New Workday Research: Companies Are Leaving AI Gains on the Table

Rhea-AI Summary

Workday (NASDAQ: WDAY) released global research on Jan 14, 2026 showing AI saves employees time but much value is lost to rework. Key findings: ~40% of AI time savings are consumed by fixing low-quality output, 85% of employees report saving 1–7 hours/week with AI, and only 14% consistently see clear net benefits. The study of 3,200 full-time employees at $100M+ firms finds gaps in training and role redesign: 89% of organizations have updated fewer than half of roles for AI, and leaders prioritize training (66%) though only 37% of high-rework employees receive it.

Workday says reinvesting saved time into skills and redesigned work reduces rework and improves outcomes.

Positive

• 85% of employees report saving 1–7 hours/week using AI
• 57% of positive-outcome employees use saved time for higher-value work
• 79% of employees with positive AI outcomes had increased skills training

Negative

• Nearly 40% of AI time savings lost to rework
• Only 14% of employees consistently get clear, positive net outcomes from AI
• 77% of daily AI users review AI outputs as carefully as human work
• 89% of organizations updated fewer than half of roles to reflect AI capabilities
• Only 37% of employees facing highest rework report receiving skills training

News Market Reaction – WDAY

-2.79%

1 alert

-2.79% News Effect

On the day this news was published, WDAY declined 2.79%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

AI time lost to rework: Nearly 40% Employees saving time: 85% Clear positive AI outcomes: 14% +5 more

8 metrics

AI time lost to rework Nearly 40% Share of AI time savings lost to fixing low-quality output

Employees saving time 85% Employees reporting 1–7 hours saved per week using AI

Clear positive AI outcomes 14% Employees consistently getting clear, positive net outcomes from AI

Frequent users reviewing carefully 77% Daily AI users reviewing AI work as carefully as human work

Young workers’ rework share 46% Employees aged 25–34 among those with most AI rework

Leaders prioritizing training 66% Leaders citing skills training as top priority

High-rework staff with training 37% High-rework employees reporting access to skills training

Survey respondents 3,200 Global full-time employees in November 2025 AI study

Market Reality Check

Price: $137.81 Vol: Volume 2,484,805 vs 20-da...

normal vol

$137.81 Last Close

Volume Volume 2,484,805 vs 20-day average 2,697,877 suggests no unusual trading ahead of this AI report. normal

Technical Shares at $199.55 are trading below the 200-day MA of $232.87 and 29.66% under the 52-week high.

Peers on Argus

WDAY fell 4.02% with key software peers also down but less: ROP -0.93%, ADSK -2....

WDAY fell 4.02% with key software peers also down but less: ROP -0.93%, ADSK -2.48%, DDOG -1.24%, PAYX -2.34%, SNOW -4.82%. Scanner data flags this as stock-specific, not a coordinated sector move.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Jan 08 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Jan 08	AI customer wins	Positive	-0.6%	Retail and hospitality AI wins and frontline innovations highlighted.
Jan 08	Product integration	Positive	-0.6%	Paradox conversational ATS made available through Workday for AI hiring.
Dec 04	Analyst recognition	Positive	+0.7%	Named Leader in 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for financial planning.
Dec 04	Conference appearance	Neutral	+0.7%	Announcement of presentation at Barclays Global Technology Conference.
Nov 25	Earnings results	Positive	+3.1%	Fiscal 2026 Q3 revenue, margins, and guidance update reported.

Pattern Detected

Recent positive operational and AI headlines often saw modest price reactions, with some AI-focused releases followed by slight declines despite upbeat tone.

Recent Company History

Over the past few months, Workday reported strong Q3 fiscal 2026 results with $2.432 billion in total revenue and updated full-year subscription guidance to $8.828 billion, which coincided with a 3.11% gain. Recognition as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Financial Planning Software, conference participation, and AI product/customer momentum on Oct 15, Oct 22, Nov 19, and Jan 8 brought mostly modest moves, including small declines after several AI announcements. Today’s AI research fits this pattern of strategic AI messaging rather than a discrete financial catalyst.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement centers on Workday’s global AI research, highlighting that nearly 40% of AI time s...

Analysis

This announcement centers on Workday’s global AI research, highlighting that nearly 40% of AI time savings are lost to rework and only 14% of employees see consistently positive outcomes. It reinforces Workday’s narrative that AI returns improve when organizations pair technology with training and role redesign. In context of prior AI launches and customer wins, this research underscores strategic positioning rather than new financial metrics; future updates on monetization and adoption would be key to watch.

Key Terms

ai, roi

2 terms

ai technical

"Workday, Inc (NASDAQ: WDAY) today released new global research showing that while AI is delivering productivity gains"

Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that enables machines to mimic human thinking and learning, allowing them to analyze information, recognize patterns, and make decisions. For investors, AI matters because it can improve how businesses operate, create new products, or identify opportunities faster and more accurately than humans alone, potentially impacting company success and market trends.

roi financial

"creating a false sense of productivity and ROI"

Return on investment (ROI) measures how much money an investor makes or loses relative to the amount they put in, expressed as a percentage. It helps compare the efficiency of different investments—like checking which of several gardens produced the most fruit for the seeds planted—so investors can decide which opportunities deliver the best payoff for the risk and capital they commit.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Nearly 40% of AI Time Savings Are Lost to Fixing Low-Quality Output

Global Research Shows AI Delivers Greater ROI When Leaders Invest in Both People and Technology

PLEASANTON, Calif., Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Workday, Inc (NASDAQ: WDAY) today released new global research showing that while AI is delivering productivity gains, many organizations aren't fully capturing its value. Employees are saving meaningful time with AI tools, but too often those gains are being absorbed by rework – fixing mistakes, rewriting content, and double-checking outputs from generic tools – leaving significant value on the table.

The report, "Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI," reveals what separates leaders from laggards: the most successful organizations don't just deploy AI – they reinvest the time it saves into their people. By building skills, redesigning roles, and modernizing how work gets done, these companies turn speed into sustained business impact.

"Too many AI tools push the hard questions of trust, accuracy, and repeatability back onto individual users," said Gerrit Kazmaier, president, product and technology, Workday. "At Workday, we've spent years delivering AI as simple, human‑centered solutions – not raw technology – so customers aren't left to wire things together and fact‑check every answer on their own. Our philosophy is that AI should do the complex work under the hood so people can focus on judgment, creativity, and connection. That's how organizations turn AI‑powered speed into durable, human‑led advantage."

The AI Productivity Paradox

AI is delivering meaningful time savings, but that speed doesn't always translate into better outcomes. While 85% of employees report saving one to seven hours per week using AI, much of that time is offset by rework on low‑quality AI‑generated content – creating a false sense of productivity and ROI. AI is doing its part by increasing capacity – but too often, roles, skills, and processes haven't evolved to turn that capacity into consistently better results.

Key findings include:

• Nearly 40% of AI time savings are lost to rework, including correcting errors, rewriting content, and verifying outputs from one-size-fits-all AI tools. Only 14% of employees consistently get clear, positive net outcomes from AI.
  
  
• Frequent users feel the most strain: Employees who use AI every day are overwhelmingly optimistic – more than 90% believe it will help them succeed. But they also carry the biggest burden: 77% review AI-generated work just as carefully as work done by humans, if not more.
  
  
• Younger employees bear the biggest burden: Employees aged 25–34 make up nearly half (46%) of those dealing with the most AI rework. Despite being seen as the most tech-savvy, they spend the most time checking and fixing AI output.
  
  
• Training gaps persist: While 66% of leaders cite skills training as a top priority, only 37% of employees experiencing the highest amount of rework say they're getting access to it – revealing a clear disconnect between leadership intent and employee experience.
  
  
• Jobs haven't kept up with AI: In most organizations (89%), fewer than half of roles have been updated to reflect AI capabilities. Employees are using 2025 tools inside 2015 job structures, and they're left to reconcile faster output with unchanged processes or systems.

Reinvesting AI Gains Into the Workforce 

Most organizations agree AI gains should benefit employees – but today, reinvestment still skews elsewhere. Companies are more likely to put AI savings back into technology (39%) than into employee development (30%). And instead of using time saved to build skills, many simply increase workload (32%) – leaving employees to navigate AI on their own.

But the organizations seeing real returns are making a different choice. Employees with positive AI outcomes are far more likely to use saved time to increase the value of their work – through things like deeper analysis, stronger decision-making, and strategic thinking (57%) – rather than just taking on more tasks. They're also far more likely to have had increased skills training (79%).

The organizations realizing the greatest value from AI treat saved time as a strategic resource. They reinvest in upskilling their teams, improving collaboration, and strengthening judgment-driven work. The biggest opportunity is helping employees learn how to use AI effectively – especially in areas that require judgement, creativity, and decision-making. The research makes one thing clear: reinvesting in people is the fastest way to reduce rework, improve outcomes, and turn AI speed into lasting business value.

For additional information

• Download the full report: Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI
• Read more AI research from Workday: Elevating Human Potential: The AI Skills Revolution

About the Report
This data comes from the global study "Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI," a survey conducted by Workday and fielded by Hanover Research in November 2025. The study encompassed 3,200 respondents across North America; Asia-Pacific (APAC); and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). All participants were full-time employees at organizations with $100M+ in annual revenue and were active users of AI technology.

About Workday
Workday is the enterprise AI platform for managing people, money, and agents. Workday unifies HR and Finance on one intelligent platform with AI at the core to empower people at every level with the clarity, confidence, and insights they need to adapt quickly, make better decisions, and deliver outcomes that matter. Workday is used by more than 11,000 organizations around the world and across industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 65% of the Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit workday.com.

© 2026 Workday, Inc. All rights reserved. Workday and the Workday logo are registered trademarks of Workday, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, among other things, statements regarding Workday's plans, beliefs, and expectations. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and Workday's current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Workday's control. If those risks materialize, assumptions prove incorrect, or business conditions change, actual results could differ materially from those implied in these forward-looking statements. Workday undertakes no obligation to update any such statements, except as required by law. Any unreleased services, features, or functions referenced in this document are subject to change and may not be delivered as planned or at all. Customers should make purchasing decisions based only on currently available services, features, and functions.

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SOURCE Workday Inc.

FAQ

What did Workday (WDAY) research find about AI time savings on Jan 14, 2026?

Workday found nearly 40% of AI time savings are lost to rework and 85% of employees report saving 1–7 hours per week.

How many employees consistently see net benefits from AI according to Workday (WDAY)?

Only 14% of employees consistently report clear, positive net outcomes from AI.

What training gap did Workday identify that could affect WDAY customers?

While 66% of leaders cite skills training as a priority, only 37% of employees with high rework say they receive training.

How common is role redesign for AI in the Workday (WDAY) study?

The study found 89% of organizations have updated fewer than half of roles to reflect AI capabilities.

What practical steps did Workday (WDAY) highlight to capture AI value?

Workday emphasizes reinvesting saved time into upskilling, role redesign, and judgment-driven work to reduce rework and improve outcomes.

How large and when was the Workday (WDAY) AI survey conducted?

The global survey included 3,200 full-time employees at $100M+ firms and was fielded in November 2025.