In a world characterized by economic uncertainty, rapid technological changes, and increasing competition, organizations must remain agile and forward-thinking. Workday helps organizations in EMEA turn challenges into opportunities. Workday Illuminate, the next generation of Workday AI, accelerates manual tasks, assists every employee, and ultimately transforms entire business processes. From empowering organizations with AI-driven insights to fostering a more inclusive workforce, Workday's investments in EMEA underscore the company's vision for the future of work. 

Innovation and growth across various segments 

Workday's commitment to innovation is the driving force behind growth among customers of all sectors and sizes, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In total, more than 65% of Workday customers in EMEA belong to the SME category. This growing subset of the customer base has been bolstered in the past twelve months by new customers, including Global Switch, Ayming, DSV Group (Deutscher Sparkassenverlag), and Mollie. 

"We implemented Workday quite early in our growth process, when we had about 600-700 employees," says Andreas Hoeber, head of talent technology, On. "Our goal was to have a system that could scale quickly with our business. Now, with Workday, we have automated the majority of our processes, empowered our team members with AI-driven solutions, and created one unified system where employees can easily access everything they need." 

Workday has also grown with some of the largest organizations in the world and now includes more than 40% of the FTSE 100, 40% of the DAX 40, and 55% of the CAC 40 among its more than 2,150 customers headquartered in Europe. This growth demonstrates Workday's ability to support organizations of all sizes with scalable, innovative solutions. 

EMEA operations expansion

To support the growing customer base, Workday is intensifying its presence in EMEA. Expanded operations in Warsaw, Poland, as well as new offices in Zurich, Berlin, and Copenhagen, position Workday to better serve customers in key EMEA markets. 

Building on the success of the Customer Innovation Lab in Paris, Workday has launched new labs in Zurich and Amsterdam. In these inspiring spaces, customers can tackle urgent business challenges, from optimizing supply chains to managing regulatory risks, while maximizing the value of their Workday investments. 

"At Workday, we see tremendous potential in EMEA - a region rich in innovation, talent, and economic opportunities," says Angelique de-Vries Schipperijn, president, EMEA, Workday. "Our ongoing investments here reflect our commitment to helping organizations thrive in an ever-changing business landscape. Whether it's with advanced technology like Workday Illuminate or local expertise, we are focused on empowering our customers to adapt, grow, and succeed." 

Building a skilled and inclusive workforce 

Amid its ambitious expansion and ongoing success, Workday is committed to investing in local talent and expertise. Workday's more than 2,000 employees at the organization's EMEA headquarters in Dublin, for example, are offered pathways to fully funded graduate training. These programs, offered in partnership with Technological University Dublin, encompass five disciplines and equip employees with the advanced skills needed to drive innovation and deliver exceptional customer service. 

To support skills-based recruitment and create a diverse, future-ready workforce, Workday will launch its "Workday Returners" program in early 2025. This EMEA program is part of Workday's global Opportunity Onramps initiative and supports "returners to their careers" - including parents, caregivers, or individuals who have taken a longer career break - in their return to the workforce and in bringing their valuable skills and experience. Regional partners for the program include Women in Tech Forum and Career Returners. 

Strengthening partnerships

Driven by innovation and industry expertise, Workday and its partners help customers adapt and thrive in a changing world. This global ecosystem continues to grow, with numerous offerings and partnerships unveiled this year, including: 

• A new strategic partnership with Salesforce, bringing together the two most widely used cloud platforms in business to create a new AI employee service agent and transform work. 
• A expansion of the strategic partnership with Kainos, promoting the development and distribution of custom-built apps for Workday customers via Built on Workday. 
• A new joint service offering with BNB - "BNB Ignite" - designed to help mid-sized businesses implement Workday within four weeks. 

Workday will also expand its partnership with Korn Ferry, a global organizational consulting firm known for its expertise in talent and leadership development. The partnership will provide a unified talent language, enabling organizations to seamlessly align their recruitment, performance management, and development processes so that customer talent strategies and activities can realize their full potential. 

"This partnership is about more than just technology; it's about enabling organizations to build a workforce that is future-ready and can adapt and thrive in the face of ongoing change", says Mathias Herzog, president, Korn Ferry Digital. "Together, we will deliver the applications and expertise so that organizations can optimize talent strategies, enhance employee experiences, and achieve impactful business outcomes." 

Workday's commitment to EMEA and the momentum in the region are on full display this week at Workday Rising EMEA in Amsterdam. 

For more information 

Learn more about Workday's recent Peakon Employee Voice innovations and latest AI capabilities. 

Read about the new Workday AI-based user experience and Workday Assistant. 

Become an enterprise AI expert with Workday AI Masterclass.