Workday

Workday is an innovative, cloud-based platform for the modern and mobile workforce. It was developed as the first higher-education based human resource and financial management solution in the cloud, and it has expanded to include student functionality. Over the next three years, Workday will replace Banner, which runs many of our human resources, payroll, finance, grant, and student system processes.

Note: You will find FAQs, job aids (cheat sheets), and videos in the WPI Hub, including the Workday Student page. Please note that you will need to Sign In to see documentation available only to the community.

Why Workday? 

  • Workday offers new and improved features and processes, including access to information from computers, tablets, and smart phones.
  • It allows us to move away from manual paper-based processes to automated online processes to help with growth and innovation.
  • It provides employees with the information they need to be effective and efficient.
  • It helps change culture so we can continue to innovate and achieve our strategic goals.
  • It allows WPI to leverage modern technology incorporating best practices.
  • It allows for more streamlined security measures and help WPI protect critical information.
  • It is an enabling system that supports teaching, learning, and administration. 

Workday Student for Registration, Grading, and Academic Records

Workday Student is built to grow with WPI and provide a modern, dynamic tool for students, faculty, and staff to plan for and support academic success.

Important! If you are a WPI community member who would like to learn more about Workday Student, you will find FAQs, tutorials, and videos in the WPI Hub, including the Workday Student page. Please note that you will need to click Sign In.  

March/April 2021

Continuing students

  • Find courses using faceted search reports beginning on March 29
  • Build schedules -- College Scheduler will be available and is recommended
  • Registration period begins April 21
  • Add, drop, or swap (vs. drop + add) classes
  • Accept course openings from waitlist

Faculty, advisors, and administrators support students

  • View students planned schedules
  • View course rosters as students register
  • Use faceted search reports to find courses and review course capacity

Summer 2021

  • The incoming class will be added to Workday
  • All students will "onboard" to ensure their data is current
  • Students will view and pay bills
  • Create academic plans spanning multiple years

Fall 2021

  • Final cutover from Banner
  • Full academic records with up-to-date academic history will be in Workday
  • Degree audits, including for graduate students, available for programs of study
  • Submit or change A-Term 2021 grades
  • Mobile device support
  • Transcripting

Why Workday Student?

Workday Student is a relatively young product that will continue to evolve -- Workday harnesses developments in machine learning and AI to improve its customer experience. With Workday, you will be able to:

  • Use a mobile device to interact with academic records
  • Easily drop and swap courses
  • Accept or drop waitlist openings
  • Use faceted searches to refine course search results
  • Navigate seamlessly from high-level to detailed information
  • Sort, filter, and hide or display columns in report tables
  • Access data for predictive analysis
  • Interact with a clean, modern interface

 

CONTACT
Location: 108 Grove Street

Workday Guiding Principles for Success

Embrace Best Practices

  • As WPI makes the shift from Banner to Workday, we seek to implement business processes as delivered, unless there are significant and compelling reasons to do otherwise.

  • We streamline and simplify workflows wherever possible and design business processes with consistency and standardization in mind. 

  • We also build business processes with accountability in mind -- with appropriate controls and approvals for each process.

Enable Data-Driven Decision Making at Every Level of the Institution

  • Workday provides individuals with access to the consistent information, metrics, and reports they need to fulfill their responsibilities and reach their goals at WPI.

Work Toward Consensus Through Inclusion & Engagement

  • We are committed to making information about the project available to the WPI community via open lines of communication and dialogue, including a project website and periodic updates.

  • We invite members of the community to make suggestions about the project, share their ideas, and also share their concerns. We take the needs of the community seriously, and we consider all suggestions and comments. To make a suggestion, email workday@wpi.edu.

Prepare WPI for Future Growth and Success

The implementation of Workday is transforming the end-to-end processes that support student, faculty, and staff experiences. These changes to the way we do business will establish the technological platform that allows for continued growth and achievement of strategic priorities for many years to come. 

What Has Changed with Workday?

Human Resources, Payroll and Finance

  • Faculty, staff, and student workers submit their own expense reports for reimbursement in Workday (students not employed by WPI will continue to use a paper form). We know this is a new process that affects almost everyone on campus, so there is a lot of ongoing support and training. WPI P-card expense information is automatically available for expense reporting in Workday.
  • Students and hourly employees enter time in Workday. Managers or Time Keepers (Administrative Assistants) approve.
  • Staff submit time off requests (e.g., vacation, bereavement, personal, other) in Workday; managers approve.
  • Absence balances are always up to date.
  • Pay dates for hourly employees shifted to Fridays. 
  • Performance reviews and recommendations for increases are facilitated through Workday.
  • Recruiting and hiring and onboarding of new employees occurs in Workday with full visibility by hiring managers and dynamic content provided to search committees.
  • Budget managers can view financial transactions as soon as they are approved and run many different reports to gain insight on budgeting and expenses.
  • Daily grant fund balances are available directly to the PI.
  • Initiators of tasks can view the progress history of tasks.