Workday is a leading cloud-based enterprise software provider, best known for its human capital management (HCM), finance, and payroll solutions. Workday serves global businesses by offering an all-in-one platform to manage international hiring, workforce planning, payroll compliance, and talent management. With a strong reputation among large enterprises, Workday is designed to support complex, multi-national organisations navigating the challenges of hiring, paying, and managing talent worldwide. Here’s our full Workday review.
Review – Key Workday products and features for international hiring
Workday’s HCM platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools that support global HR operations, making it a strong option for businesses with international growth plans. Key features include:
1. Global human capital management (HCM)
Workday’s core HCM system consolidates workforce data into a single, cloud-based platform. For international hiring, this includes:
- Global worker profiles
- Cross-border onboarding workflows
- Localised HR compliance support
- Multilingual self-service portals for employees
- International time-off and absence management
2. Workday Global Payroll
Workday offers its own payroll solutions for certain countries (such as the US, Canada, UK, and France) and integrates with third-party providers to manage payroll in other regions. Through the Workday Global Payroll Cloud (GPC), businesses can:
- Connect to certified international payroll partners
- Automate gross-to-net pay calculations
- Ensure compliance with local tax laws and regulations
- Manage payroll audits and reporting globally
3. Talent acquisition and recruiting
Workday supports international recruitment with:
- Candidate pipelines across multiple countries
- Localised job postings and career sites
- Automated compliance checks (such as right-to-work validations)
- Interview scheduling across time zones
- Reporting on diversity and inclusion across regions
4. Workforce planning and analytics
Workday provides powerful data tools to model future workforce needs across global locations, including:
- Headcount planning by country
- Cost modelling for international hiring
- Insights on regional talent availability
- Scenario analysis for remote and hybrid workforces
5. Integrations
Workday can integrate with other key systems, such as:
- Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
- Payroll providers in non-supported countries
- Global benefits platforms
- Financial systems for cross-border expense management
Workday pricing
Workday does not publicly list its pricing, as costs vary based on the size of the business, number of employees, and modules selected. However, typical Workday HCM implementations for mid-sized to large enterprises can involve:
- Setup costs: Often in the £100,000–£500,000+ range for initial deployment and integration.
- Subscription fees: Charged annually, commonly estimated at £30–£100 per employee, per month, depending on the product scope.
- Ongoing support and updates: Included in the subscription fee, with options for premium support at an additional cost.
Workday is considered a premium solution, so it may not be cost-effective for small businesses or start-ups. It is generally aimed at mid-sized to enterprise-level companies with complex international needs.
Pros and cons of Workday
Pros:
- Enterprise-grade capabilities: Suitable for large, multi-national companies managing thousands of employees.
- Unified platform: Combines HCM, payroll, recruiting, and analytics in one place.
- Global compliance: Strong support for localisation and international labour law compliance.
- Scalability: Can handle international growth and complex organisational structures.
- Powerful analytics: Provides insights across global operations to support strategic planning.
Cons:
- High cost: Significant upfront investment and ongoing subscription fees.
- Complex implementation: Deployment can take 6–18 months, depending on the scale and countries involved.
- Limited native payroll coverage: Requires third-party partnerships in many countries.
- Best for larger businesses: May be overkill for SMEs with simpler international hiring needs.
- Training required: Users often need dedicated training to use Workday efficiently.
Review – Is Workday right for your business?
Workday is an excellent solution if your business is:
- Operating in multiple countries, with complex payroll, tax, and compliance requirements.
- Scaling rapidly and needs a robust system to manage global talent.
- Looking for a unified HCM platform to replace fragmented local HR systems.
- Prepared to invest both time and budget in a long-term enterprise HR solution.
However, if you’re a smaller business or only need to hire internationally without the complexity of full HR and finance management, you might consider alternatives like:
- Global PEO providers (such as Deel or Remote)
- Simpler international payroll platforms (like Papaya Global or Oyster)
- Standalone applicant tracking systems (such as Greenhouse or Workable)
Our verdict
To conclude our review, Workday is a world-class international hiring and HR solution designed for large businesses with sophisticated global needs. It provides a powerful, integrated system that helps organisations stay compliant, manage payroll, and optimise talent management worldwide.
However, its cost and complexity mean it’s best suited for businesses with significant resources and long-term global ambitions.
FAQ – Workday review
Workday is a cloud-based enterprise software platform that provides human capital management (HCM), payroll, finance, and talent management solutions. It helps businesses manage their workforce globally, supporting everything from recruitment and onboarding to payroll and compliance.
Yes. Workday is designed to support multi-national organisations, offering tools to manage:
Hiring and onboarding across multiple countries
Compliance with local employment laws
Global payroll (via native solutions and third-party integrations)
Multi-language employee self-service portals
However, it is generally best suited to mid-sized and large enterprises with complex international operations.
Partially. Workday offers its own payroll services in countries like the UK, US, Canada, and France. For other countries, it uses the Workday Global Payroll Cloud, which integrates with approved third-party payroll providers to deliver localised payroll services and ensure compliance.
Workday pricing is bespoke and depends on factors such as:
Number of employees
Countries of operation
Modules required (such as payroll, recruitment, and analytics)
Implementation complexity
As a rough guide:
Setup costs can range from £100,000 to £500,000+.
Ongoing fees are typically £30–£100 per employee, per month.
Workday is considered a premium solution and is not usually cost-effective for small businesses.
Implementation time depends on the size and complexity of your organisation, but typical deployments range from 6 to 18 months. Global rollouts involving multiple countries may take even longer, especially if you require customised integrations or localisations.
Yes. Workday supports local compliance across multiple countries, including:
Employment law requirements
Tax regulations
Data privacy laws (such as GDPR)
Right-to-work checks
However, for full compliance in payroll, it may rely on integrated local providers via its payroll network.
Yes. Workday offers extensive integrations with:
Payroll providers (for unsupported countries)
Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
Benefits platforms
Financial and ERP systems
Time tracking tools
These integrations help create a seamless global HR and finance operation.
Probably not. Due to the high costs and complex implementation, Workday is most appropriate for mid-sized and large enterprises, especially those with multi-national operations. Small businesses or start-ups expanding internationally may find better value in global PEO providers or simpler payroll platforms.
If Workday feels too large-scale or costly, some alternatives to consider are:
Deel – for global employment and contractor management.
Remote – for international payroll and employer of record (EOR) services.
Papaya Global – for global payroll and workforce management.
Oyster – for managing international employees without setting up local entities.
Yes. Workday is well-equipped to manage remote and hybrid teams across multiple countries. It offers:
Cloud-based access for employees anywhere in the world
Localised HR processes
Global compliance management
Workforce planning tools that factor in remote headcount