State of Oregon: Employee resources and state workforce - Workday Oregon frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Which web browsers does Workday support?

The latest versions of the following desktop browsers are supported by Workday:

Google® Chrome
Mozilla® Firefox
Microsoft® Edge
Apple® Safari (Mac OS X only)
Opera® Browser
BlackBerry® Browser (Blackberry 10 phones only)
Microsoft® Internet Explorer (version 11)

A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a software application that automates many personnel management and position budgeting processes and provides a means of acquiring, storing, analyzing, and distributing information to various stakeholders.

What does the new HRIS look like now?

The past, antiquated mainframe system was over 25 years old. Below is a graphic differentiating the pas system (Position & Personnel Data Base and Position Inventory Control System) user interface from Workday, the current HRIS solution, user interface:

What is Workday?

The HRIS industry leader in cloud-based, enterprise applications that combine a lower cost of ownership with an innovative approach for enterprises
provider of applications for financial management, human capital management (HCM), payroll, student systems, and analytics
A cloud-based system that leverages a modern technology platform to provide its customers greater information accessibility

Why has Oregon state government chosen to implement a new HRIS?

State government’s data needs far outpaced its capacity to capture, organize, and analyze HR data. The past system relied on paper-driven processes that did not address the critical HR business needs of today. Decision-makers were hindered by limited reporting capabilities and the lack of basic information important to modern HR management. Oregon’s past technology was difficult to modify and update, and the skill sets required to support it were increasingly hard to find.

Many agencies used agency-specific manual or automated systems (i.e. “shadow systems”) to supplement the past HRIS, as the enterprise system could not support their business requirements. Shadow systems result in inconsistency and unpredictability, ultimately leading to a lack of state government cohesion.

The business case, prepared in 2014, outlined the business need for HRIS replacement and provided a cost benefit analysis of a number of alternative solutions. The analysis resulted in the recommendation of a “Software as a Service” (SaaS) system, hosted and maintained by a vendor.

The requested Policy Option Package (POP) for the HRIS Project, included in DAS’ Governor’s Recommended Budget, amounted to $19 million funded through agency assessments.

What are some benefits of Workday?

Workday provides Oregon state government improved employee productivity, reduced operational complexity, and quick compliance with ever-changing legal and regulatory requirements. Benefits include:

Workflow approvals
No installed software
Regular updates
Role based security
Cloud technology
Intuitive user interface
Mobile readiness
One data source
Solution integration
User friendly experience

Which systems will be replaced by Workday?

The Position and Personnel Data Base (PPDB) and Position Inventory Control System (PICS), as well as Oregon state government's past recruitment system, eRecruit (provided by NEOGOV) were replaced by Workday. The learning management system iLearnOregon (provided by Meridian Global LMS), has been integrated with Workday. A future project has been funded, and is in process, that will replaice iLearnOregon with Workday Learning.

Significant functionality currently provided by agency shadow systems, along with functionality not possible today, is expected in all of the following areas:

Employee processing
Performance management
Health & safety
Leave management
Classification & compensation
Recruitment
Reporting & data modeling
Position data & budgeting

The following table illustrates the HR functionality found in agency shadow systems and its relationship to the Workday functionality Oregon state government has implement:

The Workday team recommends that agencies plan for the retirement of all HR shadow systems as soon as they possibly can; the more shadow systems an agency currently supports, the more resources it will take to decommission them. The Workday team expects that agencies may take a phased approach to eliminating their HR shadow systems, and extracted files from Workday will be used to support the remaining systems until they are ready for abolishment.

What functionality is included in Oregon state government’s Workday package?

The following table summarizes Workday functionality:

Will Workday interface with other systems?

Yes, Workday has interfaced with the same systems that past enterprise-wide HR systems (i.e. PPDB and PICS) interfaced with.

Is iLearnOregon being replaced?

The learning management system iLearnOregon (provided by Meridian Global LMS), has been integrated with Workday. A future project has been funded, and is in process, that will replaice iLearnOregon with Workday Learning.

Who has been and is currently involved in Workday Oregon?

Workday Oregon is actively sponsored by the Enterprise Leadership Team and the State Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), and is owned by CHRO. During the early planning stages, over 40 part-time participants from 14 state agencies spent 18 months establishing requirements, mapping existing business processes, and developing a comprehensive business case to demonstrate the need for a new system.

Workday Oregon currently spans two biennium. Since the start of the project’s procurement phase in 2015 as the "HRIS Project Team," the Workday Project Team has strategically recruited a full-time staff over time, including team members from several agency rotations, to address specific functional, technical, change management, communications, training, and project leadership positions as needed.

HR Advisors and HR Directors are included in a vetting process during decision making in regards to program enhancements.

Does Workday impact every employee in state government?

Yes, Workday gives all users (i.e. state employees, volunteers and contractors) greater control over their personal information through 24/7 access to information over a secure network. All users can access their personal data from any computer or mobile device with internet access. The system’s self-service functionality for both managers and employees allows users to update their personal contact information, view information about their position, utilize built-in tools for professional development, and access directory and other HR-oriented information.

What is “self-service” and how does it relate to Workday?

Employee self-service (ESS) is an available feature within most HRIS. ESS allows employees to take care of many different human resources-related tasks that would otherwise need to be completed by human resources personnel or management.

ESS allows employees to directly change personal information such as address, phone number and emergency contact information. Previously, Oregon state government employees and their managers relied heavily on paper processes for important HR related information and processes (e.g. new hire documents, required federal forms, etc.). With Workday’s self-service functionality, most (if not all) HR paper processes occur online through Workday. ESS and manager self-service (MSS) reduce the time it takes to process an employee task (i.e. “transaction”), reduce the level of manual effort involved in completing transactions and allow all users to have immediate secure access to information as is appropriate.

What is a Supervisory Organization?

Supervisory Organizations (“sup orgs”) group employees into a management hierarchy and are a required foundation for Workday Human Capital Management (HCM). Sup orgs provide the structure for how users (i.e. employees, volunteers and contractors) are organized, how HR business processes are enabled and how HR data is linked in the system. Sup orgs are not used to manage finances and financial responsibilities, which are addressed primarily through Cost Center.

Who is considered a Manager in Workday?

Every supervisory organization (“sup org”) is headed by a manager. All staff in that sup org report to that manager. Any state government employee who has individuals reporting to them is given the Workday role entitled "Manager." The Manager role in Workday is not related to an employee's business title.

What can a Manager view and do in Workday?

Workday's Manager Self-Service (MSS) provides supervisors with relevant job, position and compensation information about their teams. MSS also includes access to reports with team information that are integrated with HR-related analytics.

How will Oregon state government employees be engaged about Workday Oregon updates and news?

Workday Oregon will continue to engage Oregon state government employees in several different ways, including but not limited to auditorium sessions, emails, newsletters, agency intranets, the Workday Oregon website, and the announcements feature within Workday.

Where can I receive information or provide feedback on the Workday Project?

For the latest project updates and information and to provide feedback, you are encouraged to visit the Workday Project’s website at http://www.oregon.gov/das/hr/pages/workday.aspx or email the project team at chro.hris@oregon.gov

How will Workday impact the general public?

The past Oregon Jobs Opportunity website provided information to the public on employment opportunities within state government. NEOGOV was the current recruitment system used to post employment opportunities. The implementation of Workday’s recruitment functionality brought in a new user experience and application process for all state recruitments.

Workday’s recruitment functionality through its External Career Site is compatible with Google® Chrome, Mozilla® Firefox, Microsoft® Edge, Apple® Safari (Mac OS X), and Microsoft® Internet Explorer (version 11). Users are encouraged to access tablet and mobile versions of Workday through the free Workday App available on Mac and Android operating systems. Workday tests its products on all of the latest versions of each supported browser. Workday communicates “end-of-life” notices for compatibility with browser versions six months before its support for such browser versions ends.

When didWorkday go live?

Workday went live February 2019. Contact your Manager or HR Partner for information on how your agency is using Workday.

How does Workday account for data backups and disaster recovery?

Workday's Workday Security datasheet provides thorough information regarding data backups, cloud data disaster recovery efforts and security measures.

How does Workday align with the State COO’s areas of emphasis?

In her role as State Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Director, Katy Coba upholds five areas of emphasis: (1) equity, (2) transparency and accountability, (3) leadership development, (4) customer service and excellence in government, and (5) "Ambassador of Public Service."

Workday, the new Human Resource Information System for Oregon state government, aligns with these goals:

Equity: HB 2005 (2017) passed with the goal of increasing equity within the workplace by preventing Oregon employers from screening out job applicants on the basis of current or past compensation. Employers previously relied on an applicant’s education, training and experience as compared to those of existing employees holding similar positions to determine the level of compensation to be offered. Without Workday, hiring managers would perform these analyses manually. Workday now automates this screening process and allows hiring managers to access respective data instantly.

Transparency and Accountability: Workday enhances the communication and workflow between users, provides accurate human resource data for data analytics to improve the quality of enterprise decisions, and provides on-demand, secure public records upon request.

Leadership Development: In addition to assisting managers in making equitable hiring decisions, Workday provides managers with reliable data for workforce planning and gives them the ability to easily access and track information about their employees.

Customer Service and Excellence in Government: Workday increases efficiency by reducing the duplication of tasks with legacy systems and by minimizing paper-based human resource business processing. Workday also helps maintain data integrity and enhance enterprise data security, continuity and reliability.

Ambassador of Public Service: Workday provides policy makers the necessary tools to obtain reliable and timely workforce data as well as scenario planning at both the enterprise-wide and agency level.

What is a Change Leader (CL) with respect to the Workday Project?

As part of the change leader network, Change Leaders (CLs) act as primary contacts to help with organizational change management work and address change management challenges. CLs assist the Workday Oregon Team with determining agency readiness and where organizational staff may need additional support throughout the HRIS transition.

What is an Agency Readiness Contact (ARC) with respect to the Workday Project?

As part of the change leader network, Agency Readiness Contacts (ARCs) act as a Workday Oregon conduit for readiness activities. State government organizations (i.e. agencies, boards and commissions) have one employee designated to interface with the project’s organizational change management team on a consistent basis. ARCs ensure that their organizations are both prepared for Workday enhancements and equipped for business readiness.

What is an Agency Subject Matter Expert (Agency SME) with respect to the Workday Project?

As part of the change leader network, Agency Subject Matter Experts (Agency SMEs) act as organizational consultants to the Workday team to provide unique functional input and advice for system design and decision making.

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