Workday HCM Review and Payroll Deployment Support

By the time Cara became involved, Albida’s Client had already implemented Workday HCM, and the system was live and working as intended. At this stage, the focus was no longer on implementation, but on how well the platform and the People function would support the organisation’s next phase of growth.

As is often the case at that point in a change project, attention began to shift.

The organisation was preparing for a UK Payroll deployment and had broader global ambitions for how Workday would be used across its People processes. The question was not whether the system worked, but whether it was set up to deliver what the business would need from it going forward.

 

Where Things Stood

Workday HCM was live, but there was a sense that more could be achieved from it.

Some processes were working well, while others had developed in ways that didn’t fully support the organisation’s longer-term plans. There was also an opportunity to think more deliberately about how widely Workday and core People processes were being used across the business, and how consistently they were being applied.

Alongside this, the UK Payroll deployment introduced a new layer of complexity. There were important design decisions to make, and a need to ensure that those decisions aligned with both current operational needs and future growth.

This was less about fixing something that was broken, and more about stepping back to take a clearer, more joined-up view.

 

Working Through the Detail

Cara was asked to carry out a detailed review of key Workday HCM processes, alongside providing ongoing advisory support for the UK Payroll deployment.

The review focused on understanding how processes were operating in practice, rather than only how they had been designed. Existing ways of working were mapped carefully, with time taken to identify where processes could be strengthened, simplified, or used more effectively.

Future-state processes were then developed with a clear link to the organisation’s strategic objectives, ensuring that recommendations were grounded in both practical reality and long-term direction.

Alongside the review, Cara worked closely with the Payroll deployment team, providing ongoing support through regular conversations, reviewing key decisions, and sharing insight based on previous implementation experience. This created space for the team to test thinking, work through uncertainties, and make informed choices as the programme progressed.

 

What Changed Over Time

As the work developed, the organisation gained a clearer understanding of how Workday could better support its People function and wider business ambitions.

Opportunities for improvement were identified and prioritised in a way that felt manageable and aligned to strategic goals, rather than as a long list of disconnected changes.

The Payroll deployment team was able to move forward with greater confidence.

Outstanding design decisions were addressed with a clearer sense of direction, and testing and delivery were approached in a more structured and considered way.

 

The Result

The review provided a clear set of recommendations that helped shape the organisation’s global HCM approach and ensure readiness for the UK Payroll deployment.

More importantly, the work supported better decision-making throughout the programme.

The team were able to move forward with confidence, balancing immediate delivery needs with longer-term considerations.

The outcome was not just a successful implementation, but a stronger foundation for how Workday would be used and developed over time.