort
Before You Configure: Design the Experience
Don’t open Workday yet. Seriously. Put down the mouse.
Before you touch any configuration, you need to design the experience. Grab a whiteboard (or Miro board) and map out what you want new hires to experience.
The Experience Design Workshop
Schedule a 2-hour session with these stakeholders:
Note on Task Categories: Depending on your Workday version, task organization may use Onboarding Categories (as described here), Task Tags, or Journey Phase grouping. Check your tenant’s Workday release version for version-specific configuration paths.
Why Categories Matter: They help new hires and admins see onboarding progress at a glance in the Workday Journeys view. “I’ve completed 5 of 6 Administrative Tasks. Still need to finish benefits enrollment.”
Step 3: Create Onboarding Task Templates
Task Templates are reusable task definitions that can be assigned to workers, managers, or administrators.
Note on Task Configuration: Task configuration varies by Workday release. In some tenants, you’ll see:
“Onboarding Task” (tasks specific to onboarding)
“To Do” (general task framework integrated with Journeys)
Tasks configured within Workday Journeys framework directly
Consult your Workday release notes for exact task configuration paths in your tenant version.
Navigate to Task Template Creation
Search for Create Onboarding Task Template (or Create To Do if using To Do framework)
Complete Section 1 of Form I-9 to verify your identity and employment authorization.
You'll need to provide original documents on your first day for Section 2 verification: - Option 1: Passport (establishes both identity and employment authorization) - Option 2: Driver's License + Social Security Card + Birth Certificate - Option 3: See I-9 acceptable documents list for other combinations
Upload your Section 1 completion in Workday. HR will verify Section 2 on Day 1.
Task Owner Type: Worker (task assigned to the new hire)
Due Date Offset Configuration:
Calculate From: Hire Date (Original Hire Date)
Offset: -3 days (complete 3 days before hire date)
Task Completion Method: Complete Benefits Enrollment in Workday
Integration with Workday Benefits: Task can be configured to auto-complete when worker submits benefits elections in Workday Benefits module. This requires specific configuration linking the task completion rule to the benefits enrollment event.
Note: Auto-completion from Workday Benefits may require custom configuration depending on your Workday version.
Attachments:
Benefits Summary PDF
Benefits Enrollment Video (link to Workday Learning course)
Conditional Display Logic:
IF Worker Type = Employee AND Time Type = Full Time
THEN Assign this task
(Part-time and contractors may have different eligibility)
Click OK to save.
Task Template 3: IT Equipment Provisioning
Task Template Name: Provision Laptop and System Access
Task Category: Equipment & System Provisioning
Task Description:
Provision hardware and system access for new hire:
HARDWARE: - MacBook Pro 14" (Engineering, Product, Design) - MacBook Air 13" (Marketing, Sales, HR) - Dell Latitude (Finance, Operations)
SOFTWARE & ACCESS: - Create Workday email address - Assign to Security Groups: All Employees, Department-Specific - Configure Domain Security Policies for appropriate access - Grant access: Google Workspace, Slack, JIRA, Salesforce - Install standard software package
Laptop should be configured and ready at new hire's desk by 8:00 AM on hire date.
Task Owner Type: Security Group
Assigned To: IT Administrators (Security Group)
Due Date Offset:
Calculate From: Hire Date
Offset: -2 days (complete 2 days before hire date)
Allow in Preboarding: No (background task, not visible to new hire)
Task Completion Method: Manual completion by IT admin
☐ Assigned to appropriate Security Groups in Workday
☐ Domain Security Policies grant correct access permissions
☐ All application access granted
☐ Equipment placed at assigned desk
Notification:
Task Assigned: Email to IT Administrators Security Group when hire is confirmed
Task Overdue: Escalate to IT Manager if incomplete 1 day before hire date
Click OK to save.
Task Template 4: Assign Onboarding Buddy
Task Template Name: Assign Onboarding Buddy
Task Category: Team & Stakeholder Introductions
Task Description:
Assign an onboarding buddy from the new hire's immediate team.
BUDDY RESPONSIBILITIES: - Reach out before Day 1 to welcome new hire - Greet new hire on arrival (meet at reception or their desk) - Answer questions about team norms, company culture, logistics - Weekly check-ins during first month - Be available for informal questions
IDEAL BUDDY PROFILE: - Same or similar role (peer-level) - 1+ year tenure at company - Strong culture fit - Willing participant (don't voluntell)
After selecting buddy, Workday will automatically notify them and assign buddy tasks.
Task Owner Type: Manager (assigned to new hire’s manager)
Due Date Offset:
Calculate From: Hire Date
Offset: -7 days (assign one week before start)
Allow in Preboarding: No
Task Completion Method: Select Related Worker (buddy)
Automatic Trigger: When manager completes this task by selecting a buddy, Workday automatically:
Assigns buddy-specific tasks to the selected buddy
Sends notification to buddy with their responsibilities
Creates relationship in Workday: New Hire ←→ Onboarding Buddy
Buddy Tasks Auto-Assigned:
“Send welcome message to new hire” (Due: Day -3)
“Greet new hire on Day 1” (Due: Day 1)
“Weekly check-in with new hire” (Due: Days 7, 14, 21, 30)
Click OK to save.
Task Template 5: Complete Compliance Training
Task Template Name: Complete Required Compliance Training
Task Category: Orientation & Learning
Task Description:
Complete all mandatory compliance training in Workday Learning:
REQUIRED COURSES (Estimated Time: 2 hours): 1. Code of Conduct & Ethics (30 min) 2. Harassment Prevention & Respect in Workplace (45 min) 3. Data Security & Privacy (30 min) 4. Information Security Awareness (15 min)
All courses must be completed by end of Week 1 (Day 7).
Access courses: Workday Home > Learning > My Learning
Task Owner Type: Worker
Due Date Offset:
Calculate From: Hire Date
Offset: +7 days (complete within first week)
Allow in Preboarding: No (complete after hire date)
Task Completion Method: Integration with Workday Learning
Workday Learning Integration: Tasks can be configured to auto-complete when Learning campaigns are finished, but this requires:
Learning Campaign assignment as part of onboarding
Task completion rule linked to Learning Campaign completion status
May require custom configuration or Workday Extend depending on complexity
Alternative: Create separate Workday Learning assignments and manual task completion verification by manager.
Conditional Assignment:
All worker types require base compliance training
IF Job Profile = Manager THEN also assign “Manager Compliance Training” campaign
Notification:
Task Assigned: Email on Day 1 with links to courses
Reminder: Email on Day 5 if not started
Escalation: Email to Manager on Day 8 if incomplete
Click OK to save.
Step 4: Create Journey Templates Using Workday Journeys
Workday Journeys provide the structured framework that organizes tasks into phases with visual timeline tracking.
Using Workday-Delivered Journey Templates
Before building journeys from scratch, check if Workday provides pre-built templates:
Navigate to Browse Workday Journeys Templates
Review available templates:
New Hire Onboarding
Manager Transition
Open Enrollment
Offboarding
Role Change
Select a template that matches your use case
Customize the template for your organization:
Add/remove tasks
Adjust due dates
Modify task descriptions
Add company-specific content
Advantages of Using Workday Templates:
Faster implementation (weeks instead of months)
Workday best practices built-in
Maintained and updated by Workday with each release
When to Build Custom:
Workday template doesn’t fit your process (< 70% match)
Highly unique organizational requirements
Integration with custom systems
Navigate to Journey Configuration
Search for Create Journey
Select Journey Type: Onboarding
Journey 1: Standard Employee Onboarding Journey
Journey Name: Standard Employee Onboarding
Journey Description: Complete onboarding experience for all new employees from preboarding through day 90.
Applicable To (Eligibility):
Worker Type = Employee
Exclude: Interns, Executives (they have custom journeys)
Journey Phases:
Click Add Phase to create each phase:
Phase 1: Preboarding (Before You Start)
Phase Name: Preboarding – Before You Start
Phase Description: “Welcome! Complete these tasks before your first day to hit the ground running.”
Phase Timeline:
Start: Hire event confirmed (when Business Process: Hire completes)
End: Hire Date – 1 day
Tasks in This Phase:
Add tasks by clicking Add Task and selecting from Task Templates:
Review Welcome Email
Due Date Offset: Hire Date – 7 days
Owner: New Hire
Required: Yes
Complete I-9 Section 1
Due Date Offset: Hire Date – 3 days
Owner: New Hire
Required: Yes
Complete Tax Forms (W-4/State)
Due Date Offset: Hire Date – 3 days
Owner: New Hire
Required: Yes
Enroll in Benefits
Due Date Offset: Hire Date + 30 days (can start in preboarding, complete after start)
Owner: New Hire
Required: Yes
Update Emergency Contacts
Due Date Offset: Hire Date – 3 days
Owner: New Hire
Required: Yes
Review Employee Handbook
Due Date Offset: Hire Date – 3 days
Owner: New Hire
Required: No (informational)
Provision Equipment
Due Date Offset: Hire Date – 2 days
Owner: IT Administrators (Security Group)
Required: Yes
Visibility: Hidden from new hire (background task)
Assign Buddy
Due Date Offset: Hire Date – 7 days
Owner: Manager
Required: Yes
Visibility: Hidden from new hire
Prepare Workspace
Due Date Offset: Hire Date – 2 days
Owner: Facilities (Security Group)
Required: Yes
Visibility: Hidden from new hire
Click OK to save the phase.
Phase 2: Day 1 – Welcome to the Team!
Phase Name: Day 1 – Welcome to the Team!
Phase Description: “Your roadmap for day one. We’re excited to have you!”
Phase Timeline:
Start: Hire Date (Day 0)
End: Hire Date (Day 0)
Tasks:
Arrive at Reception
Due Date: Day 1, 9:00 AM
Owner: New Hire
Task Type: Informational (with directions to building/floor)
Meet Your Buddy
Due Date: Day 1, 9:15 AM
Owner: Buddy
Completion: Buddy marks complete after greeting new hire
Office Tour
Due Date: Day 1, 9:30 AM
Owner: Buddy
IT Equipment Pickup & Setup
Due Date: Day 1, 10:00 AM
Owner: IT + New Hire
Completion: New hire verifies laptop, email, system access working
Verify System Access
Due Date: Day 1, 10:30 AM
Owner: New Hire
Checklist: Test email, Slack, Workday, key systems
Welcome Meeting with Manager
Due Date: Day 1, 11:00 AM
Owner: Manager + New Hire
Integration: Auto-creates Workday Calendar event
Team Welcome Lunch
Due Date: Day 1, 12:00 PM
Owner: Team
Integration: Auto-creates Calendar event, invites team
HR Orientation Session
Due Date: Day 1, 2:00 PM
Owner: HR + New Hire
Integration: Auto-enrolls in Workday Learning orientation course
Review First Week Plan
Due Date: Day 1, 4:00 PM
Owner: Manager + New Hire
Click OK to save.
Phase 3: Week 1 – Getting Oriented
Phase Name: Week 1 – Getting Oriented
Phase Timeline:
Start: Hire Date + 1 day (Day 2)
End: Hire Date + 7 days (Day 7)
Tasks:
Complete Compliance Training
Due Date: Day 7
Owner: New Hire
Integration: Workday Learning (manual verification or auto-complete if configured)
Attend Company Overview Presentation
Due Date: Day 2
Owner: New Hire
Meet with Key Stakeholders
Due Date: Days 2-5
Owner: New Hire
Task Details: List of 5-7 people to meet
Complete Systems Training
Due Date: Days 3-4
Owner: New Hire
Integration: Workday Learning courses
Daily Check-ins with Manager
Due Date: Each day (Days 2-7)
Owner: Manager
Creates 5 separate calendar events
Shadow Team Member
Due Date: Day 4
Owner: New Hire
Review Role Expectations Document
Due Date: Day 5
Owner: New Hire
Document attached in Workday
Click OK to save.
Phase 4: First 30/60/90 Days – Milestones & Goals
Phase Name: Your First 90 Days – Milestones & Goals
Phase Timeline:
Start: Hire Date + 8 days
End: Hire Date + 90 days
Milestone-Based Tasks:
30-Day Milestone:
Complete Role-Specific Training
Due Date: Day 30
Owner: New Hire
Start First Project
Due Date: Day 15
Owner: New Hire + Manager
30-Day Check-In with Manager
Due Date: Day 30
Owner: Manager + New Hire
Integration: Auto-creates Calendar meeting
Complete Onboarding Experience Survey
Due Date: Day 30
Owner: New Hire
Integration: Links to Workday Survey
60-Day Milestone:
Lead First Team Meeting
Due Date: Day 45
Owner: New Hire
60-Day Performance Review
Due Date: Day 60
Owner: Manager + New Hire
Integration: Creates Performance Review in Workday
90-Day Milestone:
Submit First Quarter Goals
Due Date: Day 75
Owner: New Hire
Integration: Creates Goals in Performance Management
90-Day Review & Onboarding Completion
Due Date: Day 90
Owner: Manager + New Hire
Onboarding Graduation Celebration
Due Date: Day 90
Owner: Team
Task Type: Informational (celebrate new hire’s successful integration!)
Click OK to save the phase.
Complete Journey Configuration
Journey Summary Screen:
Review all phases and tasks. Verify:
Task sequence makes sense
Due dates are appropriate
Task owners are correct
Required vs. optional designation is accurate
Journey Settings:
Enable Journey Progress Tracking: Yes (new hires can see their completion percentage)
Show Completed Tasks: Yes (builds sense of accomplishment)
Allow Task Reordering: No (maintain structured sequence)
Journey Owner: HR Operations (Security Group that monitors journey completion)
Click OK to save the complete Journey.
Step 5: Configure Business Process: Hire to Auto-Assign Journeys
Now configure the Hire business process to automatically assign Workday Journeys when workers are hired.
Navigate to Business Process Configuration
Search for View Business Process
Type: Hire
Click Hire Employee business process
Edit Business Process
Click Business Process > Edit Process Definition
Add Business Process Step: Assign Journey
Scroll to the section after Manager Approval and before Complete Hire.
Click Add Step
Step Name: Assign Journey
Step Type: Automated (no human intervention)
Step Executes: After hire is confirmed (manager has approved)
Step Action: Assign to Worker
Journey Assignment Configuration:
Click Configure Journey Assignment
Journey Template: Standard Employee Onboarding
Assignment Criteria (Conditions):
IF Worker Type = Employee
AND Time Type = Full-Time
AND Job Profile does NOT contain “Intern” or “Executive”
THEN Assign “Standard Employee Onboarding” Journey
Journey Start Date: Immediately upon hire confirmation (enables preboarding)
Notification Configuration:
Send to Worker: Yes (email notification with link to access Workday preboarding portal)
Send to Manager: Yes (notification that worker’s onboarding journey has begun)
Send to HR: No (HR can monitor via dashboard)
Click OK to save step.
Add Conditional Journey Assignments (Optional)
For Different Employee Types:
Add additional conditional steps:
Step: Assign Manager Onboarding Journey
Assignment Criteria:
IF Job Profile contains “Manager” or “Director” or “VP”
THEN Assign “Manager Onboarding Journey” (includes leadership training)
Step: Assign Executive Onboarding Journey
Assignment Criteria:
IF Job Profile contains “Chief” or “President” or job level = Executive
THEN Assign “Executive Onboarding Journey”
Step: Assign Remote Employee Onboarding Journey
Assignment Criteria:
IF Location contains “Remote” or “Work from Home”
THEN Assign “Remote Employee Onboarding Journey” (includes home office setup)
Step: Assign Intern Onboarding Journey
Assignment Criteria:
IF Worker Type = Contingent Worker AND Job Profile contains “Intern”
THEN Assign “Intern Onboarding Journey” (shorter duration, academic calendar aligned)
Save Business Process Changes
Click Done to save all changes to the Hire business process.
Activate Pending Security Policy Changes
Search for Activate Pending Security Policy Changes
Review changes (you should see Business Process: Hire updates)
Click OK to activate
Changes take effect immediately. All future hires will automatically receive Workday Journeys.
Allow new hires to access Workday self-service before their Hire Date (Original Hire Date) to complete preboarding tasks.
Understanding Pre-Hire in Workday
If You Use Workday Recruiting: When a candidate accepts an offer in Workday Recruiting, their status changes to “Pre-Hire”. This Pre-Hire record can automatically create an HCM worker record (if configured), enabling seamless preboarding access.
Recruiting to HCM Transition:
Candidate receives offer in Workday Recruiting
Candidate accepts offer → Status changes to “Pre-Hire”
Pre-Hire record automatically creates HCM worker record (if integration configured)
Workday Journeys auto-assigns based on Business Process
Pre-hire receives email with Workday preboarding access
If You Use External ATS: You’ll need to manually create worker records or use integration to push hire data from your ATS to Workday HCM. Workers are created with a contingent status or custom status that allows Workday access before the official hire date.
Configure Worker Status for Preboarding
For HCM preboarding access, workers need a status that allows system access before their hire date.
Option 1: Use Pre-Hire Status (if available in your tenant)
Search for Maintain Worker Statuses
Verify Pre-Hire status exists
Ensure Allow Workday Access: Yes (critical for preboarding)
Option 2: Use Contingent Worker Status
Some implementations use Contingent Worker as the preboarding status, then transition to Employee on hire date.
Configure Security for Preboarding Workers
Preboarding workers need limited access to complete onboarding tasks but shouldn’t see sensitive company data.
Create Security Group: Preboarding Workers
Search for Create Security Group
Security Group Type: Condition-Based
Security Group Name: Preboarding Workers
Condition:
Worker Status = Pre-Hire (or your preboarding status)
Automatically includes all workers with preboarding status
Configure Domain Security Policies for Preboarding
Search for Domain Security Policies for Functional Area: Workday Access
Click View Domain > Worker Data: Personal Information
Click Edit
Add Preboarding Workers security group to allowed groups
Grant permissions:
Get: Own worker data only (can view their own profile)
Put: Own personal data, emergency contacts, benefits elections
Complete: Onboarding tasks assigned to them
View: Employee Handbook, Company Policies (view-only documents)
Restrict Access:
Cannot view: Other employees, organizational data, financial data
WHAT TO DO NOW: 1. Log in to Workday using the credentials above 2. You'll be prompted to change your password 3. Complete your preboarding checklist (I-9, tax forms, benefits enrollment) 4. Watch our welcome video to learn more about [Company]
MOBILE ACCESS: Download the Workday app from the App Store or Google Play to complete tasks on the go!
NEED HELP? Email: hr@company.com Phone: (555) 123-4567
We look forward to seeing you on [Hire Date] at [Start Time]!
Best regards, [Company Name] HR Team
Attachments:
New Hire Welcome Packet PDF
First Day Instructions PDF
Building Directions & Parking Information
Click OK to save notification.
Step 7: Configure SMS Messaging for Preboarding (Optional)
Workday supports personalized SMS messages to welcome pre-hires before their start date.
Note: SMS functionality may require additional Workday licensing, Workday Extend, or third-party SMS provider integration.
Enable SMS for Onboarding
Verify SMS capability is enabled in your tenant (contact Workday support if unsure)
Configure SMS provider integration (if using third-party service)
Create SMS message templates
Create SMS Welcome Message
Trigger: Worker status = Pre-Hire
SMS Content (160 characters max):
Hi [First Name]! We're excited for your start on [Hire Date]. Check your email for Workday login. Welcome to [Company Name]!
Timing: Send 3-5 days before hire date
Follow-Up SMS (Day Before Start):
Tomorrow's the big day! Arrive at [Building Address] at [Start Time]. Your buddy [Buddy Name] will meet you at reception. See you soon!
Configure SMS Notifications in Business Process
Add SMS notification steps to the Hire Employee business process:
Step: Send Preboarding SMS (Day -5)
Step: Send Day Before Reminder SMS (Day -1)
Note: SMS configuration specifics vary based on your integration method. Consult Workday Community or your implementation partner for detailed SMS setup guidance.
Step 8: Enable Mobile Access for Onboarding
New hires can complete onboarding tasks via Workday mobile app.
Mobile App Features for Onboarding
What New Hires Can Do on Mobile:
View Workday Journeys timeline and progress
Complete tasks on mobile device
Upload documents (I-9, ID photos) via camera
Receive push notifications for task reminders
Access company information and videos
Complete Workday Learning courses
Configuration
No additional configuration needed if Workday mobile app is enabled for your tenant. Onboarding tasks automatically appear in mobile app when:
Worker has Workday access
Workday Journeys assigned to worker
Tasks have mobile-friendly completion methods (acknowledgment, document upload, etc.)
Best Practice: Include Mobile Instructions
Add mobile app download instructions in preboarding welcome email:
MOBILE ACCESS: Complete your onboarding on the go! Download the Workday app: - iPhone: App Store (search "Workday") - Android: Google Play (search "Workday")
Login with the same credentials provided above.
Step 9: Configure Notifications and Reminders
Ensure tasks don’t fall through the cracks with automated notifications.
Task-Level Notifications
Edit each Onboarding Task Template to add notifications:
Search for Edit Onboarding Task Template
Select a task (e.g., “Complete I-9”)
Navigate to Notifications tab
Notification 1: Task Assigned
Event: Task is assigned to worker/manager/admin
Recipient: Task Owner
Timing: Immediately
Email Subject: New Onboarding Task: [Task Name]
Email Body:
Task description
Due date
Link to complete task in Workday
Instructions
Notification 2: Task Due Soon
Event: Task approaching due date
Recipient: Task Owner
Timing: 1 business day before due date (if incomplete)
✅ 100% completion triggers graduation notification and plan closure
Measuring Onboarding Success in Workday
Key Metrics to Track
1. Preboarding Completion Rate
Metric: % of new hires who complete all preboarding tasks before hire date
Data Source: Onboarding Plans – Preboarding Phase Progress
Goal: 90%+ reach 100% preboarding progress before Day 1
How to Use: Low completion rates indicate preboarding communication issues or tasks that are too complex. Review which specific tasks have lowest completion.
2. Average Progress at Key Milestones
Metric: Average progress bar % at Day 1, Day 7, Day 30, Day 90
Data Source: Onboarding Plan Progress report
Benchmark:
Day 1: 30% complete (preboarding + first day)
Day 7: 50% complete
Day 30: 80% complete
Day 90: 100% complete
How to Use: Track by cohort to identify trends. If average Day 7 progress is only 35%, tasks are too heavy or workers need more support.
3. Time to 100% Completion
Metric: Average days from plan assignment to 100% progress
Data Source: Onboarding Plans completion tracking
Goal: 90 days or less for standard employees
How to Use: Faster completion = better engagement. Workers completing in 75 days are likely more productive than those taking 100+.
4. Task Completion SLA
Metric: % of tasks completed by due date (not overdue)
Data Source: Onboarding Tasks
Goal: 95%+ on-time completion
How to Use: Identify which tasks consistently go overdue. Adjust due dates, simplify requirements, or provide more support.
5. At-Risk Plans Count
Metric: Number of active onboarding plans flagged “at risk”
Data Source: Onboarding Advisories report
Goal: <5% of active plans at risk
How to Use: At-risk status indicates multiple overdue tasks or low progress. Requires immediate HR intervention and manager coaching.
6. Manager Task Completion
Metric: % of manager-assigned tasks completed on time
Data Source: Onboarding Tasks, filter by Task Owner Type = Manager
Goal: 98%+ on-time completion
How to Use: Hold managers accountable. Low scores indicate manager capacity issues or unclear expectations. Consider reducing manager task load or providing manager training.
7. IT/Facilities Readiness
Metric: % of equipment provisioning and workspace setup tasks completed before hire date
Data Source: Onboarding Tasks, filter by Task Category = Equipment & Systems Access
Goal: 100% completion by Day -1
How to Use: Critical for positive Day 1 experience. Track IT and Facilities performance separately. Escalate persistent failures to department heads.
8. New Hire Satisfaction (Onboarding Experience)
Metric: Average score from 30-day onboarding survey
Data Source: Workday Survey responses (survey task embedded in 30-day phase)
Goal: 4.5+ out of 5
Survey Questions:
How prepared did you feel on Day 1? (1-5)
How clear were your onboarding tasks and expectations? (1-5)
How helpful was the progress bar in tracking your onboarding? (1-5)
How helpful was your onboarding buddy? (1-5)
How would you rate your overall onboarding experience? (1-5)
9. 30/60/90 Day Retention
Metric: % of new hires still employed at 30, 60, 90 days
Data Source: Workers (hired in last 90-180 days, current employment status)
Goal: 95%+ retention at each milestone
How to Use: Early departures often indicate onboarding failures. Correlate departures with:
Onboarding satisfaction scores
Progress bar completion rates
Manager task completion (did manager engage?)
10. Time to First Contribution
Metric: Days from hire date to completion of “First Project” task
Data Source: Onboarding Tasks, filter by Task Name contains “First Project”
Goal: Varies by role (30-60 days typical)
How to Use: Faster time to contribution = better onboarding ROI. Compare to benchmark for role/department.
Create Executive Onboarding Scorecard
Build executive-level scorecard showing:
Metric
Current Month
Goal
Status
Trend
New Hires Onboarded
28
30
✅ On Track
↗️ +12% MoM
Preboarding Progress (Avg at Day 0)
87%
90%
⚠️ At Risk
↘️ -5% MoM
Progress Bar: Day 7 Average
52%
50%
✅ Exceeds
↗️ +3% MoM
Progress Bar: Day 30 Average
81%
80%
✅ On Track
→ Flat
Task SLA (On-Time Completion)
96%
95%
✅ On Track
↗️ +2% MoM
Manager Task Completion
99%
98%
✅ Exceeds
↗️ +1% MoM
IT Readiness (Day 1 Equipment)
100%
100%
✅ On Track
→ Flat
At-Risk Plans
3
<5
✅ On Track
↘️ -2 MoM
30-Day Satisfaction Score
4.6/5
4.5/5
✅ Exceeds
↗️ +0.1 MoM
90-Day Retention
94%
95%
⚠️ At Risk
↘️ -2% MoM
Avg Days to 100% Complete
88
90
✅ Exceeds
↗️ -3 days MoM
Share monthly with HR leadership and executives.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Mistake 1: Progress Bar Doesn’t Update
Problem: Worker completes tasks but progress bar stays at same percentage.
Causes:
Task completion not properly recorded in system
Phase weights not configured correctly (don’t total 100%)
Check task completion method is properly configured
Mistake 2: Not Granting Preboarding Access
Problem: New hires can’t access Workday before hire date because preboarding status doesn’t have security permissions configured.
Symptoms:
New hires receive welcome email but can’t log in
“Access denied” error when trying to access Workday
Preboarding tasks not visible
Progress bar shows 0% and never advances
Fix:
Configure Domain Security Policies for preboarding status workers
Verify “Allow Workday Access” is enabled for preboarding worker status
Test with sample worker in sandbox before deploying to production
Mistake 3: Wrong Onboarding Plan Assigned
Problem: Standard employee receives manager plan, or remote employee receives in-office plan.
Cause: Targeted Audience Rules not configured correctly.
Fix:
Review assignment criteria in Business Process: Hire
Test each worker type in sandbox
Ensure “IF/THEN” logic doesn’t have overlapping conditions
Use mutually exclusive conditions (manager plan should exclude non-managers)
Mistake 4: External Preboarding Site Not Delivering Content
Problem: Recruiting candidates don’t receive External Preboarding Site access.
Causes:
External Preboarding Site not enabled in tenant
Not using Workday Recruiting (external ATS customers can’t use this feature)
Content not uploaded to site
Offer acceptance trigger not configured
Fix:
Verify you have Workday Recruiting (not external ATS)
Enable External Preboarding Site in tenant configuration
Upload welcome content (videos, PDFs, images)
Configure Business Process: Offer to trigger site access on acceptance
Test with sample candidate in Recruiting sandbox
Mistake 5: Progress Bar Shows >100% or Negative %
Problem: Progress bar displays 110% or -5% (impossible values).
Cause: Phase weight misconfiguration or duplicate task counting.
Fix:
Verify phase weights total exactly 100% (not 110% or 95%)
Check for duplicate tasks accidentally added to plan
Ensure tasks aren’t counted twice (e.g., in both preboarding and Day 1 phases)
Review task “Required” settings (all should be consistently Yes or No)
Mistake 6: Mobile App Doesn’t Show Progress Bar
Problem: Desktop shows progress bar, but mobile app doesn’t.
Causes:
Mobile app not updated to latest version
Tenant not on Workday 2025 R1 or later
Mobile access not enabled for onboarding plans
Fix:
Verify tenant is on Workday 2025 R1+ (progress bar is 2025 feature)
Update Workday mobile app to latest version
Enable mobile access in plan settings
Test on both iOS and Android devices
Mistake 7: Information Overload on Day One
Problem: You assign 40 tasks due on day one. New hire is overwhelmed, completes nothing, progress bar stuck at 20%.
Symptoms:
Low Day 1 task completion rates
New hire satisfaction scores drop
New hires report feeling stressed and confused
Progress bar barely moves during first week
Fix:
Space tasks across first week, first month, first quarter
Day one should be 5-7 tasks maximum (mostly meet people, get oriented)
Move administrative tasks to preboarding phase (increases preboarding progress %)
Move training to Week 1 phase
Prioritize relationship-building and equipment setup on Day 1
Test: Can one person realistically complete all Day 1 tasks in 8 hours?
Mistake 8: No Accountability for Background Tasks
Problem: You create tasks for IT, Facilities, Manager. Nobody completes them. New hire shows up, nothing ready. Progress bar stuck because preboarding phase incomplete.
Symptoms:
Equipment not ready on Day 1
Desk not set up
Buddy not assigned
New hire waiting hours for basics
Preboarding progress stuck at 60% (waiting on IT/Facilities tasks)
Fix:
Configure email notifications when tasks assigned to IT/Facilities/Manager
Escalate overdue tasks to department heads
Create dashboard showing background task completion by department
Review “Onboarding Advisories” report daily
Hold IT/Facilities managers accountable in their performance goals
Don’t count background tasks in visible progress % (hide from new hire view)
Mistake 9: Plans Never Get to 100%
Problem: Workers complete all visible tasks but progress bar stuck at 95%.
Causes:
Hidden background tasks never marked complete
Optional tasks counted in progress calculation
Tasks assigned to terminated buddies/managers (orphaned tasks)
90-day tasks not completed (worker moved to regular work)
Fix:
Review which tasks are preventing 100% completion
Mark background tasks complete when verified (IT equipment, desk setup)
Set optional tasks to NOT count toward progress percentage
Automate 90-day task completion if worker reaches Day 91 (don’t block graduation)
Allow HR to manually mark plans 100% complete after review
Mistake 10: Forgetting the Manager’s Role
Problem: Onboarding Plan focuses on HR/IT tasks. Manager isn’t included. New hire completes paperwork but has no relationship with manager. Progress bar advances but experience is poor.
Symptoms:
New hires report unclear expectations
Manager doesn’t know what onboarding tasks exist
No manager check-ins during first 30 days
New hire feels disconnected from team
High satisfaction with “process” but low satisfaction with “experience”
Fix:
Manager tasks in every plan phase:
Preboarding: Send welcome message (Day -3)
Day 1: Welcome meeting, set expectations (Day 1, 11 AM)
Week 1: Daily 15-minute check-ins (Days 1-5)
Day 30/60/90: Formal review meetings
Send manager summary email when plan assigned (“Your new hire starts in 7 days. Here’s their onboarding plan and your tasks.”)
Show managers their direct reports’ progress bars in Manager Dashboard
Hold managers accountable for completing their tasks
Include manager task completion in manager performance evaluations
What Great Workday Onboarding Looks Like in 2026
When you configure Onboarding Plans correctly with progress tracking, here’s what happens:
New Hire Perspective
“A week before I started, I got a welcome email and text message. I clicked the link and logged into Workday. My onboarding plan was right there with a progress bar: ‘Preboarding – 0% Complete’.
I completed my I-9 and tax forms from my couch. Each time I finished a task, the progress bar moved: 15%… 35%… 60%. It felt like a game! By the night before I started, I hit ‘Preboarding – 100% Complete’ and got a congratulations message.
My buddy sent me a message two days before I started, introducing himself. That made me feel so welcomed.
On my first day, my laptop was on my desk, fully configured. My email worked. My manager greeted me at reception at exactly 9 AM with a smile and a coffee. The whole day was planned—I knew exactly where to be and what to do.
On my phone, I could see the progress bar: ‘Day 1 – 0%’ at 9 AM, then ‘Day 1 – 100%’ by 4 PM. So satisfying!
By the end of Week 1, I was at 65% overall. By Day 30, 85%. By Day 90, I hit 100% – Onboarding Complete! and the whole team celebrated.
The progress bar kept me motivated. I always knew exactly where I stood and what was next. Best onboarding I’ve ever experienced.”
Manager Perspective
“I used to spend hours coordinating new hire logistics—emailing IT, chasing Facilities, creating training schedules. Now Workday handles 80% of it automatically.
When I approve a hire, the Onboarding Plan assigns automatically. I get a notification with my tasks clearly listed. I can see my new hire’s progress bar in real-time: Oh, they’re at 45% – right on track for Day 7.
If the progress stalls at 35% and tasks go overdue, I get an alert. I can reach out and help remove blockers.
The progress bar makes it so easy to check in: ‘Hey, I see you’re at 70% – great progress! Need any help with the remaining tasks?’
Onboarding went from chaos to a smooth, repeatable process with clear accountability.”
HR Perspective
“We onboard 20-30 people per month. Before Onboarding Plans with progress tracking, it was manual chaos—spreadsheets, email reminders, hoping nothing was forgotten.
Now every new hire gets a consistent, high-quality experience. I can see all new hires’ progress bars in one dashboard. Filtering by <50% progress immediately shows me who needs help.
The Onboarding Advisories report flags at-risk plans automatically. I don’t have to manually check—Workday tells me exactly who to call.
My executive scorecard shows average progress at Day 7, Day 30, and Day 90. I can prove our onboarding is working: ‘Average Day 30 progress: 83% – up from 68% last year.’
First-year turnover dropped 15% after we implemented structured onboarding with progress tracking. New hires feel welcomed, prepared, and valued from day negative-seven through day ninety.
And when they hit 100% Complete, we celebrate with the whole team. It’s a real milestone.”
That’s the power of properly configured Workday Onboarding Plans with progress tracking.
Your Onboarding Configuration Checklist
Before you declare onboarding “done,” verify:
Workday Onboarding feature enabled in tenant
Progress bar tracking enabled (2025 R1+ feature)
Task categories created (Administrative, Equipment, Training, Integration, Role-Specific)
Individual task templates built with clear descriptions, due dates, and owners
Onboarding Plans assembled for preboarding, day 1, week 1, and 30/60/90 days
Phase weights configured to total exactly 100%
Automatic plan assignment configured in Business Process: Hire or Offer
Targeted Audience Rules configured for role-based plan variations
Preboarding access configured so new hires can log in before hire date
Domain Security Policies configured for preboarding workers
Preboarding welcome email automated via business process notification
SMS messaging configured (optional)
External Preboarding Site set up (Recruiting customers only)
Mobile app access verified for onboarding tasks and progress bar
Task notifications configured for assignment, reminders, overdue escalation
Plan-level notifications configured for phase completion, at-risk alerts, 100% graduation
Buddy assignment process included with auto-task assignment
Manager tasks included at each phase with accountability
Workday Learning integration configured (if using auto-completion)
Security Group assignments automated for IT provisioning
Dashboard/reports configured (delivered reports or custom)
Testing completed in sandbox with all scenarios including progress bar validation
Workday Recruiting integration configured (if using Workday Recruiting)
Documentation created for HR team on managing onboarding plans
Quarterly review scheduled to update plans as company evolves
Progress bar tested on desktop, mobile (iOS), mobile (Android)
Your Implementation Timeline
Week 1: Design & Discovery
Stakeholder workshop (HR, IT, Facilities, Managers, Recent New Hires)
Map current onboarding experience (what works, what doesn’t)
Design future state journey map (preboarding through Day 90)
Define progress bar milestones (what % at Day 7, 30, 90?)
Identify tasks, owners, due dates, dependencies
Define success metrics including progress tracking goals
Set up External Preboarding Site (Recruiting customers)
Week 6: Reporting & Dashboard
Access Workday delivered Onboarding reports
Configure Onboarding Advisories alerts
Build custom reports if needed (supplemental)
Set up scheduled dashboard delivery
Define KPIs including progress bar benchmarks
Create executive scorecard
Week 7: Comprehensive Testing
Test all scenarios in sandbox (see Testing section)
Test progress bar accuracy on desktop and mobile
Test with multiple employee types (standard, manager, remote, intern)
Test preboarding access and transition to active
Test External Preboarding Site (Recruiting)
Test notifications and escalations
Test Targeted Audience Rules assignment
Fix any issues identified
Week 8: Deployment & Monitoring
Deploy configuration to production tenant
Activate pending security policy changes
Communicate to stakeholders (HR, IT, Facilities, Managers)
Create user documentation highlighting progress bar feature
Train HR team on monitoring Onboarding Advisories
Monitor first cohort of new hires closely
Gather feedback and iterate
Ongoing: Continuous Improvement
Review metrics monthly (dashboard and scorecard)
Monitor average progress % at key milestones
Gather feedback from recent new hires (30-day survey including progress bar helpfulness)
Quarterly plan review and updates
Annual comprehensive audit of onboarding experience
Benchmark against industry standards
Track time to 100% completion trends
Final Thoughts
Onboarding is your company’s first real impression on new employees. Get it right, and you build loyalty, accelerate productivity, and reduce turnover. Get it wrong, and you lose talent before they even start contributing.
The good news? Workday gives you everything you need to build world-class onboarding. With 2025’s progress bar feature, you can now give new hires clear visibility into their onboarding journey, making the experience feel like a guided achievement rather than an overwhelming checklist.
The hard part isn’t the technology—it’s the thoughtful design of the experience.
Map the journey first. What should new hires feel, learn, and accomplish at each phase? What progress should they see at Day 7? Day 30? Day 90?
Build the configuration second. Use Onboarding Plans, task templates, Targeted Audience Rules, and Business Process Framework to automate the experience you designed.
Leverage the progress bar. Visual tracking transforms onboarding from a passive checklist into an engaging journey. “0% → 100%” is motivating. Use it.
Measure the results always. Track completion rates, progress at milestones, satisfaction scores, and retention metrics. Iterate and improve.
Because Sarah’s first day should feel like this:
She arrives at 9 AM. Her buddy is waiting at reception with a smile and a coffee. Her laptop is ready. Her manager welcomes her warmly and walks her through a clear first-day agenda.
By lunch, she’s met her team and checks her phone: “Day 1 – 75% Complete.” By 4 PM: “Day 1 – 100% Complete – Great job!”
By Week 1: “Overall Progress: 52% – You’re ahead of schedule!”
By Day 30: “30-Day Milestone Reached – 84% Complete!”
By Day 90: “Onboarding Complete – 100% – Welcome to the team!”
That’s the onboarding experience you can build in Workday with Onboarding Plans and progress tracking.
Now go build it.
Disclaimer: This guide represents original content based on Workday implementation experience and publicly available Workday official documentation. Configuration steps reflect Workday best practices and include 2025 R1 features (Progress Bar, Targeted Audience Rules, External Preboarding Site, Onboarding Advisories). Configuration may vary based on your tenant version, industry, and organizational requirements. Always consult Workday Community, official documentation, and your Workday Account Team for version-specific guidance. Test all configurations thoroughly in sandbox environments before deploying to production.
A frictionless recruiting funnel in Workday starts long before the first candidate applies. It starts with how you design Job Requisitions, Job Posts and your Recruiting Business Processes so recruiters and hiring managers never have to fight the system. When those foundations are weak, pipelines stall at approvals, candidates get stuck in stages and reporting becomes impossible to trust. When they are strong, Workday Recruiting feels like a single, end-to-end engine from “Create Job Requisition” to Hire.
This blueprint walks through how to design a recruiting funnel that does not break in real life.
Start with a clear recruiting operating model
Before changing configuration, get clarity on how recruiting actually works in your organization:
Who owns Job Requisitions – hiring managers, HR partners, recruiters?
Which approvals are mandatory: headcount, budget, HR, DEI, leadership?
Where do you post jobs: internal career site, external career site, job boards via integrations, referrals?
How many interview steps do most roles need?
Use these answers to design your Recruiting Business Processes, Job Requisition defaults and standard pipelines. Workday Recruiting is flexible enough to support almost any process, but that flexibility is dangerous if you let every team design their own funnel.
Designing Job Requisitions that don’t confuse managers
In Workday, the Job Requisition is the anchor of your funnel. It ties together Position / Job Profile, Organizations, Compensation, Job Posting and the candidate pipeline.
Key setup decisions for Job Requisitions:
Staffing Model alignment
In Position Management, requisitions typically tie to a Position or set of Position Restrictions.
In Job Management, they rely more on Job Profile and Recruiting Restrictions.
Primary Recruiter, Hiring Manager, and any local roles such as Search Chair or Recruiting Coordinator.
Templates and rules
Use Job Requisition Templates so things like qualifications, job description skeleton, and posting options default correctly.
Use Recruiting Condition Rules so data flows from Job Profile and Position into the requisition automatically instead of relying on manual entry every time.
If managers see a clean, guided Create Job Requisition experience with smart defaults, they move quickly and accurately. If the form is long, inconsistent or full of unknown fields, they delay or raise tickets.
Job Posts that convert, not just exist
Once a requisition is approved, your Job Posting drives candidate traffic. In Workday Recruiting, you can create Internal and External Job Posts, assign posting sites, and manage effective dates.
Design patterns for Job Posts:
Separate content for internal vs external
Internal posts can use more internal language and reference internal mobility.
External posts should be candidate-centric and optimized for conversion.
Primary Posting and multiple sites
In Workday, you can designate a Primary Job Posting and post to multiple external sites. The primary posting URL is used in notifications and referrals.
Keep your posting options standardized (for example, “Internal + External” vs “Internal Only”) so reporting and funnels are comparable.
Consistent structure
Use a standard structure for job descriptions: role summary, responsibilities, requirements, location/hybrid details, and benefits overview.
Tie key fields (job category, location, seniority) to reporting rather than burying them in free-text.
A frictionless funnel depends on posts that are easy to maintain and easy for candidates to understand, not just technically present on the career site.
Designing pipelines that don’t break under load
The candidate pipeline in Workday is managed via stages in the Recruiting Business Process, shown visually in the pipeline view. This is where many implementations overcomplicate things and create bottlenecks.
Best practices for pipeline stages:
Keep the pipeline lean: focus on core stages like Applied, Screen, Interview, Offer, Background Check, Ready for Hire, Hired.
Avoid splitting every micro-task into its own stage (e.g., “Schedule Interview”, “Interview Feedback”, “Offer Draft”, “Offer Approve”, “Offer Send”). Use checklists and tasks within a stage instead.
Design reporting pipeline categories behind the scenes so variations (Technical Interview, Panel Interview, VP Interview) still roll up to a core “Interview” stage in reporting.
From a practitioner view, the pipeline should answer at a glance:
Where are candidates stuck?
How many are at each stage by requisition, recruiter, business unit?
How long do candidates spend in each stage?
Workday’s pipeline view and reports support this, but only if your stages are meaningful and consistent across similar job types.
Moving candidates smoothly through requisitions
Once candidates apply or are sourced, the day-to-day work is moving them through the requisition.
Key points:
Use Move Candidate actions within the requisition to keep history and reporting accurate.
Standardize your disposition reasons (Not Qualified, Withdrew, Salary Expectations, Culture Add Concerns, etc.) so recruiting analytics can surface real insights.
Ensure the Recruiting Business Process routes the right tasks at each stage: assessments, interview scheduling, feedback forms, offer approvals, background checks.
A funnel “breaks” when:
Candidates sit in a stage with no owner or task.
Recruiters use manual status notes instead of moving candidates.
Approvals are unclear, causing offers to stall.
Design your process so each stage has a clear owner (Recruiter, Hiring Manager, TA Partner) and clear system tasks.
Automation, messaging and candidate experience
Frictionless recruiting is not just about internal process; it is also about how candidates experience the funnel. Workday provides candidate communications, notifications and integration options to support this.
Ideas to implement:
Use automated emails for key events: application received, moved to interview, not selected, offer sent.
Keep message templates human and brand-aligned, not just system boilerplate. Include recruiter contact details where appropriate.
Use tags, questionnaires, or custom fields to capture candidate segments (e.g., alumni, silver-medalist candidates) for future pipelines, instead of creating extra pipeline stages.
Candidates judge your process by communication and speed. If Workday is configured to send timely updates and keep recruiters on top of their tasks, the system becomes a competitive advantage rather than a black box.
Governance, reporting and continuous improvement
Finally, treat your Workday recruiting funnel as a product you continuously improve.
Governance practices:
Maintain a Recruiting Design Guide covering Job Requisition templates, Job Posting standards, pipeline stages and disposition reasons.
Restrict who can create new stages, templates and posting sites; uncontrolled customization is how funnels become fragile.
When you see a stage where candidates routinely stall, ask whether it is a process issue, a configuration issue, or both. Then adjust your Recruiting Business Processes, Requisition defaults or pipeline stages accordingly rather than adding more complexity.
A frictionless recruiting funnel in Workday comes from intentional design: clean Job Requisitions, conversion-friendly Job Posts, lean and consistent pipelines, and clear ownership at every stage. Done right, recruiters spend less time fighting workflows and more time closing great hires.
