THE POLL RESULTS ARE IN!! 🎄
Who owns integrations IT or HR?
The Story
I was asked at work, “who should own Workday integrations.”
And I was staring at a brand-new system with no team built out yet. In my years in HRIS, I’ve had HR Tech report into:
HR Ops
Total Rewards
The CHRO
The CIO
The CPO
And yes — it was just as exhausting as it sounds 😉
I started to feel like I was minoring in politics.
Sitting between the CHRO and CIO.
Meanwhile, I’m over here trying to convince two execs that one system shouldn’t have two roadmaps.
When one would get upset with the another guess who was stuck in the middle?
I found myself with two very different leaders and one spun-around HRIS team. (don’t get me started on the 2 different 1:1s I’d have to have)
I have worked for companies where IT had to “approve” HR configuration.
They had no idea what HRIS actually did.
This makes total sense, right? 😉
Then I worked for another company where HR had to beg IT to squeeze integrations into their roadmap.
Then IT charged HR for resources.
After experiencing all of that, I promised myself one thing.
I would never split integrations and the functional side again.
Not in this economy.
So I did what any influencer would do…
I asked LinkedIn.
Everyone & their goldfish responded.
And my first honest reaction was simple.
Hell no.
This is not good for my meetings next week.
I was hoping you all would validate me LOL.
In the middle of reading the comments, you started to change my mind 👠
The Decision Matrix
Use this with your CHRO or CIO. Trust me, it’ll make your convos easier.
And if they disagree with you, send them to me.
Integrations should report to HR when
Workday is owned by HR.
HRIS owns configuration, design, and releases.
Data sensitivity is high.
Integrations are mostly HR related.
You want one roadmap.
You want one sprint cadence.
Integrations can report to IT when
Workday is just one of many enterprise systems.
The integrations team supports several functions.
CIO owns Workday.
Hybrid works only if
Eah… no. Hybrid sounds cute, but it’s not. Don’t try this at home.
The Unpopular Opinion
Integrations belong under HR if HR owns Workday.
Because integrations are not just “technical.”
They are payroll, benefits, employee, experience, and compliance MACHINES.
They are the systems people depend on every single day.
You break your source of truth when you split ownership across competing priorities.
A quick thank you
Thank you for the honesty.
The passion.
The debate.
This entire community has changed my world.
You remind me every week why I love this work.
If you didn’t have a chance to tell me your stance…
Email me! [email protected]
Stay tuned, gang 🔥
your HRIS BFF 👠
If you haven’t explored HRBench yet, you’re missing out — they’re building tools for the same HRIS leaders this community was created for. 😉
Want a closer look? You can reach them at [email protected] or visit hrbench.com to book a demo.