Cross-Industry HR & Finance Transformation (Workday) 

Gardius leads complex, business-owned Workday transformations across multiple sectors. Our unique 'Testing is Training' methodology and 'by the business' philosophy ensure deep user adoption and deliver a unified platform that truly empowers your people.

Client Profile: Leading UK enterprises across the Financial Services, Technology, and Utilities sectors.

The Challenge: To move beyond fragmented, legacy HR and Finance systems that created data silos, inefficient manual processes, and a poor employee experience, hindering strategic talent management and financial agility.

Our Solution: Gardius led a business-owned transformation, applying our philosophy that successful change must be 'of the business, for the business, and by the business,' combined with our unique 'Testing is Training' methodology to maximise user adoption.

The Impact: Delivered a unified Workday platform that serves as a single source of truth, is deeply embedded in the business, and empowers employees through a vastly improved user experience and enhanced analytics capabilities.

The Situation 

Across multiple sectors, businesses face a common challenge: their growth and agility are constrained by outdated HR and Finance systems. These disconnected legacy platforms result in significant operational friction, from cumbersome onboarding processes to delayed financial reporting. The lack of a unified data model makes it impossible for leadership to get a clear, real-time view of their most valuable asset—their people—or to make agile financial decisions. This isn't just a technology problem; it's a direct barrier to building a modern, competitive, and talent-focused organisation.

 Our Approach & Solution

At Gardius, we believe that technology is only an enabler; true transformation is a human endeavour. Our methodology is built on two core philosophies that ensure the solution is not just implemented, but embraced.

• 'Of the business, for the business, by the business': We fundamentally challege traditional, IT-led implementations. Our first action is always to establish a business-led governance structure, partnering with client leadership to empower a network of 'change champions' from within their HR and Finance teams. This makes them co-owners of the programme's success. This rationale ensures that every decision, from configuration to process design, is grounded in real-world business needs, creating a solution that is genuinely for the business because it was built by the business.

• 'Testing is Training': Our execution strategy is guided by another unique Gardius principle. Instead of treating User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and training as separate, sequential events, we design an immersive UAT process that doubles as the primary hands-on training programme. The logic is simple but powerful: users learn best by doing. By having employees test the new Workday system with their own real-world scenarios, they not only validate the build but also gain a deep, practical mastery of the new workflows. This approach dramatically accelerates proficiency and drives significantly higher day-one readiness and adoption.

 Our Approach & Solution

At Gardius, we believe that technology is only an enabler; true transformation is a human endeavour. Our methodology is built on two core philosophies that ensure the solution is not just implemented, but embraced.

• 'Of the business, for the business, by the business': We fundamentally eschew traditional, IT-led implementations. Our first action is always to establish a business-led governance structure, partnering with client leadership to empower a network of 'change champions' from within their HR and Finance teams. This makes them co-owners of the programme's success. This rationale ensures that every decision, from configuration to process design, is grounded in real-world business needs, creating a solution that is genuinely for the business because it was built by the business.

• 'Testing is Training': Our execution strategy is guided by another unique Gardius principle. Instead of treating User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and training as separate, sequential events, we design an immersive UAT process that doubles as the primary hands-on training programme. The logic is simple but powerful: users learn best by doing. By having employees test the new Workday system with their own real-world scenarios, they not only validate the build but also gain a deep, practical mastery of the new workflows. This approach dramatically accelerates proficiency and drives significantly higher day-one readiness and adoption.

The Results & Impact

Across our engagements in Financial Services, Technology, and Utilities, our business-led approach to Workday transformation has delivered consistent, high-impact results.

• Deep Organisational Ownership: The "by the business" approach resulted in a solution that was met with advocacy, not resistance, ensuring its long-term success and sustainability.

• Transformed the Employee Experience: By unifying HR processes from hire-to-retire, we have delivered a simple, intuitive, and mobile-first experience that employees actively use and value.

• Created a Single Source of Truth: The unified Workday data model has eliminated silos, providing leadership with a single, trusted source for all people and financial data, which is critical for accurate reporting and forecasting.

• Accelerated Business Processes: We have streamlined and automated core processes such as Procure-to-Pay, employee onboarding, and performance management, leading to significant gains in operational efficiency.