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What to Expect

Workday is a cloud-based system that works to bring together Human Resources (HR), Payroll, Finance, and Student information in one easy-to-use platform. It’s designed to bring our everyday tasks like managing personal information, pay, time, hiring, expensing, and budgeting into one secure, modern system that you can access from your computer or mobile device.

Real Stories, Real Impact

How Workday Works for Higher Ed

Watch these short videos to help you imagine what using Workday at Macalester could be.

Aerial view of Wellesley College Open Modal

Wellesley College

Why Wellesley College Selected the Workday Suite (2 minutes)

Watch
Student at Santa Clara University Open Modal

Santa Clara University

A Student’s Day with Workday: Santa Clara University Student Story (3 minutes)

Watch

What is changing in Phase One?

Phase One runs throughout the academic year 2025-2026. Not everything will change at once, you will start seeing some changes in June 2026. Over time you will see changes in:

  1. Where you go to complete tasks: Many tasks that used to rely on paper forms, PDFs, or email submissions will move into Workday.
  2. How approvals and notifications work: Instead of manually forwarding messages, Workday routes tasks to the right people and shows you the status.
  3. How information is organized: You may see new terminology for budgets, jobs, and organizations and new terms like “worktags,” Workday’s version of FOAPALs. We recognize that changing FOAPALs will be a big adjustment for the Macalester community. To help with the transition, please know:
    • Rather than needing to know the exact new code, Workday entry fields feature a Google-like search where you can find and select entries based on a partial keyword searches, like “Biology” or “MCSG.”
    • A lookup tool will be available to help with this transition where you can to enter a FOAPAL to get the Workday worktag.

What will I use Workday for in Phase One?

  • As a faculty, staff member or student employee, you might use Workday to:

      • View and update parts of your personal information (address, phone, some identity information)

      • View your pay information and certain pay related documents

      • Enter time (if you are hourly) and request time off

      • Complete assigned training or other learning activities

      • Apply for internal job opportunities
    Typical layout of an employee’s profile in Workday where playslips can be viewed and printed.
  • If you approve tasks for others (for example, as a supervisor, department chair, or dean), you might also use Workday to:

      • Review and approve time and time off

      • Review and approve expenses and certain HR related changes

      • Participate in hiring and onboarding steps

      • View basic information about the people and positions you are responsible for approving
    Example of an absence request review page showing requested dates and type.
  • If you work with budgets or grants, you might use Workday to:

      • Review and approve expenses and Pcard activity tied to your department, fund or grant

      • Run reports to monitor budgets and spending and check available funds
    Example of an expense report entry form with categorized line items.

What is changing in Phase Two?

Phase Two will include changes to Student information systems used for things like student registration, financial aid, and student accounts. Expect more information about Phase Two coming during the 2026-2027 academic year.

Example of the Workday Student Information System interface

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