Workday Role - Training Guides

In Workday, roles are a collection of permissions that define what a user can see and do in the system. Roles are assigned to users based on their job responsibilities and are used to determine what tasks they can perform in Workday. This page overviews the roles available in Workday and provides a Quick Reference Guide (QRG) to the most used tip sheets by role.

For a complete list of roles, see the following guides:

• Workday Departmental Security Roles 
• Workday Departmental Security Roles: Financial Roles
• Workday Departmental Security Roles: Grants and Awards

Quick Links: 

Manager - Cost Center Manager - Grant Manager - Financial Analyst - HCM Business Manager

HCM Business Assistant with Compensation - HCM Business Assistant without Compensation

Manager

The Workday Manager role applies to anyone in the supervisory organization who has one or more positions reporting to them. The Manager security includes a wide range of business processes related to the management of their team including initiation of personnel requisitions, recruitment, hiring, onboarding, performance management, time off approvals, etc. Managers are also the first approvers for some financial transactions such as expense reports, Pcard and T&E card transactions.

Cost Center Manager

This role is responsible for approving and managing all financial transactions for a cost center. Financial transactions include payroll costing allocations, purchase requisitions, Pcard and T&E card transactions, and more. Some transactions may require additional approval based on grant, gift or project status or dollar amount. Workday will automatically route financial transactions based on their attributes. Only one approval is necessary if an individual holds multiple approval roles within a transaction’s workflow.

Grant Manager

This role is the primary manager for assigned grants. Responsible for budgeting, variance analysis, purchasing, and sponsor reporting. Typically assigned to administrative personnel. Access to grant spend analytics. Approval authority for financial business processes. SCM Approvals: Purchase requisitions, purchase orders, change orders, expense reports, misc. payments and supplier invoices. HCM Approvals: Effort Certification and Payroll Accounting Adjustments. Accounting Approvals: Accounting Adjustments and Manual JEs Accounting Submissions: Grant Budgets

Financial Analyst

This role performs financial reporting functions for assigned cost centers or cost center hierarchies. Examples include financial statements and spend analytics. No approval authority. To view employee-level details on payroll journals, role must include 'with payroll details.'

HCM Business Manager

This role has the ability to view and approve HR processes on behalf of managers. The role is an approving authority as the role is included on manager’s review/approval steps to support inbox actions on behalf of managers. This role also includes the ability to review/approve/action steps where the manager or manager’s manager has a step. Tasks go to the inbox of both the Manager and the HCM Business Manager. Once either individual acts, it is removed from both inboxes. This role can be assigned across supervisory organizations and inherit down.

HCM Business Assistant with Compensation

This role has the ability to initiate and view HR processes on behalf of managers, including compensation processes. This role is included on action steps to support inbox actions on behalf of managers.

HCM Business Assistant without Compensation

This role has the ability to initiate and view HR processes on behalf of managers, excluding compensation processes, and is included on action steps to support inbox actions on behalf of managers.