Issue 6

Welcome to Workday Watch—a resource designed to keep you informed with timely updates and helpful insights. Each edition is shaped by the questions and feedback we receive through the Workday Support Portal. Whether you’re navigating new processes or seeking clarity on recent changes, Workday Watch aims to provide the guidance you need, when you need it most. 

Dear colleagues, 

We want to take a moment to acknowledge the remarkable effort and resilience each of you has shown since our Workday launch. We know this transition has brought new challenges and frustrations around learning a new system and processes while managing your essential responsibilities and outcomes. The stabilization period is not easy, and we recognize it will take time and patience before we reach a steady operational rhythm. 

To our supervisors and managers, please recognize the extraordinary lift this has placed on your teams, especially our dedicated administrative staff. Please offer grace and understanding. Many tasks that once felt routine now require extra steps and new learning. This is a natural part of change, and it is something we are all experiencing together. 

Tickets remain the best way to report challenges – whether with individual or job function questions. A dedicated team continues to review incoming tickets and send them to the designated functional areas. Some are easy to resolve, and others take time to thoughtfully address. Information on the ticketing system and other Workday resources can be found in the Workday Support Portal. For easy access and transparency into the issues the team is working through, we have published a centralized issue log on the Workday Launch website. The Workday change management team will also be holding roundtable discussions with academic and administrative units in the near future. 

Thank you for your perseverance, commitment and dedication. 

Mike Todd 
Executive Vice President for Finance & Administration 

Ed Aractingi 
Chief Information Officer 

The change management team will be holding roundtable discussions with stakeholders from across campus. These discussions provide a forum for communicating present challenges, addressing priorities to ensure our efforts align with your key concerns, and facilitating constructive two-way dialogue. Our first stops are listed below. Don’t see your department on the list? Email us at workdayproject@wm.edu to request a visit. Sessions can be held in person or virtually, depending on what works best for your team. We look forward to hearing your questions, feedback and insights as we continue this journey together. 
 
Coming soon:  

The payroll processing calendar deadlines for employee transactions remain unchanged. Departments must have fully approved transactions due to UHR / Student Employment by the start of the pay period, in general. 

 Please refer to Payroll's processing calendar for specific pay period deadlines.  

Payslips have been updated to show a detailed earnings breakdown with hours and rates for each pay type to provide more transparency. 

To view your payslip: 

Updated Travel Exception Calculator Forms for Lodging and Business Meals 

Please use the Updated Travel Exception Calculator Forms for Lodging and Business Meals, available on the Workday launch site. Delete old versions and save the new forms with a revised date of 8/22/25 (bottom right corner). 

Cash Advance Requests 

Please anticipate longer processing times as the Trave Office adjusts to the new system.  The auditing process now requires additional steps, documentation and review.  The team is comprised of only two members, so the previous reimbursement turnaround of 2–3 days cannot be maintained. You may track your expense reports under Business Process or Process History in Workday.  If the status shows “Awaiting action from Expense Partner,” your report is in the Travel Office queue, waiting for audit and approval.   

Please do not contact the Travel Office unless your report has been in process for more than 10 business days from the submit date. 

A new streamlined process is now available in Workday for requesting the creation of a supervisory organization—no need to submit a support ticket. 

 This request should be used for individuals in management roles with direct reports who do not currently have a supervisory organization assigned. 

To submit a request: 

With the implementation of Workday, the schedule for monthly close activities has been adjusted. These tasks will now occur from September 25th through September 30th. The following deadlines and cut-offs apply: 

Accounting journals require approval by Tuesday, September 30 at noon; otherwise, Data Control will cancel entries that could prevent the period from closing. This applies only to in-progress journals with accounting dates between September 1 and September 30. Departments should enter all accounting journals by the end of business on Thursday, September 25, to facilitate timely approvals. Cancelled accounting journals may be copied and resubmitted in the next available accounting period.