A grain of salt - Software Development Engineer Workday Employee Review

3.0
Jan 21, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- The leadership team is well connected to industry leaders, making it more likely the company will enjoy some success - The technology stack, though cumbersome and flawed, is better than competitive solutions. (Lets face it, enterprise software is not on the cutting edge) - Lots of salty snacks - Cool Halloween parties - Family friendly

Cons

- In order to work on anything remotely interesting or have any idea taken seriously, you have to be vetted by old timers (the trusted lieutenants, the capo-regime). If you aren't, then you will be digging ditches and carrying out the garbage (don't worry, theres a lot of it). Being vetted is inversely proportional to your critical thinking skills. - Your ideas are either a) not good OR b) not your ideas. It will take some time to convince you of this fact, but rest assured, you will be convinced. - The company has strategically decided not to invest in growing/mentoring senior software developers. If you are junior, you will have a path forward. If you are a vetted senior (i.e principal), you can proceed in any which way you like. Good ideas/work are rewarded, bad ideas/poor decisions are washed clean of your name.

Explore other reviews about Workday

5.0
Jun 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great work life balance, great community and benefits

Cons

Forward mobility, growth, and momentum

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Workday Response
6d
Thank you for your review. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience working at Workday. Our goal is to create an open and diverse culture at Workday and we value feedback like this as we strive to become an even better company for our Workmates!
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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