Workday

Once a great place—now lost to politics and poor leadership.

Workday used to offer an excellent work-life balance, a genuine employee-first culture, and solid compensation (base + RSUs + bonus). Unfortunately, much of that has eroded.

Internal politics now run unchecked, with toxic dev team leaders protected instead of held accountable. Senior management often avoids conflict resolution, acting more like messengers than leaders. The company feels increasingly misaligned—favoring dysfunction over collaboration. It’s disheartening to see such a promising workplace lose its core values. I'm out due to politics, will never return to this org.

A culture of politics over performance.

My experience at Workday was marked by poor leadership accountability and a lack of effective conflict resolution. Toxic behavior among certain dev team leads was tolerated, if not rewarded, while management failed to intervene or foster a collaborative culture. Senior leaders often took a passive stance—acting more as messengers than problem-solvers—leaving high-performing teams vulnerable to internal sabotage. If you're someone who values transparency, fairness, and leadership that actually leads, tread carefully.

Advice to HR:

When individual contributors raise concerns, listen and act. Too often, ICs get caught in the crossfire of internal politics, especially in cross-functional environments, with little to no support from leadership. Management's inaction sends a message that toxic behavior is tolerated.

There's one particular org within Workday where dysfunction and toxicity are rampant—it urgently needs cultural intervention and a leadership reset. Ignoring these issues doesn’t just hurt morale—it drives away good people.