As of August 8th, 470 New features were delivered, 23 born from Community Ideas, and many supercharged by Workday Illuminate, the next generation of Workday AI. And here’s the kicker, so many of these features are debuting in fresh “hubs” designed to centralize, simplify, and supercharge your Workday experience. R2 Release notes are now available!
The Workday 2025 Release 2 (R2) introduces exciting new features and enhancements from long awaited Community ideas to new AI/ML capabilities to help improve productivity, streamline processes, and offer better user experiences.
From the Revenue Hub to the Job Architecture Hub, the Analytics & Reporting Hub to the Student Configuration Hub, R2 is basically turning Workday into your ultimate productivity HQ. Sprinkle in some smart AI moves like generating Workday Help articles for healthcare plans or offering AI-powered Payroll Accounting prompt recommendations, and you’ve got a release that’s more than keeping pace, it’s setting the tempo.
But we get it—whether you’ve been live for years or just launched Workday, a release this packed can feel like drinking from the firehose. That’s why The Groove is here—to help you cut through the noise, prioritize what matters, and roll out new features without the chaos.
Stay tuned for our upcoming Release Webinar(s) where our team will showcase some of the top feature sets and you will have a chance to connect in an engaging format.
To ensure a smooth transition and leverage the full potential of this release, follow the steps outlined below.
A smooth transition through preview, testing, and production starts with understanding the release schedule. Review key dates, add them to your calendar, and plan ahead to keep the process stress-free.
Bookmark the Workday Release Center in Community—your go-to hub for everything related to the update. This central resource provides the release timeline, essential tools to stay ahead, details on targeted features, their impact and benefits, and guidance on deploying them effectively to maximize your Workday investment.
What’s coming? While Workday updates weekly to stay current, major feature releases follow a different schedule. On the Release center, navigate to the Release Notes section to dive in!
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How you test and what you test will be unique to your organization. A smaller organization may need to do things much differently than a large, highly regulated industry.
Consider the resources and SME’s that can support the broader testing effort in the limited timeframe available to regression test. Make sure you assign responsibilities to different team members aligned with their roles and processes. Keep in mind, it can be done very effectively with lean teams.
As many recognize, there is the “power of one” Workday Customer Community, and the broader testing efforts that organizations are going through.
However, one question I’ve posed for years is: What critical function—whether a business process, integration, Extend app, or dashboard—that are mission critical and can’t wait for a Workday fix in a weekly patch and do not have viable workarounds? Although this can be a minimal impact event, it’s important to spend the time categorizing these impacts especially for lean internal teams. For example, the Hire BP often falls into the can’t-live-without category, whereas something like the Edit License BP may not be as critical for your organization.
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Communication and change management will be essential in this next phase. To ensure a smooth Workday 2025 Release 2 and help your business thrive, it is important to keep everyone on your team informed of what is headed their way.
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Before finalizing your testing plan, update and confirm your documentation. Supporting your team and fostering curiosity will enhance their understanding and streamline everyone's professional growth.
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Now that you have read the steps to prepare for the Workday 2025 R2, it is time to complete your plan.
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After Workday 2025 R2 is rolled out, it is important to continually refine your processes. This includes gathering feedback from your team and staying informed about future updates.
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By following these steps, your organization will be well-prepared to maximize the benefits of Workday Release 2025 R2 while minimizing disruption to operations. Effective planning, clear communication, and thorough training are key components for ensuring a smooth and successful transition.
We’ve been through every kind of release cycle and know exactly how to help you get the most out of new features, especially when AI and hub-based navigation are redefining work. With our Workday expertise, we’ll guide your team from preview to post-release, ensuring adoption is smooth and strategic. Stay tuned for our upcoming Release Webinars, where we’ll walk through our top R2 picks and give you an interactive space to ask questions, share insights, and see what Illuminate + some of the new hubs can really do for your organization.