Workday got nearly 80% of its employees to use AI-and it took more than just one general training | Fortune

"After discovering that its own employees were timid about using AI in the workplace, enterprise software giant Workday spearheaded a program to encourage adoption. Ashley Goldsmith, Workday's chief people officer, recently spoke with HR Brew about that initiative, and how her own team is using AI. Adoption boost. Internal research revealed that Workday employees weren't using AI tools because they weren't clear on the appropriate use cases."

"So Workday launched a program called "Everyday AI," through which it encouraged employees to use and experiment with AI, and learn how it's already being used within the organization. To start, Workday held a company-wide meeting in April that CEO Carl Eschenbach opened by discussing his own AI use. Then, Goldsmith said he gave the floor to employees, who shared how they use different AI tools."

"Workday intentionally focused the event on employee experiences, as they thought these would do more to engage and inspire than a more general training. "With that, we saw this huge adoption and real enthusiasm," Goldsmith told HR Brew. The company has also encouraged adoption in other ways, including leveraging a peer recognition tool for AI use, and providing managers with resources (such as prompt cards) to help them gamify AI use within their teams."

"As of June, 79% of Workday employees were using the technology, exceeding the goal the company set for itself earlier this year. It aims to further increase adoption rates and mandated that every employee set a goal for AI use, whether that be doubling their usage or leveraging it to reduce hours spent on mundane tasks. Goldsmith hopes Workday's recently announced AI tools and acquisitions will encourage more use as well."

Workday found employees hesitant to use AI because they lacked clarity on appropriate use cases and launched an Everyday AI program to drive experimentation and learning. The program included a company-wide meeting where leadership and employees shared real use cases and experiences to inspire adoption. Additional measures included peer recognition for AI use, manager resources like prompt cards, and gamified team activities. By June, adoption reached 79% and employees were mandated to set AI usage goals aimed at increasing productivity and reducing time on mundane tasks, with leadership expecting new tools and acquisitions to boost uptake further.

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