What is a Supervisory Organization in Workday?

• Foundational Building Block: Supervisory Organizations are core elements within Workday’s organizational structure that determine reporting hierarchies and managerial relationships.
• Groupings: They represent a collection of workers or positions that report to a specific manager or management chain.
• Purpose: Supervisory Organizations help:
  • Define clear reporting lines of authority
  • Establish responsibilities throughout the company
  • Streamline communication and decision-making processes

How are Supervisory Organizations Used?

• Management Structure: They mirror the reporting structure of your organization, providing a visual map of authority.
• Workflow and Approvals: Supervisory Organizations play a key role in setting up approval chains for tasks like expense reports, time-off requests, and other important workflows.
• Security and Access: They influence security permissions and information visibility. Users can often only see and modify data for workers within their own supervisory organization (or those below them in the hierarchy).
• Reporting and Analytics: Supervisory Organizations let you run reports and analyze data by specific management groups (e.g., headcount by department, compensation across a division, etc.).

Typical Design in Workday

Many Workday implementations use a 1:1 model where each manager has their own corresponding Supervisory Organization. Direct reports are nested within their manager’s supervisory organization, creating a clear chain of command.

Considerations and Best Practices

• Design with Care: The way you set up supervisory organizations affects workflows, security, and reporting. Thoroughly plan your design to align with your company’s needs.
• Matrix Organizations: Workday supports matrix organizations where employees may have multiple reporting relationships. This requires a more complex configuration.
• Balance: Strive for a balance between granular control and overly complex structures. Too many levels of supervisory organizations can create administrative overhead.
• Changes and Reorganizations: Workday allows for dynamic changes to supervisory organizations, so you can reorganize as your business evolves.