What Do Workday Consultants Think?

Recently, Solve Consulting conducted a survey with independent Workday consultants to learn about their perspectives on the pros and cons of the consultant lifestyle. These individuals are experts in what they do and have the confidence and capability to open their own shop. Experts are in high demand in the Workday ecosystem and companies needing to hire independent consultants can learn valuable lessons from the insights we found in the survey.

We sent our survey to over 50 independent consultants and here is what they had to say:

In response to a question about what are the BEST things about being an independent Workday consultant the main themes we heard included flexibility and setting your own hours. More deeply we heard themes around being able to solve a wide variety of problems, being fully responsible for one’s own work and enjoying direct client exposure.

In terms of what consultants think are the WORST aspects of their situation they responded with job uncertainty, no facilities and no benefits. We also heard they don’t like the contracts and legal side of the situation but see it as a necessary part of getting assignments. A few also mentioned they didn’t like being seen as a threat to Workday partners or internal clients because their main goal is to help and be a team member.

When asked about the PROS/CONS of working through a staffing agency only about half of respondents recorded working with an agency with the other half getting contracts directly with a client. The pros included getting in front of a wider variety of opportunities and the cons mostly focused around sharing the overall rate with the agency.

Benefits and support was another topic we inquired about and to our surprise health care was a factor that people commented on but it was not an overwhelming or urgent factor. Most consultants could secure their own health insurance and paid for it through their overall billings. Annual taxes and accounting was another topic top of mind for consultants and an area they would appreciate support in. Consultants felt they were getting plenty of professional development with “on the job” learning and challenges.

As for what makes a good assignment we found interesting learnings. The length of the assignment was important as longer assignments provide stability. Attitude and personality of the client was also important.

Finally, in open ended questions about what would make their situation better we heard opportunities to network as a valuable element. We also heard many comments about how certified independent consultants should have opportunities to maintain their certifications. This seems to be an important aspect of the overall ecosystem.

Overall, we heard a high level of satisfaction with the independent Workday consultant lifestyle. Like any job there is paperwork, legal, taxes, etc. which nobody enjoys doing but these factors were outweighed by the flexibility and earning potential. However, we did also hear from some consultants who enjoyed a few years in that role but are now looking for full time work either with a consultancy or client side.