The highly anticipated Workday R1 release has arrived. Twice a year, the multi-tenet cloud platform delivers updates to their partners to improve their overall operations and enterprise systems. There are tons of new features this go around, from improvements aimed at simplifying accounting and HR processes, to new workflow updates streamlining the candidate experience. By no means am I able to cover all that’s new (there’s a ton!), but I thought I’d take a moment to dive into some features I’m most excited about.
One exciting update coming to Workday this release is an improved notification designer. A candidate focused feature, notification designer allows users to automate notifications regarding a candidates status as a workflow. Automated email follow-ups to applicants, documentation required, and scheduled interview times can all be incorporated into the workflow and sent directly to the candidate when they submit for a job. The R1 release now allows incorporation of hyperlinks, logos and branding colors too, granting Workday users greater customization.
A tool for both employees and managers, Workday Assistant is a self-service chatbot capability where users can input questions to retrieve relevant information. If you’re new to Workday, this feature can help you navigate the platform and locate specific functionality more easily. Questions related to HR and general back-office processes like tax information and benefits election can be entered into Workday Assistant, making completing these tasks easier and more efficient. Additionally, you can provide feedback to coworkers, request time off and view balances through this self-service capability as well. The R1 release improves upon existing feature assistant, making the Chatbot more robust and intuitive.
Though this feature may seem pretty basic, its inclusion will be a great relief to Workday users, myself included! Previously, some employee data fields were mandatory and required to have an input. But now, thanks to this R1 release, users can delete certain fields altogether. This includes, for example, social media profiles associated with Emergency Contact info. I always thought this was somewhat unnecessary, particularly if you already have an email and phone number on file. I am glad now we’re able to simply remove it.
Prior to this update Workday users would have to remember to end payroll manually for terminated employees. The R1 release, however, allows you to automate this function as a part of your offboarding processes. This will be particularly useful for organizations that utilize consultants and temporary contractors. Automating HR and back-office tasks wherever possible will only help your business gain efficiencies.
These are just a handful of features that I am eager to try out. As you’ve probably noted, some are more exciting than others, but all of the updates are worthwhile and will better the overall Workday user experience. Many cloud-based ERP systems are still playing catch up when It comes to functionality and customization. But this R1 release goes a long way in closing that gap.
Cloud | Enterprise | Technology | Workday
