What Workday-Native Really Delivers — And Why Workday-Compatible Falls Short

The hidden cost of integrations vs. the power of operating inside the Workday tenant.

Sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies now use Workday, reflecting a dramatic shift towards cloud-based HCM platforms. These organizations have adopted Workday not only for its modern interface but also for its ability to consolidate payroll, finance, and HR in one place.

But as Workday adoption grows, a key question emerges: Are all Workday services and solutions created equal?

Compatibility is a word we hear all the time in tech. It feels safe. Your charger works with your phone, your app connects to your device, and your software plugs into your system. But compatibility isn’t always enough when you’re talking about mission-critical business functions like payroll, payroll tax, and employee payments.

At a time when workforce expectations are high and disruption is constant, companies need more than compatible solutions. They need natively integrated services built for their platform of choice.

That’s where the difference between a Workday-compatible service and a Workday-native service comes in.

Compatibility works — until it doesn’t

Many vendors advertise their services as “Workday-compatible,” which means they rely on APIs, file transfers, or third-party integrations to connect with Workday. This method gets the job done, at least on paper. But behind the scenes, these connections can introduce risk and complexity.

Manual file transfers across systems raise security issues and increase the risk of duplicating data, while delayed updates may require workarounds or reconciliation, all of which can impact teams across your organization:

• IT must maintain third-party integrations, monitor data syncs, and troubleshoot system errors.

• Payroll and HR may spend up to 57% of their time on administrative tasks, while employees can waste up to 40% of their time searching for information.

• Finance may lose confidence in its reporting due to duplicated or outdated data.

• Security and compliance teams may face greater risks of exposure from sensitive data moving between systems.

Ultimately, Workday-compatible services can become a serious source of friction and stress for teams already balancing competing priorities.

Native means built in, not bolted on

In a Workday-native model, your services are delivered directly within your Workday applications, eliminating the need to sync data across platforms or maintain external integrations. Everything is centralized, from payroll execution to tax withholdings and rates. Adjacent offerings, like financial well-being solutions, are fully integrated and utilize in-tenant data, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and a seamless experience.

Other benefits include:

• Real-time visibility – Teams can monitor payroll, AP payments, and compliance status without leaving Workday.

• Lower operational risk – No manual files, delayed syncs, or version mismatches.

• Simplified workflows – Fewer tools to toggle between, less training, and fewer process handoffs.

• Stronger data integrity – All updates flow directly from your system of record, without translation or duplication.

• Future-proof scalability – Native services evolve with Workday releases, not against them.

Put simply, a native approach allows your systems and teams to work as one.

What Workday-native looks like in action

OneSource Virtual is a Workday-exclusive service partner with nearly two decades of experience providing in-tenant payroll, benefits administration, and accounts payable services. Our solutions also include financial well-being tools like myFlexWallet and myFlexSpend.

For our customers, this means:

• Lower total cost of ownership

• Stronger data integrity

• Streamlined workflows

They maintain full control and visibility while we handle the behind-the-scenes execution, such as filing taxes, paying employees and vendors, and resolving exceptions.

This is why over 1,000 Workday customers trust OSV to extend the value of their investment through streamlined operations, reduced risk, and faster time-to-value.

Why native matters now

Today’s workforce wants clarity, confidence, and flexibility. That’s not possible when core services live in disconnected systems. And with regulatory pressures rising and employee expectations growing, businesses can’t afford to operate in silos.

Being Workday-native isn’t just a technical detail — it’s a strategic advantage. Native services empower faster decision-making, create more consistent employee experiences, and give leaders the confidence that data is accurate, timely, and actionable.

In a world where agility and clarity are everything, that makes all the difference. It means fewer moving parts, faster decisions, and better outcomes. When it comes to paying people, filing taxes, or managing compliance at scale, only native will do.

Ready to simplify, scale, and succeed with native? Visit our website or reach out to start the conversation.

About OneSource Virtual

OneSource Virtual (OSV) delivers in-tenant technology and expert services to automate the administrative, transactional tasks of payroll, taxes, payments, and benefits within Workday. OSV has worked exclusively with Workday customers for the past 15 years with a services team that averages 10 years of Workday experience in addition to 20 years of industry experience. With over 1,100 customers, 95% retention, and $185+ billion in treasury movement annually, OSV helps organizations take their teams from transactional to transformational.