Workday Update: What's Changing in [Month/Year]
Communication Type: Employee/Manager-Facing Release Notification
Audience: All employees and people managers
Sample / Representative Work Product
How to use this template: Replace all bracketed items with confirmed, validated details. Do not send until the Workday administrator has confirmed that (a) the feature has been activated in production, (b) the navigation steps have been validated, and (c) HR leadership has approved the communication. See
03_WORKDAY_ENABLEMENT_CONTENT_SOP.mdfor the full approval workflow.
[SUBJECT LINE — for email distribution]
Subject: Your Workday experience is changing on [Date] — here's what you need to know
[EMAIL / INTRANET POST BODY]
Hello [Team / Everyone],
We are making [one / a few] updates to Workday on [Date]. Here's a plain-language summary of what's changing, who it affects, and what (if anything) you need to do.
What Is Changing?
[Change 1: Short, plain-language title]
[Example placeholder: "Your home address screen in Workday now includes a required 'County' field for U.S. addresses."]
[1–3 sentences describing what is different and what it looks like. Avoid Workday system terminology that employees won't recognize. Do not describe the configuration; describe the experience.]
[Change 2: Short, plain-language title](if applicable)
[Description]
[Change 3: Short, plain-language title](if applicable)
[Description]
Why Is This Changing?
[Example: "This update improves the accuracy of address data used for W-2 delivery and benefit correspondence, and aligns with Workday's updated address format standard."]
[1–2 sentences. Connect to an employee benefit or a business need they can understand. Avoid "Workday released a new feature" as a sole explanation — explain the value.]
Who Is Affected?
[Example: "All U.S.-based employees who update their home address in Workday."]
[Example: "People managers who approve time-off requests in Workday."]
[Be specific. If a change only affects a subset (benefits-eligible employees, managers, specific locations), say so.]
When Does This Take Effect?
[Date] — the change will be live in Workday starting on this date.
[If any action is required before this date, state it here.]
What Do I Need to Do?
[If no action is required:]
Nothing — this change will appear automatically when you next log in to Workday. No action is needed from you before or after [Date].
[If action is required:][Example: "If you update your home address after [Date], you will need to enter your County in the new required field. If you have a pending address update in progress, please complete it before [Date], or re-enter your address after [Date] using the updated form."]
[Be specific about what, when, and for whom. Do not leave this vague.]
Where Can I Get Help?
- Step-by-step guide:
[Link to updated guide — confirm URL before sending] - FAQ:
[Link to FAQ — confirm URL] - People Systems support:
[Support portal / email / phone — confirm] - Office hours: We are hosting drop-in office hours on [Date, Time, Link] if you have questions.
[Remove if no office hours planned]
Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve your Workday experience. If you have questions not answered in the resources above, please reach out to People Systems at [contact].
[HR Leadership signatory name]
[Title]
People Systems / HR Operations
Pre-send checklist (remove before sending):
- [ ] All bracketed fields replaced with confirmed content
- [ ] Feature validated in production environment
- [ ] Linked guides validated and live
- [ ] HR leadership has approved
- [ ] Support team has been briefed
- [ ] Send date confirmed (at least 3 business days before effective date)
- [ ] Office hours confirmed and link active (if applicable)
Version: Sample v1.0 | Technical reviewer:
[Confirm]| HR approver:[Confirm]
Sample / Representative Work Product — Warren Sanders