Boosting Employee Engagement with Workday People Experience: Tips and Best Practices

Ever feel like you're leaving engagement on the table? You've invested in Workday, a powerhouse of HR capabilities, but are you truly leveraging its People Experience (PX) features to ignite passion and connection within your workforce?

In today's dynamic world of work (it's mid-2025 already, can you believe it?), employee engagement isn't just a buzzword – it's the bedrock of productivity, retention, and overall organizational success. Disengaged employees cost U.S. companies an estimated $450-$550 billion annually in lost productivity. That's a hefty price tag!

Workday PX offers a treasure trove of tools designed to create a more intuitive, personalized, and engaging experience for your people. But simply having the system isn't enough. It's about how you use it.

So, grab a virtual coffee, and let's dive into some actionable tips and best practices to truly boost employee engagement with Workday People Experience.

Step 1: Personalize the Journey from Day One (and Beyond!)

Think back to your first day at a new job. Remember that whirlwind of information and new faces? Workday PX can transform that experience from overwhelming to welcoming.

• Tailored Onboarding: Leverage Workday Onboarding to create personalized journeys for new hires. Instead of a generic checklist, think about tailoring content based on their role, department, and even their prior experience. Imagine a new marketing specialist receiving content focused on brand guidelines and team introductions, while a software engineer gets immediate access to development tools and project workflows. According to a recent study by SHRM, companies with strong onboarding processes improve new hire retention by 82%.

  
  

• Dynamic Learning: Learning isn't a one-time event. Workday Learning allows you to deliver continuous, relevant learning opportunities directly within the flow of work. Think micro-learning modules accessible on their phones, personalized development plans aligned with their career goals, and even peer-to-peer learning recommendations. Did you know that employees who feel they have opportunities for learning and development are 31% less likely to leave their jobs (LinkedIn)?

• Curated Content Hubs: Create personalized content hubs within Workday that surface relevant news, company updates, policy changes, and even social feeds based on an employee's interests and role. This keeps vital information accessible and engaging, reducing the noise and ensuring they see what matters most to them.

Step 2: Foster Connection and Community

A connected workforce is an engaged workforce. Workday PX offers several avenues to build those crucial bonds:

• Employee Profiles with Personality: Encourage employees to build rich and engaging profiles, showcasing their skills, interests, and even fun facts. This helps colleagues find common ground and fosters organic connections. Think beyond just job titles – let personalities shine!

• Social Collaboration Tools: Utilize Workday's collaboration features (if enabled and integrated) to create spaces for teams and interest groups to connect, share ideas, and celebrate successes. Think project-specific forums, virtual water coolers for informal chats, or communities of practice around shared skills. A Harvard Business Review study found that employees with strong social connections at work are more productive and have higher job satisfaction.

• Recognition that Resonates: Move beyond generic "good job" emails. Workday Recognition allows for peer-to-peer and manager-led recognition that can be tied to company values. Imagine a colleague publicly acknowledging your help on a project, reinforcing positive behaviors and fostering a culture of appreciation. Recognition, when done well, can decrease voluntary turnover by 31%.

• Pulse Surveys for Real-Time Feedback: Don't wait for annual engagement surveys. Use Workday's pulse survey capabilities to gather frequent, bite-sized feedback on specific topics. This allows you to identify and address potential issues proactively, showing employees that their opinions are valued. Companies that act on employee feedback experience a 14.9% lower turnover rate.

Step 3: Empower Growth and Development

Employees want to grow, both professionally and personally. Workday PX can be a powerful enabler of this:

• Transparent Career Paths: Make career paths visible and accessible within Workday. Employees should be able to explore potential growth opportunities, understand the skills and experience required, and identify relevant learning resources. This fosters a sense of purpose and direction.

• Goal Setting and Alignment: Utilize Workday Goals to ensure individual and team objectives are aligned with overall company strategy. When employees understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture, their engagement naturally increases.

• Performance Management as a Conversation: Shift away from once-a-year performance reviews to continuous feedback and development conversations facilitated through Workday. Regular check-ins, goal progress updates, and ongoing coaching foster growth and strengthen manager-employee relationships. Employees who have regular conversations with their managers are 3 times more likely to be engaged.

• Skill Inventories and Gap Analysis: Leverage Workday Skills Cloud to understand the skills within your organization and identify potential gaps. This allows you to proactively develop talent and offer targeted learning opportunities to help employees grow into future roles.

Step 4: Make Information Accessible and Intuitive

Frustration is the enemy of engagement. Ensure employees can easily find the information they need within Workday:

• Personalized Dashboards: Design intuitive dashboards that provide employees with quick access to the information and tasks most relevant to them. Think pay stubs, time-off balances, performance goals, and learning recommendations all in one place.

• Effective Search Functionality: Ensure Workday's search capabilities are optimized so employees can quickly find policies, procedures, and contact information without endless clicking.

• Mobile-First Mindset: In 2025, your employees expect to access information on the go. Ensure Workday's mobile experience is seamless and user-friendly, allowing them to manage tasks and stay connected from anywhere. Mobile access can increase employee engagement by up to 20% (internal Workday data).

• Clear Communication Channels: Utilize Workday notifications and announcements effectively to keep employees informed about important updates, company news, and events. Avoid overwhelming them with unnecessary information – keep it targeted and relevant.

Step 5: Measure, Analyze, and Iterate

Engagement isn't static. It's crucial to continuously measure the impact of your Workday PX initiatives and adapt your strategy accordingly:

• Track Key Engagement Metrics: Utilize Workday's reporting and analytics capabilities to monitor key engagement indicators, such as learning participation rates, recognition activity, pulse survey results, and even turnover rates.

• Analyze Feedback Regularly: Pay close attention to the qualitative feedback you gather through pulse surveys and informal channels. What are employees saying? What are their pain points?

• Iterate and Optimize: Based on your data and feedback, don't be afraid to adjust your Workday PX configurations and initiatives. What's working well? What needs improvement? Continuous improvement is key to sustained engagement.

Ready to Transform Your Employee Experience?

Boosting employee engagement with Workday People Experience is an ongoing journey, not a destination. By focusing on personalization, connection, growth, accessibility, and continuous improvement, you can create a workplace where your people feel valued, connected, and inspired to do their best work.

Take the first step towards a more engaged workforce! Schedule a free consultation with our team to discuss your specific needs and how we can help you unlock the full potential of your investment.

Let's build a more engaged future, together!