Workday Rising has no shortage of sessions to choose from. The challenge is building an agenda that gives you something useful to bring back to your team.
This year, a few themes stand out: reducing administrative work, making hiring more efficient, and getting hands-on with the tools you use every day.
Here are three areas to explore as you build your Workday Rising 2026 schedule.
1. Spend Less Time on Travel and Expense Management with the new Workday Travel experience
Travel and expense processes are one of those areas where small improvements can give people meaningful time back. With the new Workday Travel experience, Workday is bringing more of the travel process into a connected experience, with the goal of reducing the administrative work surrounding business travel and expense management.
Session to watch:
Demo: Autonomous Travel and Expense – Mastering the New Workday Travel and Expense Experience [26-SMD1983]
Jim Carney, Principal, Solution Consultant – FIN, Workday
Products: Agent System of Record, Sana Enterprise, Expenses
Tuesday, Oct 13 | 11:50 AM – 12:20 PM PDT
Why it’s interesting: The conversation goes beyond processing expenses. It is about creating a more connected experience from planning the trip through managing the spend that comes with it.
2. Less Clicking, More Hiring
Recruiting teams already have plenty to manage. The technology behind the process should help them spend more time with candidates and hiring teams, not create another layer of work.
Session to watch:
Meet the New Workday Talent Acquisition Experience [26-HRTS2652]
Sam Sankaran, Sr. Manager, Product Management, Workday
Products: Candidate Engagement, HiredScore, Recruiting
Tuesday, Oct 13 | 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM PDT
Wednesday, Oct 14 | 4:40 PM – 5:10 PM PDT
Workday is introducing a new Talent Acquisition experience designed to bring AI and automation further into recruiter workflows.
The session will explore how Workday is reimagining recruiting by automating tasks, streamlining workflows, and helping teams improve productivity while maintaining the candidate experience.
Why it’s interesting: AI in recruiting is most useful when it disappears into the workflow. This session offers a look at where Workday is reducing manual steps and how that changes the day-to-day recruiter experience.
3. When seeing is good but doing is better, try one of the many Hands-on Labs.
There is a point where another presentation can only take you so far.
Workday Rising’s Hands-on Labs give attendees an opportunity to work directly with Workday capabilities, follow real-world scenarios, and understand how something works rather than only seeing it demonstrated.
A few labs to consider:
Discovering Calculated Fields [26-HOL8]
Melissa Katsaros, Sr Solution Architect, Workday
Esther Bouryng, Sr Solution Architect, Workday
Josh Geving, Principal, Solution Architect, Workday
Calculated fields can solve some surprisingly complex reporting and business requirements across HCM and Financials. This lab walks through practical examples and gives attendees the chance to build and work with calculated fields themselves.
Monday, October 12 | 12:15–1:45 PM PDT
Tuesday, October 13 | 10:45 AM–12:15 PM PDT
Wednesday, October 14 | 10:45 AM–12:15 PM or 3:30–5:00 PM PDT
Thursday, October 15 | 10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT
Introduction to Workday Reporting and Analytics with Discovery Boards [26-HOL7]
Alvaro Muñoz, Sr Solution Architect, Workday
Janet Bautista, Solution Architect, Workday
Sara Blagg, Sr Solution Architect, Workday
For teams looking to get more from Workday reporting and analytics, this workshop covers how different reporting tools can be used to turn Workday data into actionable information.
The lab uses real-world HCM and Financials examples while also helping attendees understand which reporting tool to use for different situations.
Monday, October 12 | 2:30–4:00 PM PDT
Tuesday, October 13 | 10:45 AM–12:15 PM or 3:30–5:00 PM PDT
Wednesday, October 14 | 3:30–5:00 PM PDT
Thursday, October 15 | 10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT
Power to Adapt: Workday Journeys and Workday Help [26-HOL6]
Graham Lohman, Solution Architect, Workday
Mohit Sagwal, Principal, Solution Architect, Workday
Dawn Rucker, Principal, Solution Architect, Workday
This lab shifts the focus to employee experience.
Attendees work through activities involving Workday Journeys, knowledge articles, and Workday Help use cases, offering a more practical look at how organizations can create connected experiences and support employees inside Workday.
Monday, October 12 | 2:30–4:00 PM PDT
Tuesday, October 13 | 1:15–2:45 PM or 3:30–5:00 PM PDT
Wednesday, October 14 | 1:15–2:45 PM or 3:30–5:00 PM PDT
Build an Agenda Around What You Want to Bring Home
There will always be more happening at Workday Rising than anyone can fit into one schedule.
Instead of trying to see everything, build your agenda around the questions your organization is already working through.
The best sessions are often the ones that give you something concrete to take back to your team; a new idea, a better way of working, or a capability you now understand well enough to explore further.
Heading to Workday Rising 2026? Meet the team at booth F11.
