Workday: Why People-Centric AI Adoption Drives Success

AI implementation, as part of companies’ digital transformations, is a top C-suite priority according to the 2025 C-Suite Survey by Reuters.

However, while 82% of the 200 CEOs who took part in the survey claim their organisations are using AI solutions in workflows, only 34% say they have equipped employees with AI work tools.

A survey by Boston Consulting Group highlights that one of the main challenges with companies implementing AI is down to “people-related issues”, including staff caution over implementation.

While many of these challenges persist, senior leaders at cloud-based workforce management platform Workday have developed an approach designed to overcome AI adoption barriers. 

In doing so, the company has successfully encouraged 79% of its employees to use AI in the workplace.

Internal research revealed that Workday employees weren’t using AI due to being unsure of the appropriate times to use it.

To solve this, the enterprise software giant spearheaded a programme to encourage employees to use and experiment with AI tools, known as ‘Everyday AI’.

Speaking with HR Brew, Ashley Goldsmith, Workday’s Chief People Officer (CPO), praised the programme’s successes, saying it had resulted in “huge adoption and real enthusiasm” within the business.

Rani Johnson, Workday Chief Information Officer (CIO), said in a recent statement about their AI use: “We’ve embraced its power to drive innovation and, most importantly, to make work more meaningful for everyone.”

Adoption of ‘Everyday AI’

To initiate the campaign, Workday held a company-wide meeting in April that Carl Eschenbach, Workday CEO, opened by discussing his own AI use and how it is already used to benefit the company - before opening the floor to other employees.

Ashley told HR Brew that she intentionally focused the event on employees as a way to “engage and inspire” rather than just general AI training.

In June it was reported that over a quarter of employees are using the technology, exceeding their expectations of the software’s adoption.

Ashley shared her hopes for the company’s new AI tools, including a peer recognition tool for AI use and provisioning managers with resources to help them activate AI use within their teams.

The CPO, whose team has reportedly adopted the AI techniques faster than the rest of the company, said: “We want to take full advantage of and maximise all the efficiency and productivity and assistance that we can gain from within these tools.”

The HR team has the ‘Workday recruiting agent’, which Ashely says has helped streamline the process of sourcing and selecting candidates.

Recruiters saw a decrease of 12% in their workloads after the agent was introduced, which the exec said has resulted in “getting really good quality candidates”.

“Everybody feels like it was a great use of their time to interview, because their thoughts were heard”, she added.

The HR team has also introduced ‘Peakon’ - technology that analyses thousands of comments and provides employee insights.

Ashley believes it is “truly game-changing”, she said: “I think, in the world today, where we know trust is critical and changes at breakneck speed, it’s harder to continue to stay in touch with your employees.

“To build and keep trust at that speed, listening is so incredibly important.”

AI Adoption: leadership lessons

Workday is aiming to lead the way for other companies to implement AI across all teams to promote continuous learning and adaptation from a performance perspective but also an employee well-being perspective.

Rani said in the statement in August: “We believe that our experiences and strategies can provide valuable guidance for other leaders as they navigate the complexities of the AI landscape.

Rani suggests three key pillars that will provide a practical framework for companies to follow in Workday’s footsteps.

1. Building awareness and excitement - create a foundation of understanding and enthusiasm of AI to empower employees to discover ways to incorporate AI into their daily routines
2. Empowering AI champions - providing access to the tools is the easy part; AI champions are employees who can provide guidance and support on how to utilise them effectively in a peer-to-peer style
3. Functional AI and responsible implementation - when organisations progress past initial awareness, they must explore functional AI which can be applied to specific areas with consideration of appropriate use cases

Ashley says she is continuing to push her team to find new ways to utilise AI and said: “I think if we all follow the advice we give others, it really does work.”