{"id":1421,"date":"2026-03-24T15:50:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T15:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/?page_id=1421"},"modified":"2026-04-14T16:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T16:24:11","slug":"workday-glossary","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/workday-glossary\/","title":{"rendered":"Workday Glossary"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"link-group block-container\" >\n        <div class=\"link-group__links-row\">\n        <ul class=\"link-group__link link-group__link--2up\">\n                            <li class=\"link-group__link-item\">\n                    <a class=\"base-cta-featured\" href=\"#general\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    General Terms and Concepts\n\t\t\t\t\t    <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"base-symbol base-cta-featured__arrow\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t    <use xlink:href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/macalester-2020\/dist\/svgs\/symbol-arrow.svg#icon\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                            <li class=\"link-group__link-item\">\n                    <a class=\"base-cta-featured\" href=\"#navigation\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    Navigation\n\t\t\t\t\t    <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"base-symbol base-cta-featured__arrow\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t    <use xlink:href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/macalester-2020\/dist\/svgs\/symbol-arrow.svg#icon\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                            <li class=\"link-group__link-item\">\n                    <a class=\"base-cta-featured\" href=\"#HR\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    HR\n\t\t\t\t\t    <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"base-symbol base-cta-featured__arrow\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t    <use xlink:href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/macalester-2020\/dist\/svgs\/symbol-arrow.svg#icon\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                            <li class=\"link-group__link-item\">\n                    <a class=\"base-cta-featured\" href=\"#finance\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    Finance\n\t\t\t\t\t    <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"base-symbol base-cta-featured__arrow\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t    <use xlink:href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/macalester-2020\/dist\/svgs\/symbol-arrow.svg#icon\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                    <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"introduction block-container\" >\n    <div class=\"introduction__content\">\n    \t        \t<p class=\"introduction__copy\">This resource provides a foundation for the terminology you will encounter during our transition to Workday. Please note that this is a growing list; new terms and definitions will be added regularly as we move through different phases of the implementation.<\/p>\n    \t    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"general\">General Workday Terms and Concepts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Business Process (BP)<\/strong> \u2013 A predefined set of steps that a task follows in Workday (for example, a hire, a job change, or an expense report), including who needs to review and approve it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delegation<\/strong> \u2013 Temporarily allowing another person to act on your behalf in Workday for certain tasks (for example, approving time or expenses while you are away).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Job Aid<\/strong> \u2013 A short, step\u2011by\u2011step guide that shows you how to complete a specific task in Workday, customized for Macalester.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Manager<\/strong> \u2013 In Workday, the person designated to approve and oversee certain tasks for others (such as a supervisor, department chair, or dean), even if they do not think of themselves as a \u201cmanager\u201d in the traditional sense.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Organization (Org)<\/strong> \u2013 A way Workday groups people, positions, or financial activity (such as cost centers, supervisory organizations, or grant organizations).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Role Assignment<\/strong> \u2013 The combination of security and functional roles a person has in Workday (for example, Manager, Cost Center Manager, or Grant Manager).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Security Group<\/strong> \u2013 A way Workday groups users who share similar access rights, often based on role (for example, all Cost Center Managers).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Supervisory Organization<\/strong> \u2013 The structure in Workday that shows reporting relationships and who is responsible for approving certain tasks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tenant<\/strong> \u2013 Macalester\u2019s specific instance of Workday (its own \u201cversion\u201d of the system and data).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Workday<\/strong> \u2013 Macalester\u2019s primary system for managing HR, finance, and related processes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"navigation\">Workday Navigation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Employee Directory \/ People Search<\/strong> \u2013 A feature in Workday that lets you find colleagues and see basic information about them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Home Page<\/strong> \u2013 Your starting page in Workday, where you\u2019ll see applications, tasks, and announcements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hub <\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp; A centralized space where you can find and navigate to your most frequently needed tasks, reports, and other resources.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inbox (Workday Inbox)<\/strong> \u2013 The place in Workday where you receive tasks that you need to complete or approve.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Learning<\/strong> \u2013 The area of Workday where you find assigned training, optional courses, and your learning history.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"HR\">HR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Hire (Business Process)<\/strong> \u2013 In Workday, the process of adding a person into the system as an employee; what Macalester may have previously called \u201chiring\u201d or \u201conboarding.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>HR Partner (or HR Role)<\/strong> \u2013 A Workday security role that has broader access to HR information for a specific area of the college (for example, a division or group of departments).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Job Change<\/strong> \u2013 A Workday business process that manages changes to a person\u2019s job (for example, hours, title, location).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Job Requisition<\/strong> \u2013 A request in Workday to hire for a specific position, which goes through review and approval steps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Onboarding<\/strong> \u2013 Workday tasks for a new hire to complete after they are hired (for example, forms, training, and orientation items).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Position Management<\/strong> \u2013 A Workday framework that manages positions separately from the people in them (positions can be created, filled, vacated, and refilled over time).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Talent Management<\/strong> \u2013 Workday functionality related to performance, goals, and career development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time Entry<\/strong> \u2013 The process of recording hours worked in Workday (for hourly employees).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time Off<\/strong> \u2013 Approved time away from work, such as vacation or sick leave, requested and tracked in Workday.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time Off Request<\/strong> \u2013 The specific action in Workday where you ask for time off and route it for approval.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"finance\">Finance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Academic Pay<\/strong> \u2013 Pay that is tied to academic periods, such as semesters or terms, rather than the standard staff pay cycle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Activity Code<\/strong> \u2013 A label you add to financial transactions to group similar activities (for example, a specific event, project, or program).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Allowance &#8211; A compensation plan that provides a set amount of money to an employee for a specific purpose over a period of time.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Budget<\/strong> \u2013 The planned amount of money available for a particular area, fund, or purpose, as seen in Workday reports and dashboards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Budget Owner<\/strong> \u2013 The person responsible for a particular budget in Workday, often tied to a cost center or program.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cost Center<\/strong> \u2013 A Workday value that represents a department or unit where financial activity is tracked.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expense Report<\/strong> \u2013 A form in Workday where you enter business\u2011related expenses and attach receipts in order to be reimbursed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expenses Hub<\/strong> \u2013 A central spot in Workday where you can see your expense reports, spend authorizations, and related tasks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>FOAPAL<\/strong> \u2013 The legacy accounting code structure used before Workday. In Workday, FOAPAL elements are replaced by combinations of worktags (such as cost center, fund, program, and spend category).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fund<\/strong> \u2013 A Workday worktag that represents the type of funding (for example, unrestricted, restricted, grant).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grant<\/strong> \u2013 A source of external funding (for example, from a foundation or agency) that is tracked in Workday with its own budgets and reporting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ledger Account<\/strong> \u2013 A Workday worktag that represents the type of accounting entry (similar to a general ledger account in legacy systems).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Model My Pay<\/strong> \u2013 A Workday feature that lets you see how certain changes (such as deductions) could affect your net pay before they take effect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pcard (Purchasing Card)<\/strong> \u2013 A card used for authorized business purchases; in Workday, Pcard activity is more visible and linked to budgets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pay Slip<\/strong> \u2013 A document in Workday showing your earnings, deductions, and net pay for a pay period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Period Activity Pay<\/strong> \u2013 Pay for work tied to a defined period or activity (for example, a special assignment or short\u2011term academic role).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Program (Financial Program)<\/strong> \u2013 A worktag used to track financial activity for a particular initiative, project, or theme.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Requisition (Purchase Requisition)<\/strong> \u2013 A request to purchase goods or services that begins the procure\u2011to\u2011pay process in Workday.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Spend Authorization<\/strong> \u2013 A request in Workday to get pre\u2011approval for expected costs (such as travel or conference expenses), which can later be linked to expense reports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Spend Category<\/strong> \u2013 A Workday tag that describes the type of goods or services being purchased (for example, office supplies or travel).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Work Study<\/strong> \u2013 A type of student employment funded by specific programs, tracked in Workday with its own rules and costing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Worktag<\/strong> \u2013 A label in Workday used to categorize financial transactions (for example, cost center, fund, program, grant, or spend category).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\">Updated: April 13, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General Workday Terms and Concepts Back to top Workday Navigation Back to top HR Back to top Finance Back to top Updated: April 13, 2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":911,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1421","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/911"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1421"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2259,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1421\/revisions\/2259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/workday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}