As it also happened in previous releases, there are many reasons to make a clear distinction between 2025R1 and previous versions of Workday innovations based on usability, automation, analytics, compliance, and security zones. It is not a mere façade update, as it brings some fundamental changes that reflect in the actual working of HCM and Finance.
The real question is not what exactly Workday has innovated on but rather to what extent your organization’s mettle is to adopt and leverage the change efficiently.
That is why EVOCS Application Managed Services comes into the picture. Unlike most firms that wait for the release to start catching up, we assist you in deriving the full value of the Workday investment for your business by applying our unique Fix, Accomplish, Avoid method.
Here’s what’s getting better or worse and how EVOCS can be of some help to you.
This informational content highlights the key changes made in Workday 2025R1 and what you need to do in response to them. Many great changes are ready and waiting for your implementation in the Workday 2025R1 release, but what are you doing to have them ready and waiting for your organization?
1. Major User Experience Redesign
- As work moves through different stages in Workday, there is evident direction towards better copy, organization, and task completion. The updates include:
- Developed a new but more functional form of the My Tasks page as a set of cards
- New icons and button placements
- All domains or modules incorporated in it: They should be able to provide an acceptable level of the user interface consistency.
What You Need to Do:
- To promote change management and end-user training and supporting activities, the changes need to be organised and facilitated.
- Ensure the feasibility to create customer-designed dashboard and landing pages
- Focus on the fact that the provided accessibility standards should remain consistently applied
How EVOCS Helps:
We apply three key methods to help fix usability gaps, transition end-user workloads to the new UI, and align the UI with business operations. We also modify and benchmark dashboards, refresh power users’ training, and enhance layouts.
2. Manager Insights & Recommendations (MIR)
Manager Insights & Recommendations in Workday enhances AI by providing recommendations in areas of compensation updates, promotions, and retention actions.
What You Need to Do:
- Enable and configure MIR
- Define rules and regulations and set limits on recommendations
- Monitor adoption and performance impact
How EVOCS Helps:
We assist in aligning these insights with your business policies and objectives. To mitigate decision-making bias or failure, we actively monitor for ML fairness and compliance.
3. Absence and Time Tracking Enhancements)
- Improved user experience with Workday’s new Calendar View feature and updates to the Time Entry Experience
- Enhanced validation for time blocks
- Improved mobile experience for hourly employees
What You Need to Do:
- Validate time-tracking rules
- Allocate mobile roles and permissions
- Test across various employee groups
How EVOCS Helps:
We rectify misaligned configurations, optimize user flow in the mobile environment, and eliminate complexities or delays in payroll and compliance through pre-deployment tests.
4. Financial Management Enhancements
Noteworthy upgrades include:
- Journal line review improvements
- Adaptive Planning integration refinements
- Automation for bank statement reconciliations
What You Need to Do:
- Adjust controls for journal approvals
- Ensure integration between Workday and Adaptive feeds, including scheduling changes and tasks
- Test auto-reconciliation for accuracy
How EVOCS Helps:
With the AMS team, finance teams achieve better efficiency by correctly setting up automation, preventing report and approval failures. We ensure seamless integration between HCM and Finance, providing comprehensive support.
5. Increased Audit & Security Focus
The latest 2025R1 release includes fixes for user access reviews, improvements in data governance, and an automated way of creating audit trails.
What You Need to Do:
- Conduct security role audits
- Implement new controls to reduce risks from user access
- Establish record control measures for compliance
How EVOCS Helps:
When taking responsibility for a project, we perform a meticulous examination of the system to identify risks and remove unwanted permissions left behind by previous third parties. We also ensure full compliance, positioning you where the audit is—rather than where it will be.
Why EVOCS? Because You Need More Than Just a Help Desk After a Release
It is not uncommon for most organizations to struggle to maintain normal operations after such releases—especially when internal teams are already overworked. EVOCS provides immediate value through:
Fix
- Rapid issue resolution
- Post-release defect tracking and triage
- Testing automations, integrations, and reports
Accomplish
- Optimization of dashboards and user workflows
- Configuration of new features (AI, automation, analytics)
- Training and documentation for both admins and end users
Avoid
We help prevent downtimes, misconfigurations, and compliance issues by:
- Avoiding wasted monetary resources on ongoing AMS optimization
- Skipping the “getting-to-know” phase with a team already well-versed in Workday
Just to clarify, we are not just providing support—we are optimizing Workday. EVOCS is an integral part of your team, consistently increasing performance, adoption rates, and ROI.
Final Thought: Workday’s Innovation, Fully Realized with EVOCS
Some of the improvements in the 2025R1 release are highly meaningful. However, if your organization is not ready to consume, test, configure, and optimize these changes, you may be leaving more value on the table than a slower-upgrading organization.
Let me introduce EVOCS AMS—a partner that transforms release pressure into a competitive edge. Whether circumstances require reinforcement, optimization of earlier approaches, stakeholder involvement, integration adjustments, or program realignment, we provide immediate Fix-it, Accomplish-ment, and Avoid-ance from day one.
All set to get more out of Workday 2025 R1? Let’s talk.