Don't make the same mistake I did - Applications Developer Workday Employee Review

2.0
Oct 23, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Good culture, fun co-workers - Great work life balance - Stock is doing well, good ESPP plan, stock refreshers - Generation Workday new grad program is a good way to make friends

Cons

Workday’s App dev teams are the product engineering teams and they build the app using a propriety GUI-based language called Xpresso. The tools teams work on infrastructure and they use traditional programming languages like java and scala. This review is about app dev only. Hate to say it but working in Xpresso is a very bad career move for engineers coming straight out of college. Unless you are proactive and work on side projects or continue to learn in your free time, you will forget your traditional coding skills. You will also not be exposed to industry-standard practices and tools by working in a proprietary stack. If you ever decide to leave, you'll likely struggle to find a traditional coding job. Workday probably has good retention rates for app devs not because app devs don't want to leave, but because they can't leave. They tell you that you’ll still learn high-level concepts like design and OOP but I don’t think it’s enough to make you a competent engineer. They also tell you that you can eventually transfer to a tools team, but it seems like you have to spend several years doing app dev first before you can switch. Also, I think the salary for app devs is below industry average.

Explore other reviews about Workday

5.0
Jun 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance is very good

Cons

Too much org level changes

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Workday Response
2w
Thank you for sharing your experience at Workday. We're delighted to know that you've been making the most of your time with us and have been benefiting from a good work-life balance. This feedback is incredibly valuable as it helps us provide an even better working experience and benefits for our Workmates.
3.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent engineering talent and knowledgeable coworkers. Strong engineering culture with high code quality standards. Modern technology stack and opportunities to work on large-scale enterprise software. Good work-life balance compared to many tech companies. Competitive compensation, benefits, and employee perks. Collaborative environment with supportive teammates. Opportunities to learn new technologies and grow technically. Stable development processes and mature SDLC practices. Strong emphasis on testing, code reviews, and software quality. Flexible work arrangements (depending on team).

Cons

Large organization means decision-making can be slow. Significant amount of process and bureaucracy before changes reach production. Cross-team dependencies can slow delivery. Career growth can depend on organizational priorities and manager support. Frequent reorganizations can shift priorities and disrupt long-term projects. Innovation may move slower than at smaller startups. Internal tools and processes can sometimes feel overly complex. Communication between teams can occasionally be inconsistent. Like much of the tech industry, the company has experienced layoffs, creating uncertainty for some employees. Promotions can take time and require navigating multiple approval levels.

1
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Workday Response
1w
Thank you for your thoughtful review. We're aware that there's always room to grow, but at Workday, we take pride in our dedication to our Workmates and the 'employee first' ethos we've embedded since day one. We value your feedback as well as the praise you have provided in your review.
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