Workday security can either be your best ally or your biggest blocker. Done well, it protects sensitive worker data end‑to‑end while giving HR and managers everything they need to do their jobs. Done poorly, it leads to “access denied” screens, shadow spreadsheets and risky workarounds. Designing hire‑to‑retire security means aligning Role‑Based Security, Domain Security and Business Process Security with each stage of the employee lifecycle.
This playbook covers how to structure security groups and domains so you protect data without blocking HR.
Understand the Workday security building blocks
Before designing anything, get clear on the main Workday security components:
- Security Groups – collections of users that share permissions. Common types:
- Role‑Based Security Groups (RBSGs) – tied to roles like HR Partner, Manager, Payroll Admin.
- User‑Based Security Groups – assigned directly to specific people (often admins).
- Segment‑Based / Dynamic Groups – driven by attributes such as Company or Location.
- Domain Security Policies – control access (view, modify, report, integration) to data in domains (for example, Worker Data: Personal, Worker Data: Compensation).
- Business Process Security Policies – control who can initiate, approve, review or cancel steps in Business Processes like Hire, Change Job, Terminate.
At a high level:
- Domains protect what data you can see or change.
- Business Process policies protect what actions you can take.
- Security Groups are who gets those rights.
Design hire‑to‑retire roles first, not screens
Start with lifecycle stages, not menu items. A typical hire‑to‑retire journey includes: Recruit → Hire → Onboard → Move/Promote → Leave/Return → Terminate → Post‑termination updates.
Map key roles across that journey:
- Recruiter / Talent Partner – owns candidate and requisition data.
- HR Partner / HRBP – owns core worker data, local policies, lifecycle changes.
- Manager – manages team data and approvals.
- Payroll / Benefits / Time / Absence Admins – own their functional data and processes.
- IT / Identity / Security admins – consume worker data for provisioning and access.
Then design Role‑Based Security Groups that align to these real‑world roles, not to individuals. For example:
- “HR Partner – Country A”
- “Recruiter – Global”
- “Manager” (delivered)
- “Payroll Admin – US”, “Benefits Admin – EU”
Each role should have a clear purpose and defined scope (global vs regional).
Domain security: protect the right slices of worker data
Workday ships with many domains such as Worker Data: Personal, Worker Data: Compensation, Worker Data: Benefits, Worker Data: Time Off, and more.
Good domain design practices:
- Apply the principle of least privilege: give each security group only the View or Modify access actually needed.
- Example: HR Partners may view and update most worker data in their region, but not global tenant‑wide comp or audit logs.
- Managers see limited worker data for their direct and indirect reports, not for all workers.
- Use separation of duties:
- Keep Payroll Admin and Compensation Admin rights distinct where compliance demands it.
- Avoid “super‑roles” that can see everything unless strictly necessary (for example, HCM Admin).
- Remember reports and integrations use domains too. If a security group can view a domain, they can also see that data via reports or downstream integrations.
From a hire‑to‑retire perspective, your domain policies should answer:
- What personal data can managers see at different points (e.g., emergency contacts, home address)?
- What comp data can HR, managers and employees see (current, history, others’ pay)?
- Who can view or update sensitive data like national IDs, bank accounts or medical details?
Business process security: keep workflows flowing
Even if domain access is correct, users can still be blocked if Business Process Security Policies are misaligned.
Key concepts:
- Initiating Security Groups – who can start a process like Hire, Change Job, Propose Compensation, Terminate.
- Approval / Review / FYI Steps – which security groups approve or are notified at each step.
Best practices:
- Avoid having more than a handful of Initiating Security Groups per business process; too many initiators is a sign of poor design.
- Keep approval chains clear and role‑based: for example, Manager → HR Partner → Compensation Partner for promotions involving pay.
- Use conditions for steps that only apply in certain countries or scenarios instead of creating multiple parallel processes.
A hire‑to‑retire journey should feel seamless:
- Recruiters can open and move candidates through requisitions.
- HR can complete hires and changes without raising tickets for extra permissions.
- Managers can initiate changes they are responsible for, like transfers or time off approvals.
If users are constantly blocked at steps, review your Business Process security alongside domains.
Lifecycle‑aligned security patterns
Security must adapt as workers move through stages. A few patterns:
- Pre‑hire / Candidate
- Limit access to candidate PII to Recruiters and HR; managers see only what they need for selection.
- Use domains like Pre‑Hire Data and recruiting‑specific security groups.
- Hire / Onboarding
- Active employment
- Managers see team data (job, comp summary where appropriate, time / absence, performance) but not full sensitive details.
- HR sees full worker profiles within their scope (region/company).
- Leave / LOA
- Termination and post‑termination
- Managers may lose access to full details after termination while HR retains access for compliance and audit.
- IT / Identity integrations must de‑provision system access based on worker status changes.
This lifecycle view ensures you do not accidentally leave ex‑managers with access to former employees’ data or block HR from maintaining records after terminations.
Monitoring, audits and continuous tuning
Security is not “set and forget”. Regular reviews catch drift and excessive access.
Key practices:
- Quarterly or semi‑annual security reviews
- Review high‑privilege security groups: who is in them, what domains they can access.
- Check for user‑based assignments that should be role‑based instead.
- Access certification and SoD reviews
- Validate that admin roles (HCM Admin, Payroll Admin, Integration System User) are restricted and still required.
- Check segregation of duties, especially where finance and HR data intersect.
- Logging and anomaly detection
- Use Workday’s audit logs plus external security tools where appropriate to monitor unusual access patterns.
Align these reviews with changes in your org structure, compliance obligations and new module rollouts.
Keeping HR unblocked while staying secure
The goal is not maximum restriction; it is the right restriction. To keep HR productive:
- Design HR Partner roles that are powerful within a scoped region or company, not globally unrestricted.
- Use delegations and backup roles so vacations or absences do not stall business processes.
- Train HR and managers on “what you can see and why” to reduce confusion and tickets.
When HR trusts that Workday security is intentional and consistent, they stop asking for “admin everywhere” and start using the system within designed guardrails.
Done right, hire‑to‑retire security in Workday feels invisible to end users: people simply see the right data, at the right time, for the right reasons. Under the hood, well‑designed Role‑Based Security Groups, Domain Security Policies and Business Process Security protect worker data while keeping HR and managers moving.
