Frequently Asked Questions

Workday@Richmond is the project to replace the Banner system, used by Finance, Human Resources, and Payroll, with Workday. The project formally began in 2022, with the official kickoff in fall 2023. Check out the About Workday page to learn more.

Workday is a leading cloud-based platform that will revolutionize the way the University manages administrative tasks and processes. Renowned for its user-friendly interface, efficiency, and comprehensive suite of tools, Workday will bring about positive changes like saving time, streamlining processes, and offering greater support for faculty, staff, and students alike.

Workday is designed to meet the unique needs of institutions of higher education. Many other institutions, both large and small, have implemented Workday with much success.

In January 2025 Workday will replace Banner as the University’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for employee timesheets and leave information, financial transactions such as check requests and expense tracking, and payroll and tax information, among other services. 

Workday can be accessed from a PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone (Apple or Android devices) with an active and secure internet connection.

Browser: Starting in January, you should go to workday.richmond.edu and select the "login" button on the homepage. You will then be prompted to provide your UR credentials (Net ID and password) for access.

Mobile App: You can download the app now, but login won’t be available until the system goes live in January. The app is convenient for approvals and employee self-service processes, but for more advanced tasks, use the desktop version.

Two-factor authentication via the Duo app or a Duo token will be required for accessing Workday from both a browser and the app.

Yes. Two-factor authentication via the Duo app or a Duo token will be required for accessing Workday from both a browser and the mobile app.

If you are on the campus network, you will not need the VPN to access Workday.

If you are off campus, you can access limited functions of Workday without connecting to the VPN. For full functionality when off campus, the VPN connection is required. For information on how to install and configure VPN on your computer or mobile device, view this article in SpiderTechNet.

Absolutely. Protecting the security and privacy of personal data is a priority for Workday. Security threats and risks are mitigated through strong internal controls and a comprehensive security program designed to ensure the protection and integrity of personal data. Workday consistently passes rigorous third-party compliance audits.

Yes, you can. When you are logged in, click the settings gear icon in the upper right corner and select ‘Global Preferences’ from the list. From there you can select your preferred display language from 37 global languages including Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, German, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, Greek, and more. The number of languages offered by Workday is ever expanding.

Note: It is not possible to translate all text within Workday to a non-English default display language. Employees who change their default display language will notice that some text within Workday will not be translated into the employee’s preferred language.

Yes, all UR employees, including student employees, will use Workday starting in January 2025. Employees will use Workday for functions such as viewing paystubs, updating personal information, requesting time off, submitting timesheets, entering reimbursement requests and making purchases, making benefit selections during open enrollment, and more. Additionally, faculty and staff grant recipients will use Workday for financial management and reporting related to the grant.

Banner will continue to be used for student-related functions such as course registration, viewing class rosters, entering grades, and viewing transcripts.

Banner, UR’s current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, has been in use since 1992. While it served the University well for over 30 years, growing operational complexity and evolving needs led to a reevaluation of the system.

In 2016, UR reviewed Banner to determine if it was meeting the University’s needs. The University opted to stay with Banner and also started UR Better, a process improvement initiative that implemented various operational enhancements across campus such as Chrome River, Dynamic Forms, and other streamlining efforts. However, Banner’s limitations in automated workflows, real-time reporting, and forecasting capabilities, along with maintenance challenges and the potential risks posed by continuing to use an outdated system, prompted UR to return to the ERP modernization conversation in 2022. After a formal RFP process and thorough evaluation, Workday was selected as the University’s next ERP system in 2023, with approval from the Board of Trustees.

ERP, Enterprise Resource Planning, is a type of software that organizations use to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, procurement, human resource information, employee payroll and benefits, budgeting, and other financial and operational processes. ERP systems are typically used to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and support decision-making.

The project team assessed both January and July as possibilities for go-live. Each option carries risks and opportunities. Ultimately, January 2025 was selected in order to align with the calendar year for tax purposes. This timing allows for a clean break in payroll and financial reporting between tax years, simplifying year-end processes and ensuring accurate W-2 forms and financial statements.

The University is taking a phased approach to modernizing its systems. HR, Finance, and Payroll processes were prioritized for the initial transition to Workday. Banner will continue to serve as the University’s Student Information System (SIS) to minimize disruption to academic processes and to ensure a smooth transition for the ERP conversion. Future phases may examine the University’s SIS.

More than 30 UR staff are devoting their time, on a partial or full-time basis, to ensure a smooth implementation of Workday. The project’s leadership is composed of University leaders serving on the project’s steering committee and as executive sponsors.

The goals for the Workday@Richmond project include:

Training for end-users will be offered beginning in November and will continue through February 2025. Training will be offered in multiple formats including job aids, in person instructor‐led, virtual instructor-led, and on-demand videos. To learn more about the training plan and view sample resources, please visit the training page.  

Workday goes live in January 2025.

Yes, student employees will be impacted. Students employed by the University will use Workday for tasks related to their campus job, such as submitting timesheets and viewing pay information. However, student academic information will remain in Banner.

If the student’s research is considered employment, they will need to clock in and out. If instead the student is to receive a one-time stipend rather than a bi-weekly paycheck, they won’t need to clock in and out.

Banner will continue to serve as the University’s Student Information System (SIS) even after January 2025 when Workday is live. All faculty and staff serving as academic advisors will continue to use Banner for viewing their advisees’ academic information.

Contact Caitlin Bergendahl, Workday Training Lead, to let her know you would like to help. We appreciate your interest! 

Banner will continue to be used as the University’s Student Information System (SIS) for student academic-related functions, while Workday will begin to handle HR, Finance, and Payroll processes starting in January. Employees will still have access to Banner after January 1, but the system will not be receiving or reporting new information (except for SIS functions).

As we approach the January 2025 "go-live" date, the University will share crucial information about the cutover period and how it will affect various operations across campus. The Workday cutover period is a critical phase when we will actively transfer business processes from Banner to Workday. To ensure a smooth transition, we need to implement a series of freezes on certain activities. These freezes are necessary to stabilize both Banner and Workday environments and reduce double data entry and potential errors.

We understand that these changes may present challenges, and we are committed to supporting you through this transition. Our Workday@Richmond project team, along with the network of Change Ambassadors across campus, will be available to address questions and concerns.

The cutover period is when we will begin transferring our Human Resource and Finance data from Banner to Workday. To ensure a smooth transition for "go-live" on January 2, 2025, there will be several dates in the fall when certain kinds of activities or transactions will begin to be limited or suspended. This will help ensure we have accurate data to move to the new system and will minimize the errors that could occur if transactions are entered into Banner after we begin moving information to Workday. Beginning in January 2025, Finance, Human Resources, and Payroll transactions will all take place in Workday. Academic transactions (e.g. registration, class rosters, and grading) will continue to live in Banner as the University’s Student Information System (SIS).

Yes, you will receive notifications in two ways:

• Action items on your Workday landing page in that Inbox.
• Email notifications to your University email account.

• Talk to your Change Ambassador. Employees from every division on campus are serving as change ambassadors. Members of the Change Management team keep change ambassadors up to date on project developments via monthly meetings. In addition to sharing project news, change ambassadors seek to gather feedback from the campus so that it can be communicated back to the project team. The list of those serving as change ambassadors can be found here. 
• Read Spider Insider. Since the project kickoff in fall 2023, the employee magazine has provided updates in each issue. Links to these articles can be found on the Communications page. 
• Visit the Workday website. Keep checking out this site! Updates are added often as the project evolves. 

If you can’t find the information you need here on the site, send us your question via the Web Contact Form or by email at workday@richmond.edu. You can also reach out to your Change Ambassador.

In Workday, employees will be able to view basic information about other University employees through the dynamic organizational chart. Each employee’s Workday profile will be pre-populated with their identification photo from OneCard Services. Employees who wish to update their photo can do so through the OneCard website (select "submit your photo" and then log in using your Net ID and password.) New photo submissions should be a forward-facing headshot in front of a neutral background, and in .jpg format. 

One Card will not be printing updated UR ID cards unless your card is starting to show wear and tear from use or you’ve had a drastic change in appearance. If you need a new card, please stop by the OneCard office any time during business hours for replacement.

In order for your new photo to appear in Workday when the system goes live in January, please have your new photo uploaded in the OneCard system by November 14.

The following systems will be replaced by Workday beginning January 1, 2025: Banner ERP, Wex, Cornerstone, Chrome River, TimePro, and Talent Web. Additionally, student employment functions and grants management, previously managed via manual entry, will also be replaced by Workday.

Banner Student will remain in place as the University’s Student Information System (SIS) for student course registration, transcripts/GradTracker, student information for academic advisors and faculty, grade submissions and class lists for faculty, among other services.

In addition to available training materials and resources, beginning January 2nd, all employees will be able to submit a support ticket on the Workday support website and/or call a campus phone number for assistance with Workday. Prior to January 2nd, all questions regarding the Workday system or training should be directed to workday@richmond.edu.

Employees will continue to meet with a Benefits Representative in HR when they are planning a leave of absence (LOA) or other long-term absences like FMLA, Short Term Disability, Parental, or Military. The Benefits Representative will enter the LOA in Workday and will work with the employee and manager to ensure the correct time away is reflected in Workday. 

Past performance review records will not be transferred to Workday. However, HR will be able to access past reviews to share with managers as needed. 

No, unless the current supervisor is part of the hiring process for the position the employee is applying for. Workday does not send a notification to the current supervisor when an employee applies for a different internal job.

There is no limit by policy, nor by how Workday is configured. Employees are able to request time off as long as the period schedule is up to date in the system.

Non-exempt hourly employees who currently enter their own time in Banner (bulk time entry) will continue to enter their own time in Workday. Non-exempt hourly employees in Dining (including retail locations), Facilities, and University Police who currently clock in and out via a TimePro clock will continue to do so in Workday starting in January 2025.

Yes, in the calendar feature employees can see when their colleagues (peer employees with the same manager) will be absent as well as when their manager will be absent.

All 15 holidays that the University observes will be pre-populated in the calendar feature for all employees, however fall break and spring break and other milestones in the academic calendar will not be noted. 

At this time, there is not a way to export the Workday calendar to Outlook or Excel, so employees should continue to manage office/group calendars the way they currently do. Workday will be the official record, like Banner is today.

The current types of employee absence are as follows:

• Bereavement
• Jury Duty
• Sick Leave
• Vacation

Additional types of leave, like Military and Parental, are still under configuration in the category of “Leave of Absence.”

No, employees who currently have these arrangements should continue to work with their manager for how these are tracked after the transition to Workday.

These can still be handled as usual. For cash advances for team travel, it will be important that you clear the advance by the deadline.

Data from Chrome River will not be transferred to Workday. Banner financial information for the last two years, including expenses originally entered or reconciled in Chrome River, will be transferred to Workday. OnBase, for those who use it, is another way to view historical financial transactions.

We will be doing a separate informational session about this. Stay tuned.

Cutover is the period when all of the information in Banner is transferred into Workday to prepare for the launch of Workday in January 2025. Once cutover begins, any transactions in Banner will not be automatically transferred to Workday, and therefore will need to be fully documented and then manually replicated in Workday in January 2025. In order to limit the amount of data entry required in January, and to reduce the risk of error, certain Human Resources Banner transactions are being limited or paused during the cutover period.

The cutover period begins in October 2024 and will end with the successful launch of Workday in January 2025.

All hiring managers are encouraged to have their staff recruitment forms submitted to Human Resources by October 1, 2024. Requisitions submitted after October 1, 2024 will require additional scrutiny and approval.

Hiring managers are also encouraged to arrange for new employee start dates to occur on or after January 13, 2025 when possible.

No. Hiring managers can continue to recruit for positions that are posted prior to October 1, 2024 and review applicants in UR Talent Web during the cutover period. Hiring managers should work with their Talent Acquisition Specialist if they wish to make an offer to a candidate during the cutover period and plan for the new employee’s start date to be on or after January 13, 2025. This also applies to internal candidates (i.e. position transfers).

If you are thinking about reorganizing a department under your supervision, please contact your Human Resources Business Partners immediately. They will work with you to develop implementation and communication plans. Any reporting or position description changes will not go into effect until after until January 13, 2025.

Cutover impact on full-time faculty hiring will be very minimal. Spring 2025 adjunct hires will receive traditional appointment letters in late fall. New hires and spring payments will be entered in Workday in January.

No. Adjunct faculty hired for spring will be set up in Banner during the cutover period. Any new hire from this Fall will be set up in Banner with an ID, activated as an instructor, etc., and will have access to all the University resources they need as soon as that is complete.

If it is critical for an interim assignment to begin after October 1^st, any interim pay earned through the cutover period, will be paid retroactively in January.

HR will only be able to support one-time payments for employees for specific situations that are time bound where January 13^th payment will not be acceptable, such as relocation payment. 

Any staff performance bonus payment for extraordinary service will be paused between October 15, 2024 and January 13, 2025. Managers can continue to submit bonus requests for review during the cutover period, but they will not be processed until January 13, 2025.

In most cases guest speakers are considered vendors, not employees, and they will continue to be paid as normal during the cutover period. If your speaker is not already set up as a vendor in Banner, please arrange to do so before October 28, if possible. If you have a guest speaker who is also a UR employee, please contact opb@richmond.edu for guidance.

Employees are encouraged to review their retirement contributions and submit any changes to Human Resources prior to October 1, 2024.

If an employee experiences a qualified life event after October 1st which affects their 2024 benefits, they will be able to make a change. Employees who need to make a beneficiary change or validate a dependent are recommended to do so in WEX prior to October 1st.

Reminder: All dependents of full-time employees must be verified to have access to the Weinstein Center for Recreation effective January 1, 2025.

Yes. Open Enrollment will continue as usual this fall using WEX, the University’s current benefits system. Selections made by employees for their 2025 benefits will appear in Workday when it goes live in January 2025.

Managers who have questions regarding HR activities impacting their team during the cutover period should contact their assigned HR Business Partner. Employees with individual questions about their pay or benefits can stop by the HR front desk at Weinstein Hall, email URHR@richmond.edu, or call (804) 289 -8747.