Don't come here right out of college - Software Development Engineer Workday Employee Review

1.0
29 Sept 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Easy to land a job right out of college as a software engineer Can easily go on cruise control if thats your thing Unlimited PTO Flexible wfh policy

Cons

Coming here right out of college as a SDE really set me back in terms of my skills and my career path. The biggest obstacle is using xpresso, workday's proprietary language that is specifically designed to make building workday application features very VERY easy. Try explaining xpresso during interviews - you will be met with a lot of confused looks. It is also a skill that isn't transferrable and it silos you as an engineer - you don't get exposed to the full SDLC nor do you get exposed to industry standard technologies and practices. Too many engineering managers are questionable at best. MANY of them do NOT know how to code, nor do they have technical knowledge of how software is developed. QA is a complete joke, many QA / automation engineers don't have engineering backgrounds, workday gets away with this because WATS (another proprietary tool) is a super straight forward GUI point and click tool to write test scripts...which is why if you want a career in engineering, you most definitely do NOT want to join as QA. Obviously, most of my cons are targeted towards career and skill development. Workday's hiring bar is INCREDIBLY low, don't be fooled by getting an offer from them while you are still in college. Also, due to their rapid hiring - their culture that they were once known for is also rapidly deteriorating, maybe the higher ups don't really care since the stock price has surged?

Explore other reviews about Workday

5.0
20 May 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
2w
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
31 Mar 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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