Issue 10

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. 

Join us for the Workday Expenses Roundtable at 10:00am on Wednesday, December 3. This is your chance to connect directly with subject matter experts from the project team to talk through challenges, ask questions, and share feedback on your Workday Expenses experience. Whether you're struggling with a specific scenario or just want to make sure you're using the system effectively, we'd love to hear from you and help.  

Cost Center Financial Analysts can now use the Qlik platform to quickly access the Budget vs. Actuals report. The new “Workday Journal Lines and Plan Lines” app, available in the Qlik Finance stream, offers both summary and detailed budget review features previously found in the Banner-based "Budget Detail" app. 

If you have any questions or need assistance accessing the app, please submit a ticket in the Workday Support Portal. 

Tip: Make sure students have an I-9 before hiring them in a position. If they do not, make sure they have the necessary documentation here in Williamsburg before hiring them in Workday. Students often need to get their documents from home, and if you have hired them in Workday they will only have three days to complete their I-9. 

Occasionally, attempting to open Workday in more than one browser tab at the same time results in an error. Here are two suggested ways to open Workday in multiple browser tabs that may reduce errors: 

With Banner, we lacked a central directory or organizational charts, but these features are built into Workday by default. You can also upload your photo so it appears in both the directory and org charts, which supports our university's values of belonging and welcoming. 

Here’s how you do it:  

1. Go to Your Profile

Log in to Workday. 

Click your profile icon in the top-right corner. 

Select View Profile. 

2. Open the Photo Settings

On your profile page, click the Actions button  

Go to: Personal Data → Change My Photo 

3. Upload Your New Photo

Click Upload. 

Choose a file from your computer (usually JPG or PNG). 

Adjust the crop if needed. 

4. Submit

Click Submit. 

Workday automatically archives completed inbox tasks for 90 days. If you’re looking for anything older, the Advanced Search feature won’t return results past that window. Instead, use the “View More Processes” report—available to all Workday users—to locate tasks you completed more than 90 days ago. This report provides a full view of your historical activity and is the best way to find older items quickly.

Here’s a list of some of the top errors people receive when submitting expense reports. Ask yourself these questions before you submit: 

1. Did you attach the required calculator form for lodging or business meals? 

2. Did you include the agenda for the conference or training seminar that you attended? 

3. Did you assign the appropriate worktag (Gift, Project, Grant, or Designated) to each expense item? 

4. Did you ensure that Taxi/Uber/Lyft tips and business meal tips do not exceed 20%? 

5. Did you attach the required approval email certification for student and non-W&M affiliate expense reports? 

Bonus: Did you attach the required Acknowledgement and Responsibility form to your Spend Authorization cash advance request? 

By reviewing these questions before submitting, you can help avoid common mistakes and speed up the approval process. 

All international travel - including trips to Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico - must be submitted and approved through a Spend Authorization. When traveling internationally, please select the appropriate business purpose (“International – Conference” or “International – Other”) to ensure your request routes to the Cost Center Manager (Dean/VP level) for approval prior to travel.   

Employees are encouraged to review their current remote work agreements and submit a new request in Workday prior to January 5, 2026, if they wish to continue, maintain or modify their flexible work arrangement. This process replaces the previous remote work agreement that was submitted via DocuSign.  

To access the request, type “Request Flexible Work Arrangement” into the Workday search bar. Be sure to review the help text before filling out the fields and submitting your request. 

Workday’s Flexible Work Arrangement process allows employees to request telework and alternate schedules by submitting a formal request through the Workday system. This request is reviewed and approved by the employee’s manager and University Human Resources to ensure alignment with business needs and policy compliance.  

Key elements of the Workday Flexible Work Agreement include:

We are beginning our first annual security audit, just like we performed with Banner. Leads in the business offices are reviewing role assignments and recommending changes to role definitions and members. You may be contacted about security. We’ll publish all changes in a future edition of the Watch before they go into effect.