Workday training begins for all employees in May, in preparation for Workday go-live in July 2025.
Employees, managers, and administrators have access to a variety of resources to support the transition to Workday, including computer-based training courses, webinars, in-person Workday training, and more. Watch for updates via email and employee newsletters, and explore the resources below.
On this page:
Workday Website from Universities of Wisconsin
New and current employees, managers, and administrators will find support through training, go-live, and beyond on the Workday website from the Universities of Wisconsin. Resources on the website include:
- Workday course catalog
- Curriculum guides
- Job aids
- Glossary
- FAQs
- News and announcements
This website will be updated frequently as new resources become available.
Training Opportunities
All-Employee Training Starts in May
Employee Self Service (ESS) and Manager Self Service (MSS) training for employees begins in May. Employees received instructions on how to access training resources via an email from Patrick Sheehan, UW–Madison chief human resources officer, sent on May 6, 2025.
Employees do not need to enroll to participate in training. Employees will find Workday Fundamentals: Workday for All Employees in their Universities of Wisconsin instance of Canvas. This training will teach employees how to navigate the Workday home page, view and edit information, and learn the difference between My Tasks and Notifications.
UW–Madison is offering a three-part, in-person training series to help employees who do not use a computer in their work learn how to use Workday on a computer and smart phone. Sessions will be held between July 21 and August 8, 2025, for daytime, second, and third shifts. Employees who do not use a computer at work should check with their supervisor or local HR office to attend this important Workday training.
In addition to Workday for All Employees, supervisors and managers will find Workday Fundamentals: Workday for Managers in their Universities of Wisconsin instance of Canvas. This training will review how to use the My Team Management Dashboard, the Time and Scheduling Hub, and more.
Employees who submit or approve expense reports, or use a university-issued credit card, are encouraged to take these two courses:
- Expense Reports and Credit Cards in Workday Part 1
- Expense Reports and Credit Cards in Workday Part 2
These courses are available in the Course Catalog Employee section on the Workday website. Click “Enroll in Course,” and follow the next steps.
Training for Those with Security Roles Continues
Employees with assigned security roles in human resources, finance, and research administration received instructions in March detailing the training they are assigned based on current Workday security roles. In most cases, employees with security roles should complete their required training by June 1, 2025. Training is also required before attending Office Hours or other complementary training opportunities specific to UW–Madison.
Expanded Computer-Based Training Available
Workday computer-based training courses (CBTs) are now open to everyone for self-enrollment, even if an employee was not assigned to take that course based on a security role. The Universities of Wisconsin Workday website now includes a self-enrollment link next to the course description in the course catalog. Employees can click the “Enroll in Course” link in each course listing to complete the enrollment in Canvas (no approval or review is required).
Employees are encouraged to complete assigned training courses before self-enrolling in additional training.
Visit the Workday course catalog
Training Environment Now Open to Users
The Workday Training Tenant is available. All users can log in with UW credentials. This training environment can be used in conjunction with the computer-based training courses (CBTs), webinars, and/or in-person Workday training. Only human resources, finance, and research administration professionals with the appropriate security roles will have access to advanced functions; general users will have access to Employee Self Service (ESS) / Manager Self Service (MSS) functions.
Employees hired after February 22 will not be converted into Workday until go-live; there are guest accounts available at select training courses for these employees.
Please note that some training courses, especially those in the finance area, have preloaded sample transactions that will be critical for upcoming training sessions. If you are using the Workday Training Tenant, please add your own data to review Workday functionality – existing data should not be altered in any way.
First Look at Workday
A variety of resources are available to help you prepare for the transition to Workday. All UW–Madison employees are encouraged to explore these resources.
Please note these resources are not formal training.
Employee and Manager Digital Shorts Series
The ATP Project Team held a series of User Experience (UXT) Preview events. Change champions who attended the event share what they learned in this digital shorts series.
The UXT Digital Shorts Series provides on-demand videos that showcase Workday features, changes specific to UW–Madison, and learning resources for managers and employees. Topics include how to request absences, notification and task screens, search function and home page overview, and more. The digital shorts run two to five minutes in length.
Please note that the UXT digital shorts are not Workday training and are a preview of Workday based on the date of recording. Content is subject to change.
View UXT Digital Shorts Series
What Workday Means for You
You can explore a range of resources designed to prepare you for Workday training, including key concepts, benefits, and high-level changes that will come with the new system. These resources are not training, but they do give you a sneak peek at the Workday tool.
Resources are organized by role and are available for employees, faculty, managers, finance administrators, human resource administrators, and research administrators.