Getting Started for Employees
Reference Guide
This reference guide provides an overview of common Employee Self-Service functionality in Workday, such as how to view and perform tasks in your profile and familiarizing yourself with your home page applications. It follows the format of our Employee Self-Service in Workday eLearning.
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Workday Overview
Workday is a global system that is used across WashU. It is a cloud-based system and can be accessed on any internet enabled device. At WashU, Workday is used for Financial Management, Human Capital Management, and Student Information Management. It is the source system to retrieve employee job-related information as well as financial information and student information.
Logging into Workday
To log into Workday, follow the instructions below:
- Enter your WashU key credentials.
- Click the Login button.
- If this is your first time logging into your WashU key, you will also need to setup your WashU 2FA identity verification. Learn how to set up WashU 2FA.
- Choose an authentication method from the following:
- Duo Push: You will receive a Push Notification on your registered mobile number.
- Call Me: You will receive an authentication call.
- Passcode: You will receive a Passcode on your registered mobile number, and you need to enter the Passcode to proceed.
- Verify your identity based on the method selected.
- This directs you to another screen that displays two options: Remember Device or Skip. Click Remember Device and Submit.

You should now be successfully logged into Workday.
For information about logging into mobile, please reference the Mobile Setup for Workday reference guide.
Workday Global Header
The Global Header is the section at the very top of the page, and is present on all screens throughout Workday to allow you to quickly access functionality from anywhere in the system.
| Element Name | Description | Icon |
|---|---|---|
| Global Navigation Menu | Displays a list of up to 20 applications and up to 10 shortcuts that you define. | |
| Home | The WashU shield redirects you to the Home page from any page in Workday. | ![]() |
| Search | A field that enables you to find tasks, reports, and people within the organization. Suggestions will appear below the field as you type, or you can press Enter or select the Search icon to see all results. | ![]() |
| Notifications | The notifications area contains information such as actions submitted or items successfully completed in Workday which do not require any further actions in Workday. | ![]() |
| My Tasks | My Tasks is an important navigation feature which contains actionable items related to your role in Workday. | ![]() |
| Profile | Your Workday profile contains a link to your worker information under categories like job, education, compensation, benefits, contact information and organizational structure. It is also where you can manage some system preferences like notifications and your default My Tasks filter. If you upload a picture into Workday, you will see that instead of the icon. | ![]() |
Applications
Applications provide quick access to common tasks and reports. They appear as Apps on the Global Navigation menu and in the Your Top Apps section of the Home page, and represent different collections of tasks that you can perform in Workday. Refer to the Workday Applications reference guide for more information about applications.
Common Applications
These common applications allow you to easily initiate Employee Self-Service tasks or view information.
Personal Information
On the left, you will find menu options that will allow you to update personal information for yourself, such as your Contact Information, Personal Information, and Emergency Contacts.
On the right, you will be able to select from a menu listing information that is on file for you in Workday. By clicking on the About Me option, you will be taken to your worker profile where you can view the different facets of your worker profile. These include job details, compensation information, and benefits information.

Absence
Workday displays your time off balances directly within the application.

You can request an absence or time off using this application. When you click on Request Absence, Workday will take you to your Absence Calendar which is where you can Request an Absence , such as vacation or sick time, for the future. Absence Requests route to your manager and your department’s timekeeper for approval.

For more information about requesting time off, please complete the Time Off in Workday for Employees eLearning. For step by step instructions, refer to the Request and Manage Absence for Yourself tutorial.
For information on requesting extended leaves of absence, refer to the Leaves of Absence reference guide.
Jobs Hub

The Jobs Hub provides a dashboard view of reports and actions available to internal candidates. See a summary of key features below:
- Key Features
- The Recently Added Jobs section displays recent job postings
- Find Jobs displays all open job requisitions
- My Applications provides access to both active and inactive applications and any tasks awaiting action from you
- The new Suggested Links section provides direct access to the Skills and Experience report that can be updated prior to applying.
For step by step instructions, refer to the Apply to Internal Job Posting tutorial.
Benefits and Pay
The Benefits and Pay hub provides a dashboard view of reports and actions related to pay, benefits and compensation.
Key Features
- View your Payslips
- Update your Withholding Elections or your Payment Elections, otherwise known as direct deposit information for regular payments (payroll) and expense payments.
- View your tax documents, such as your W-2
For benefits eligible employees, you will have access to the following tasks and reports.
- View your current benefit elections
- Update benefits elections due to life events
- Update beneficiaries
For questions on updating your benefits, contact the WashU Benefits Team.

Time
The Time application is where you can find the web clock.
This application will only appear for workers who are hourly. You can check-in and check-out here if you are an hourly worker.

For workers who currently use a physical time clock, the process for clocking in and out will not change for you.
For a more detailed overview of Time Entry for hourly workers, please complete the Time Tracking for Employees in Workday eLearning. Refer to the Enter Time tutorial for step-by-step instructions.
Expenses
Within this application, you can access the Create Expense Report and the Create Spend Authorization tasks to create your own expense report or spend authorization.

You can also view your Recent Expense Reports at the bottom of the page. To view your additional Expense Reports, click on the Expense Reports item under the View section. From here, you can filter on status and a date range to see your Expense Reports that meet those criteria.

Refer to the Create Expense Report tutorial for step-by-step instructions to create an expense report.
Requests
The Request functionality in Workday allows users to submit requests that are specific to WashU processes and your security role in Workday. On the right side, you can find a list of request types that are available to you. Some common examples of requests are a Card Limit Change, Dependent Tuition Documentation, and Supplier Change/New Supplier. Please note that requests will route for approval. To create a request, select the Create Request option on the left side of the application.

For more details on creating specific requests, please search this website using the keywords “create request.”
Workday Home Page Sections
The Workday Home page is designed to surface information and provide access to tasks that matter to you in the moment that you need them. The Home page consists of the following sections that will vary based on your personal configuration settings as well as what is happening in Workday and at WashU.
Home Page Layout

Global Navigation: Displays a list of up to 20 apps and My Shortcuts. Present on all Workday pages
Awaiting Your Action: Displays up to 3 of the most recent My Tasks items
Your Team: Visible only when it contains relevant information. Displays cards with timely and relevant information about direct reports or co-workers
Timely Suggestions: Displays cards with timely and relevant information for the worker
My Shortcuts: My Shortcuts has been moved from the header to the Global Navigation menu
Quick Tasks: Personalized tasks display for each user
Your Top Apps: Defaults to first four applications in alphabetical order. You can re-order these using the Global Navigation menu
View All Apps: Opens Global Navigation menu
Announcements: Important information that may need your attention. Click View More Announcements to view more than three.
Awaiting Your Action
The “Awaiting Your Action” section displays up to three of your most recent My Tasks items. Click on any item to bring up the full task. Refer to the Workflow Management reference guide for more information about My Tasks.

Your Team
This section is visible when it has relevant information about managers’ direct reports and other supported individuals in Workday.
Examples of cards that may appear in this section, along with when they appear and for whom, are listed below.
| Card | Description | Visible to | Click to Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unapproved Time – Review Time | Displays when you have unapproved time for a report in the current pay period | Direct Manager Timekeeper | Review My Team’s Time |
| Upcoming Team Absences | Displays when a team member has approved time off or leave of absence within the next 30 days | Absence Partner Departmental HR Partner Manager | List of Workers |
| Upcoming Team Anniversaries | Displays Sunday 2 weeks before the anniversary through the Saturday after. | Manager | Send an Email to Worker |
| Upcoming Team Birthdays | Displays Sunday 2 weeks before the birthday through the Saturday after. Displays only the month and day. | Manager | Send an Email to Worker |
Timely Suggestions
This section displays cards with timely and relevant information tailored to you depending on your upcoming tasks and activities in Workday. Examples of cards that may appear in this section, along with when they appear, are listed below.
| Card | Description | Click to Access |
|---|---|---|
| Add Credit Card Transactions to Expense Report | Displays for workers who have credit card transactions that haven’t been added to an expense report | Create Expense Report |
| Change My Emergency Contacts | Displays during promotional periods | Change My Emergency Contacts |
| Change My Home Contact Information | Displays during promotional periods | Change My Home Contact Information |
| Check In | Always displays for hourly workers | Check In |
| Check Out | Always displays for hourly workers | Check Out |
| Evidence of Insurability Reminder | Displays for workers who have submitted benefit elections within the last 30 days that are awaiting evidence of insurability | Complete Your Evidence of Insurability |
| Expiring Certifications | Displays for workers who have a certification in Workday that have expired or will expire 10 days before or after today’s date | Edit Certification |
| Payslips | Displays for workers who have a payslip available to view through 4 days after the pay date | My Payslips |
| Upcoming Time Off | Displays for workers who have approved time off within the next 30 days | Absence Calendar |
| View Available W-2’s | Displays for workers when W-2s are first available through April 15 | View My Tax Documents |
| View Available W-2C’s | Displays for workers when W-2Cs are first available through April 15 | View My Tax Documents |
| View Requisition Cart | Displays for workers who have started a requisition but have not checked out | View Cart |
Quick Tasks
This section displays tasks that are personalized to each user. Workday will learn the tasks that you perform most frequently and display them here. It can take up to three weeks for the tasks you use most to be displayed.

Your Top Apps
This section displays the top four applications in your Global Navigation menu. By default these are in alphabetical order, but you can change which applications display by re-ordering them. Refer to the Configure Global Navigation and Your Top Apps Tutorial for instructions.

View Information and Perform Tasks in Your Profile
Your profile has user information like your job-related details, contact information, organizational structure, compensation, and more. Follow the instructions to view information and perform certain tasks through your Workday Profile.
Find Your Profile
Find your Profile icon at the top right-hand corner of the screen. The Profile icon will appear as a generic icon unless you change your profile photo.
To find your profile, follow the instructions below:
- Click the Profile icon for a drop-down menu to appear.
- Click the View Profile button to open your full profile.

View Your Profile
- The sidebar is used to view categories of profile information, such as Job, Compensation, and Benefits. When you click a category, you will see tabs on the top of the screen, these tabs provide additional information for each category.
- Some employees at WashU hold multiple positions. Click the icon with two arrows below the employee name to switch between the positions. Select the alternate role to view information on each position.

Perform Tasks and View Details
- Click the Actions button to initiate tasks and view details. The Actions button is also used to take actions available based on the security access assigned to you.
- Each action allows you to preview, create or change information.
Locate your Organizational Chart
- Click the Team icon to view your organizational chart (Supervisory Organization). This includes information about your team, HR support and position higher up in the hierarchy with their teams.
- To export the organizational chart, click the Print icon in the top right corner.
- In the Print Org Chart window, complete the File Name, File Format (Excel, PowerPoint or PDF), and Levels fields. To include pictures, click the Include Pictures checkbox.
- Click Print to download the file.
- To view additional jobs or supervisory organizations, select the Information icon next to the employee’s name.
- A pop-out of Organizations of Last, First will appear right with information of who they are Manager of and Member of.
- Select the Team icon to view the Org Chart; select the Org name to view the Supervisory Organization.



Workday Features
Workday also offers some additional features like the Search bar, Links for business objects, Related Actions, Favorites, and others for your convenience.
Search bar
- The Search bar is the most used method to find people, tasks, and reports in Workday. All potential matches will appear below the Search bar as keywords are typed.
- Note: Searches find exact matches and you will likely not see any results in case of an incorrect spelling.
- The Search Results page will vary slightly depending on if you are in Simplified Search or Classic Search view. There is an option to change your search results view by turning on or off the Simplified Search toggle.
- Simplified Search view includes a categories section at the top with default categories that you can configure. Use the All Categories dropdown to see additional categories and the Edit Category Preferences to configure your search.
- Classic Search view includes a Saved Categories section on the left with default categories that you can configure. Use the More Categories to see additional categories or configure your search.
- Use the View Search Tips button on either view for tips for better ways to search
- Refer to the Configure Search tutorial for step-by-step instructions to change your saved search categories or the order in which results categories appear.
- You can use shorter terms to find more matches; and use longer search terms to improve the accuracy and reduce the time to return results.
- Search prefixes are used to restrict the search results to a specific Workday object. They are lowercase letters followed by a colon (:). To see a list of all search prefixes available to you, enter a question mark (?) in the Search bar.
- Use Contextual Search Categories to filter search results based on category. Click into the Search bar. Prior to typing text into the Search bar, you can indicate what category you are searching for by clicking an option under the I’m looking for… section.
- For example, click the People option when searching for a person by name.

Links and Related Actions in Workday
- In Workday, a Link is an object found in blue font that is clickable. The Link allows you to go to that object and access more information about that object depending on your security roles.
- The Related Actions button is a clickable icon that allows you to perform additional actions on a person or object. Clicking the Related Actions icon will show various actions you can perform on a person or object. It can also show a list of reports related to an object based on your role and security permissions. Find the Related Actions icon typically next to hyperlinked text. The icon will display as grey initially and turns blue when a cursor hovers over it.


Favorites
This option allows you to add tasks, reports, and business objects (Cost Centers, Employees, Organizations) that you access frequently to Favorites on the Workday Home page.
Refer to the Manage Favorites in Workday tutorial for instructions to add your most frequently used tasks, reports, and business objects to your Favorites application.
Related Resources
- Visit WashU’s Data intelligence platform Collibra to better understand and more effectively use WashU data
Need more help?

Request Support
If you need additional help, report an issue, or request services, call 314-935-WDAY or submit a ticket in ServiceNow.

Training
There is a variety of training available to you, whether for self-service functions or assigned based on your role.

Tips & Tricks
Visit Tips & Tricks for quick tips from the Workday Support Team and other WashU community members.






