Applicants Say Workday Is Frustrating And Glitchy, But Companies Keep Using It

Job hunts have never been particularly enjoyable experiences. But as technology continues to play a central role in the process, many job-seekers say it’s only gotten more complex and annoying.

And there’s one platform that seems to be receiving the lion’s share of the complaints.

What is Workday?

If you haven’t yet tried to apply for a position at a company that uses Workday, you probably won’t fully understand what all the fuss is about. After all, about half of all Fortune 500 companies use it, so it must be doing something right … right?

While its software ostensibly streamlines the process by automatically filling in online applications, countless applicants say the experience is imperfect at best.

Common complaints assert that the platform doesn’t enter information in the correct locations, requires different login information for each new application, and takes longer to complete than it would have by filling in all the information manually.

Nevertheless, in its less than 20 years of existence, Workday has managed to find a home inside the human resources department of some very influential companies — so if you’re in the market for a new job, chances are you’ll encounter it at some point.

Why is it everywhere?

Lest you think HR staffers are big fans of Workday, they’re not. Many of the complaints come from these professionals, who say it’s a pain in their neck too. But it’s still ubiquitous, which leads to the underlying issue.

Workday doesn’t directly serve applicants or employees, but the companies they work (or aspire to work) for. And since it provides a service that keeps an insane amount of HR-related documentation — from onboarding to taxes to performance reviews and beyond — in one place, companies clearly see the value of keeping Workday around … even if the average worker doesn’t.

Chris Agee May 7th, 2024

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