Workday Gives You Many Fields. The Question Is: Which Ones Matter?
One of the first surprises for new Workday project teams is just how many fields are available in the system. For almost any object—workers, positions, jobs, organizations, transactions—Workday provides a large set of standard fields plus the option to add custom ones. It can feel like standing in front of a giant buffet: everything looks useful, and it is tempting to take a bit of everything.
But in daily use, the opposite is true. HR and Finance users do not want every possible field. They want the right fields, in the right places, with clear labels and obvious value. When every screen is full of optional fields that no one understands, Workday starts to feel heavy and complicated instead of helpful.
The Risk of “Collect Everything” Thinking
During implementation, it is common for project teams to hear requests like:
- “Let’s capture this field, we might need it later.”
- “Legal might ask for this data one day.”
- “Our legacy system had this field, so we should bring it over.”
Individually, each request sounds reasonable. Together, they create:
- Crowded data entry pages where users scroll past dozens of fields they never touch.
- Inconsistent data because some fields are optional and rarely filled in correctly.
- Confusing reports that include fields no one knows how to interpret or trust.
Instead of being a clean, focused system, Workday becomes a mirror of every “just in case” decision made during implementation.
A Better Question: What Decisions Will This Field Support?
A more effective way to choose which fields to use is to start from decisions, not from the system’s capabilities. For each field you are considering, ask:
- Which business decision does this field help us make?
- Who will use this data, and how often?
- What happens if we do not capture it?
- Can we get this information from another trusted source instead?
If a field does not clearly support a decision, a process, or a legal requirement, you should question whether it is worth adding to every screen, task, and report.
Designing Workday Pages for Real Users
Remember that most HR and Finance users interact with Workday through specific tasks and pages, not through configuration screens. Page layout, field order, and visual clarity matter as much as which fields are technically available.
When designing pages:
- Prioritize essential fields at the top.
Make sure the fields that must be filled in for a process to work are clearly visible and easy to understand. - Group related fields together.
Keep job-related fields, compensation fields, and organizational fields grouped so they make sense in context. - Hide or collapse rarely used fields.
If a field is only relevant in special cases, consider collapsing it into an expandable section or removing it from most users’ view. - Use clear labels and help text.
If a field is not self-explanatory, add short help text that describes when and how it should be used.
The goal is to make Workday tasks feel quick and focused, not like filling out endless forms.
Balancing Standard and Custom Fields
Workday standard fields cover a wide range of typical HR and Finance needs. However, every organization has unique data requirements, which is where custom fields come in. The danger is adding custom fields for every request without thinking about long-term maintenance.
To balance standard and custom fields:
- Use standard fields whenever they reasonably fit.
Standard fields are more likely to be supported in delivered reports, updates, and integrations. - Create custom fields only when there is a clear, ongoing use case.
For example, tracking a specific internal classification that truly matters for reporting or compliance. - Review custom fields regularly.
Remove or retire fields that are no longer used or that have been replaced by better structures.
This reduces clutter and helps keep your data model understandable for both current and future admins.
Field Governance: Small Rules, Big Impact
You do not need a complex governance framework to manage fields effectively. A few simple rules can dramatically improve your Workday experience:
- Approval for new fields.
Require a short justification (what decision it supports, who will use it) before adding new custom fields. - Clear ownership.
Assign an owner for important fields, especially those that drive reporting and compliance. - Standards for naming and help text.
Use consistent naming patterns and simple language so users can quickly understand what each field means. - Periodic cleanup.
Schedule regular reviews to identify fields that are unused or duplicated and decide whether to hide, retire, or consolidate them.
These practices turn field management from a one-time implementation activity into an ongoing, controlled process.
Helping HR and Finance See the Value in Fields
Fields are not just boxes to fill in; they are commitments of time and attention from HR, Finance, and other business users. To get buy-in, show them how fields connect to outcomes they care about:
- Better headcount or cost reports.
- Faster approvals and fewer errors.
- More reliable analytics for planning and budgeting.
- Easier compliance and audit reporting.
When users understand why a field exists and how it is used, they are more likely to enter accurate data and less likely to complain about “yet another thing to fill in.”
Simplifying Workday by Designing Fields Intentionally
Workday’s flexibility is powerful, but without intentional design, that flexibility can become noise. Instead of asking, “How many fields does Workday give us?” the better questions are:
- Which fields do our HR and Finance teams actually need on screen?
- Which fields support critical decisions and reporting?
- How can we keep pages clean, consistent, and easy to use?
By choosing, designing, and governing fields carefully, you turn Workday from a complex data collection tool into a clear, focused system that truly supports your people and processes. That is a key part of simplifying Workday for HR and Finance.
