Author: George Thomas, Jr.

The following message was shared with UW leaders and the HR Community of Practice on July 1, 2025.

Thanks to the extraordinary effort of our cross-functional project team – including UWHR, UW-IT, and our partners at Workday – we remain on track to launch Workday Recruiting on August 18.

At the 60-day go/no-go checkpoint, we reminded ourselves that this implementation is different from those of Workday HCM and Workday Finance. Instead of a traditional “waterfall” model-where all functionality is delivered at once after a long build, we are using the Implement-Adapt-Evolve model: launching core functionality and immediately beginning a rapid Adapt phase to address known issues, add improvements, and release deferred features.

This phased approach is necessary given our timeline. We began implementation just 11 months ago – a short runway for a project of this scope. We made a strategic decision to move quickly and iteratively, rather than delay in pursuit of perfection.

For example, here are two known limitations that we will seek to improve upon during the Adapt phase of the project:

For hiring managers: Navigating routine tasks will be clunky at first, and it may take more clicks than expected to find assigned tasks. We will use Workday-delivered features and refine dashboards based on real-time feedback during the Adapt phase.

For applicants: Workday’s job search experience doesn’t currently rank results by relevance. A search for “program coordinator” will return any job posting that includes “program” or “coordinator” in the job description, regardless of context. This is native to Workday and not configurable. We’ll pursue enhancements during the Adapt phase, but we will launch with strong applicant support and clear messaging to help candidates understand what to expect.

While we anticipate these growing pains, and likely others, we’re also seeing real progress toward the goals we set from the start. Workday Recruiting brings our hiring process into the same modern system as our other HR work – ultimately helping us improve data accuracy, strengthen security, and provide a more consistent experience for applicants and hiring managers alike. It also lays the foundation for better insights and reporting so we can continually refine how we attract and hire great people.

Here’s what’s happening now to help us deliver on these goals:

• End-to-end testing
• Hiring manager and recruiter training
• Finalizing applicant guidance and support materials
• Cutover planning and post-launch support preparation

We know “less than perfect” is hard to swallow for those who will rely on this module – applicants, hiring managers, and UWHR’s recruiting teams. But we’ve all used Workday long enough to know that adapting to the tool is part of realizing its value.

By launching now and continuing to iterate, we preserve momentum, deliver critical improvements faster, and stay aligned with our implementation goals.

August 18 is just the beginning. Thank you for your continued partnership as we prepare for go-live.

The following message was shared with employees who have a UW Retirement Plan (UWRP) and/or UW Voluntary Investment Program (VIP) retirement plan on June 30, 2025.

Your UW retirement plan is getting even better – here’s what’s changing

The University of Washington is transitioning to a new retirement plan experience – designed to make it easier, more secure and more cost-effective for you. 

Effective January 1, 2026, TIAA will become the sole recordkeeper for both the UW Retirement Plan (UWRP) and the Voluntary Investment Program (VIP) retirement plans, replacing the current dual-recordkeeper structure (TIAA and Fidelity). This means you’ll access and manage all your UW retirement investments from one place, with improved options and better support. 

Why we’re making this change

After a competitive process, UW’s Provost approved TIAA as the sole recordkeeper after receiving the UW Fund Review Committee’s recommendation to move to TIAA for their strong reputation in higher education and their ability to provide excellent customer support and modern digital tools. The update will: 

• Simplify your experience with only one platform to manage your retirement investments 
• Increase cybersecurity and user access controls 
• Lower your fees (from as much as $100 to around $23 per person) 
• Enhance retirement savings and accessibility, in alignment with the Secure Act 2.0 
• Streamline VIP enrollment and contribution rate changes for new and current employees in Workday 

What’s changing 

Here are some of the new features you’ll notice starting January 2026: 

• One recordkeeper: TIAA – all UWRP and VIP accounts will be moved to TIAA 
• New loan options through UWRP – for the first time 
• Expanded withdrawal options – including for in-service, hardship, domestic abuse, adoption/birth and federally-declared disasters 
• Earlier matching – employees eligible for UWRP will now receive UW’s matching contributions immediately (no more two-year optional period) 
• Mandatory 10% UWRP contribution at age 50 – to help boost long-term savings 
• More support and guidance – from in-person sessions to personal consultations 

What to do now 

For now, there’s nothing you need to do. We’ll be in touch with clear instructions later this fall if you need to take any required actions. 

Support is coming your way

We know retirement planning can feel complicated. That’s why, throughout this transition, we’ll be offering: 

• Live and recorded webinars – coming this summer 
• In-person sessions at all UW campuses and the Medical Centers – coming this fall 
• 1:1 consultations with retirement planning professionals – which you can schedule now 

We’ve also launched a new dedicated support webpage to help guide you through the transition. We’ll regularly update this page with new resources as they’re developed, dates and locations for in-person sessions and answers to your questions. 

Why this all matters: Your UW retirement plan is a big deal

For many people, it’s easy to just set your retirement and voluntary investment program elections when you first enroll and then forget about them. But your UW retirement benefit is a powerful part of your total compensation. With generous matching contributions and access to world-class investment tools, your plan is designed to help you build long-term financial security throughout your work journey and into your retirement. 

Questions?

We’re committed to keeping you informed every step of the way and answering any questions you might have. Please feel free to reach out at any time. 

• UWSupport@tiaa.org for investment advice or guidance on how to navigate this change.  
• Benefits@uw.edu for questions about the decision or process to change vendors. 

The following message was shared with UW leaders and the HR Community of Practice on May 14, 2025.

As we move into the next critical phase of the Workday Recruiting implementation with our goal of going live on August 18, we want to share where things stand and what’s ahead.

The project team is completing configuration to begin end-to-end testing as scheduled on May 19. This milestone reflects a tremendous amount of effort from across the program, and we want to thank everyone involved for getting us to this point.

That said, the earlier configuration delays have required us to make some changes. While our original plan was to finalize and approve all test scripts in advance of end-to-end testing, that timeline proved unrealistic. In response, the team has pivoted to a rolling approach—executing test scenarios while continuing to finalize the remaining scripts. This adjustment enables us to stay on track while maintaining the integrity of the testing process.

End-to-end testing is a comprehensive phase focused on validating that the new Workday Recruiting system functions seamlessly from start to finish. This includes not only the core business processes—such as creating requisitions, managing candidate pipelines, and initiating hires—but also integrations with related systems, accessibility compliance, security roles, and user experience. Our goal is to ensure that every component—from internal approvals to external candidate interactions—performs as expected and supports a smooth transition from UWHIRES. And as we near summer, training for HR recruiting partners will begin rolling out to help ensure you feel confident and prepared in the new system.

For updates on project milestones and resources, we encourage you to visit our Workday Recruiting project webpage. There, you’ll find FAQs, background on the implementation strategy, and what to expect as we approach go-live.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we move closer to go-live. We look forward to sharing more updates with you soon.

Beginning today, Professional & Organizational Development (POD) will be undergoing a strategic restructuring of services. This change includes sunsetting several long-standing programs and the difficult decision to eliminate multiple positions. These decisions were not made lightly. They reflect the end of a self-sustaining model for Quarterly Courses that could no longer be supported—despite years of effort, participation, and dedication. 

Since the pandemic, POD has struggled financially under its fee-based model. UWHR has used central funds to help sustain operations, but the March 2025 university-wide pause on non-essential spending—including training and consulting—made it clear that the current structure is no longer viable. As part of the reorganization, POD will sunset several programs—including Quarterly Courses, the POD Certificate Program, and the BIPOC Staff Development Program. These changes are necessary to ensure long-term sustainability and alignment with the University’s evolving priorities. 

Going forward, POD will shift to a leaner, centrally funded structure focused on scalable, equitable leadership development. Core offerings like the Strategic Leadership Program, Welcome Day, and the Consulting Alliance will continue. All UW Management Fundamentals courses will now be offered at no cost to the participant and individual career development will be supported through expanded access to LinkedIn Learning and curated online resources developed by POD. 

We know many across the University have partnered with, benefited from, or supported the mission of POD over the years, and we are thankful for this continued trust and patience as we navigate this transition. Please reach out with questions or for support; we’re here to help.

The following message was shared with UW leaders and the HR Community of Practice on March 20, 2025.

As we advance toward implementing Workday Recruiting, we want to share a candid update on our progress, the challenges we are navigating, and the work ahead. This is a complex implementation, requiring close coordination across multiple teams, and we appreciate your continued engagement as we work through key issues.

We have made significant progress in key areas, including Workday Recruiting configuration, security and business process validation. However, we are also facing some critical challenges that require resolution before we can proceed to the next phase of implementation:

• Testing Readiness Delays – Several entrance criteria for the test phase remain unmet. Until these issues are materially resolved, we cannot proceed with testing. The team has developed action plans to address these gaps, but it will take a few more weeks to determine their full impact.
• Staffing Transitions & Knowledge Transfer – Changes in key roles, including data conversion and integration leads, added unexpected complexity. While new team members are now onboard, ramping up and sharing knowledge is taking time, adding pressure to an already tight schedule. The team is working hard to overcome delays and keep things moving forward.
• Interdependent Projects & System Complexity – Integrating Workday Recruiting with Workday HCM has revealed additional complexities that require careful remediation and adaptation. While this has added unexpected challenges, the team is actively addressing these nuances to ensure both systems work seamlessly together, maintaining data accuracy and alignment.

While we continue making progress, the outstanding challenges mean we are still assessing potential impacts on the overall timeline. At this stage, we are not making formal adjustments, but we recognize that the resolution of these issues will dictate next steps. We will provide another update once we have a clearer picture of any necessary shifts in timing.

We want to take a moment to recognize the extraordinary efforts of those involved in this implementation. Our project team, the Design Advisory Team and our partners in UW-IT are working tirelessly to ensure Workday Recruiting meets the university’s needs. We’re also pleased to share we’ve officially launched the Change Champions Network, a series of monthly sessions with recruiting colleagues across campus that will cover hiring process changes, training, cutover prep, and go-live planning – while also providing a space for feedback to support a smooth transition to Workday Recruiting. We’re deeply grateful for the dedication of all – their commitment is essential as we navigate this phase and work toward a successful launch.

For ongoing updates, please visit the Workday Recruiting Implementation webpage.

Thank you for your continued patience and partnership as we work through this complex but critical transition.

Beginning January 1, 2025, UW staff with qualifying prior Washington state employment will no longer need to wait until their 49th month of total service to see prior service credit months count toward a higher vacation accrual rate.

This means many employees who received prior service crediting within the last four years will see the accrual rate adjusted for their January accruals (earned at the end of the month). Please refer to the Prior Washington State Service Credit and Transfer Between State of Washington Employers webpage for more details. Impacted employees will be notified of this change later today.

Contact HRhelp@uw.edu with questions.

The following message was shared with UW leaders and the HR Community of Practice on January 16, 2025.

As we enter the new year, we want to take a moment to recognize the dedication of the Workday Recruiting project team, who worked tirelessly throughout the holiday season to keep this critical project moving forward. Their hard work has positioned us well for the next several weeks as we prepare to enter unit testing, followed by end-to-end testing—a significant milestone in our implementation phase.

Successfully navigating a bumpy project road

The implementation phase has seen its share of challenges, from staffing turnover on teams supporting the project and holiday time offs to needing to find alternative solutions to meet a few of our business requirements. While these have caused some delays, we’re thrilled to report that we are successfully working through these issues as they arise. The expertise and commitment of our project team and implementation partner are helping us make up for lost time and we don’t expect these issues to impact our overall timeline.

A reminder of the implement, adapt, and evolve model

As we move forward, it’s helpful to revisit the phased approach guiding this program:

• Implement (Fall 2024 – Summer 2025): Focused on replacing UWHIRES with core Workday Recruiting functionality.
• Adapt (Summer 2025 – Spring 2026): Led by UWHR resources, this phase will refine and enhance the system based on user feedback.
• Evolve (Spring 2026 and beyond): In partnership with our clients and UW-IT, UWHR will ensure the platform evolves with the University’s needs.

Success metrics and time-to-hire realities

Our recent engagement with the Change Champions Network has been instrumental in shaping how we measure success during the initial implementation. A key takeaway from these discussions is a shared desire to tie time-to-hire metrics to the system change. While Workday Recruiting will streamline some processes by consolidating functionality into a single platform, we don’t anticipate significant changes to department-level time-to-hire metrics.

In the University’s decentralized hiring model, time-to-hire is influenced by factors such as:

• Individual hiring managers’ ability to review resumes and advance candidates through selection.
• Internal departmental review and approval processes for requisition creation.
• Initial candidate screenings and offer approvals.

This context will be important as we continue refining success metrics together.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership as we work through the complexities of implementation. Your collaboration remains key to ensuring a smooth transition and a successful launch this summer.

Your sick time off options are expanding to better support your needs and those of your family. Starting January 1, 2025, updates to state law will allow staff, contract –covered academic personnel, librarians and student employees to use sick time off for additional caregiving situations and emergencies. These changes include a broader definition of family member and new reasons for taking sick time off, giving you greater flexibility to manage life’s unexpected challenges.

The broader definition of “family member” for sick time off use now includes caring for:

• A child‘s spouse or registered domestic partner
• Parent-in-law
• An individual who regularly resides in the employee’s home or where the relationship creates an expectation that the employee cares for the person and that individual depends on the employee for care. For the purpose of sick time off, the definition of family member does not include an individual who simply resides in the same home with no expectation that the employee cares for the individual.

Staff, contract –covered academic personnel, librarians and student employees will also be able to use sick time off when their child’s school or place of care has been closed after the declaration of an emergency by a local or state government or agency, or by the federal government.

UWHR sick time off policies for will be updated with the new family definition and reasons for use on Jan. 1, 2025.

• Sick time off for regular contract covered, classified and professional staff
• Sick time off for student hourly employees

The following message was shared with UW leaders and the HR Community of Practice on October 30, 2024.

Back in March, we shared the exciting news that UW Human Resources (UWHR) received approval to move forward with implementing Workday Recruiting. Since then we have developed a robust program team in collaboration with UW-IT and contracted with Workday to be our implementation partner.

Today, we’re pleased to announce that we have officially entered the first stage of our Implement, Adapt, and Evolve strategy. This iterative approach ensures we can launch the essential features of Workday Recruiting quickly while continuing to refine the system as we move forward.

Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect from each phase:

Implement (Fall 2024 – Summer 2025)

The program team is heads-down in the design and configuration of the Workday Recruiting module, which will go live with core functionality in Summer 2025. During the Implement phase, we’ll regularly keep you informed about what’s changing – and what’s staying the same – to help ensure a smooth transition. Here are the milestones you can expect to hear about:

• Fall 2024 – Winter 2025:

• • Focus on system design, configuration and testing

• Spring 2025:

• • Training for hiring partners provided
  • Cutover planning shared with unit administrators
  • Direct communication with in-process candidates and their hiring departments to help minimize disruption

• Summer 2025:

• • Go-live: Workday Recruiting replaces UWHIRES and the new job application portal for candidates becomes available
  • Ongoing support and training resources shared

Adapt (Summer 2025 – Spring 2026)

After the initial go-live, we’ll move into a 9-month Adapt phase. During this time, the program team will roll out new platform features and rely on feedback and data to further refine and enhance the system and recruiting processes.

Evolve (Spring 2026 and Beyond)

Finally, the program team will transition to ongoing Workday Recruiting operations as we enter the Evolve phase, where we will continue to adjust the system and business processes based on needs and workforce data. This ongoing commitment to improvement will ensure Workday Recruiting grows with the UW and remains a valuable tool for years to come.

Your Partnership Matters

As hiring partners, your involvement in this process is critical. You’ll be on the frontline of using Workday Recruiting and helping prepare your teams for the transition. To ensure we capture needs and concerns, we’ll have two opportunities for HR leaders to provide input:

• Workday Recruiting Assessment: In the coming weeks, we will be sending a survey to, and hosting focus groups for, campus HR leaders. If you receive the survey, please take 10-15 minutes to complete it; look for an invitation to participate in focus groups to follow. Your feedback will help us identify the support and resources needed to make this transition successful.
• Change Champions Network: In December, we’ll also reach out to department leaders to help identify individuals who can work closely with the program design team and share information with their units.

Thank you for your partnership. Together, we can ensure a successful transition to a modern, integrated recruiting platform that both improves the applicant experience and serves UW’s evolving needs.

This week Campus Recruiting introduced pilot referral practices that will continue through Workday Recruiting implementation. The changes are geared to improve the applicant experience and support OFCCP reporting requirements. They will also make referrals more predictable for managers and improve recruiting support for hard-to-fill positions.

Campus Recruiting will be seeking your feedback about the changes below before the end of the year.

Open until filled positions will be referred weekly after at least 7 days of posting. Positions with a closing date will continue to be referred within three business days of closure.

Referrals will be sent in batches of no more than 50 applicants: When screening requisitions with 50 or more applicants, the team will first review bargaining unit employees (for contract classified positions), then applicants covered by veterans’ preference, and current UW employees (for all job types). The remaining applicants will be sorted alphabetically, and we will screen every X^th one, where X is determined by the total number of applicants. Note: If you anticipated a qualified prospect would apply and they don’t appear on the hiring manager workbench, please contact your Recruiting Office Partner.

Ongoing referrals for all requisitions will be contingent upon departmental dispositioning. After the second round of referrals, no additional applicants will be forwarded until applicants from the prior weeks have been assigned a final or interim “yes/maybe” disposition code.

Recruiting Office Partners (ROP) will consult with you about requisitions with 150 referrals and/or that have been posted for six months:  The team will work with you to assess your unit’s recruitment and selection strategy and determine how to better align the job description, position requirements and posting to meet the department’s needs.

The team looks forward to learning how these changes impact your units, along with suggestions for improvement.