Supporting Workday in a 200-person company is vastly different from supporting it in a 200,000-person company—and if you’re not ready for that shift, it can overwhelm even seasoned professionals. In a recent conversation with Steve Atnip, a longtime Workday leader and consultant, we explored the changes that occur when scaling—and why mindset and process are just as necessary as configuration.

Here are a few key takeaways from our conversation:

1. Tenant Size Changes Everything

In large organizations, reporting isn’t just about building the right calculated field—it’s about understanding system load, dashboard timeout thresholds, and the timing of report execution. Auto-loaded dashboards can just show a blank screen. Indexed data may lag. And yes, you may need to coordinate large-volume events with Workday weeks in advance to avoid disruption.

Recommendation: Treat tenant hygiene and report optimization as core responsibilities. Don’t just use “share with all authorized users” on reports without intent. It creates noise and adds system strain.

2. Broad Knowledge vs. Deep Expertise

Smaller companies need Workday generalists. Larger ones need module-level specialists. Steve noted that moving between company sizes can be jarring, not just in terms of access and process, but also in mindset.

Recommendation: If you’re transitioning between company sizes, pause and recalibrate your approach. Know whether you’re expected to own a module or span the whole system. Both require different strengths.

3. Performance Reviews Are Often Broken

Steve dropped a line I haven’t stopped thinking about: “If your performance ratings exist only to justify compensation decisions, you’re not doing performance management — you’re doing compensation justification.”

Too many organizations treat appraisals as a checkbox or a workaround. That leaves employees confused, unmotivated, or ready to leave.

Recommendation: Decouple performance and compensation whenever possible. Reconnect reviews to your company’s actual strategy. Ensure managers are equipped to have genuine conversations, not just enter ratings into a system.

4. Managers Need More Support

The performance review process often falls apart at the manager level — not because people don’t care, but because they haven’t been trained on how to deliver feedback, navigate tough conversations, or explain the “why” behind a rating.

Recommendation: If you’re in HR or a leadership role, prioritize coaching your managers, not just on how to complete the form in Workday, but how to lead the conversation. And if you’re a manager who feels under-equipped, ask for help or start learning on your own. Your team deserves it.

5. Managerial Courage Is a Game-Changer

Giving honest feedback, owning mistakes, and admitting when you’ve failed to support your team. All of that takes courage. But it’s also what earns long-term respect.

Recommendation: Create a culture where it’s safe to fail and safe to tell the truth. That starts with emotionally intelligent leaders who model humility and clear communication.

If you work in the Workday ecosystem, whether as a consultant, admin, or manager, these are the conversations worth having. Tools like Workday are powerful, but only when they’re grounded in clarity, strategy, and human-centered leadership.