Workday HCM

1. Core Philosophy: Designed with a modern, cloud-first approach making it highly adaptable and user-friendly.
2. Strengths:
   1. Unified platform providing a seamless user experience across all HR functions.
   2. Superior analytics, reporting, and insights for better workforce decision-making.
   3. Emphasis on employee self-service and empowerment.
   4. Generally considered as having a smoother implementation process.
3. Potential Considerations:
   1. May be more tailored to businesses in specific industries initially designed around finance/professional services).
   2. Can sometimes be a bit less flexible in certain highly specialized HR processes compared to SAP.

SAP HCM (SuccessFactors)

1. Core Philosophy: Built on a legacy foundation, SAP offers a robust and comprehensive suite focused on process depth.
2. Strengths:
   1. Strong global focus and localization capabilities for multinational companies.
   2. Depth of features, particularly for complex HR processes, talent management, and succession planning.
   3. Vast ecosystem of partners and integrations for customization.
3. Potential Considerations:
   1. User interface can be perceived as less intuitive compared to Workday.
   2. May require more significant IT support and complex implementation processes.

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing

1. Company Size and Structure:
   1. Workday often excels for midsize to large enterprises needing strong analytical tools.
   2. SAP (particularly SuccessFactors) is beneficial for large, complex, multinational organizations.
2. Regional Needs:
   1. SAP often has a localization edge over Workday in areas such as payroll in multiple countries.
3. Technical Resources:
   1. Workday generally requires less IT maintenance post-implementation.
   2. SAP can be more IT-intensive.
4. Ease of Use:
   1. Workday offers a more ‘consumer-grade’ and modern interface.
   2. SAP interface can have a steeper learning curve.
5. Industry Focus:
   1. Assess whether one system has out-of-the-box strengths particularly aligned to your industry.

Additional Considerations

1. Cost: Each vendor has complex pricing structures. Thoroughly analyze total cost of ownership, not just initial licensing.
2. Cloud vs. On-Premise: Workday is cloud-only. SAP offers both on-premise and cloud (SuccessFactors) options.
3. Implementation Partner: The quality of your implementation partner significantly affects your experience with either platform.