Abusive Rhetoric Behind a Shiny Veneer - Software Development Engineer Workday Employee Review

2.0
Nov 17, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

All the usual shiny perks of a Large Tech Company(TM).

Cons

Here's some of the inspiring messages you'll hear from leaders in the company, 1-on-1: "There's no place better than Workday" "Why would you ever want to leave Workday?" "Other companies are so much worse than Workday, let me tell you about a story from my time at Oracle...." (Oracle Transplants Abound) "Workday is the best place you'll ever get." "I don't care what you do, I only care about what you give to the team." "You can not expect your manager to have your personal needs in mind, you are the only person who is responsible for yourself." "What, you don't wanna help other co-workers? C'mon, speak." "Your 5 year career plan can also include personal goals, like family planning." (yes, this was a female employee this was said to, yes this was right when roe v wade was dominating the airwaves) "I can't handle the panic attacks anymore." "Do you ever cry in the parking lot, before coming into the office?" If you're not in the in-crowd, it is a terrible, lonely work experience. If you join a diversity group to try and find belonging, you also find a bunch of peers burnt out; individual employees try to carry diversity initiatives with little-or-no support from the higher ups. Other coworkers will push back and cry about a "Wokeday Takeover", all while leadership is predominantly white men. Technical and product vision is haphazard, as career-directors use departments as promotion opportunities. For how much proprietary technology the entire company is built on, there is very little investment into it by leadership. Company-wide initiatives will get hyped up for 6 months and then fade into obscurity for another 18. This wasn't as big of a deal years ago, but now they perform "quiet layoffs", that sit under the mandatory reporting minimum, when a big re-org occurs. The hectic nature of org structure also means transfers are much harder than in the past (keep a tally of how many internal req's you apply to get nixxed mid-process). Anyone with any past history of trauma or abuse need to be EXTREMELY wary when interacting with anyone in leadership. Their culture and rhetoric takes advantage of trauma-altered minds, whether it's unintentional or not, and makes you feel like you can't do any better than where you currently are.

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
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
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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.
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