Workday M&A Migration: Powering Global HR Transformation for a Media Leader

Client

A Global Media Enterprise Unifying HR Operations Worldwide

The client is a renowned global media and information services company, home to leading brands in news, digital real estate, subscription video, and book publishing. With over 20,000 employees across North America, EMEA, ANZ, and APAC, the organization’s scale and diversity demand robust, unified HR operations. Workday serves as the backbone of HR management at scale, supporting everything from payroll and recruitment to compliance and performance management. As the company pursued aggressive growth through mergers and acquisitions, the need for a comprehensive Workday HCM transformation became critical.

Challenge

When Rapid Growth Exposes Deep Business Challenges

M&A Complexity Threatens Operational Stability

The company’s strategy of simultaneous mergers and acquisitions—including the ANZ merger, New York Post acquisition, and a UK acquisition—created unprecedented operational complexity. Each deal required distinct Workday migrations, data conversion, security, integration, and business process transformation. Managing these initiatives in parallel posed significant enterprise risk, with the potential for data loss, compliance failures, and business disruption.

Payroll Migration: High Stakes, Zero Margin for Error

Transitioning the ANZ payroll from Preceda to Dayforce was a mission-critical challenge. This Workday payroll migration involved extensive data migration, specialized QA, and the re-architecture of over 60 downstream system integrations. Any misstep could have resulted in payroll errors affecting thousands of employees, making precision and reliability non-negotiable.

Redesigning HR Processes Amidst Live Operations

While integrating new acquisitions, the company also needed to redesign Job Architecture and core HR business processes—such as Termination and Change Job—without disrupting business-as-usual for over 15,000 employees. The risk of compliance gaps and data integrity issues loomed large, demanding a seamless Workday data migration and process overhaul.

Fragmented Systems and Governance Gaps

Years of rapid expansion left the organization with disparate HR processes, inconsistent regional configurations, and multiple Workday tenants. Recruiting, Time Tracking, Absence, Benefits, and Performance Management varied widely across business units. This fragmentation created a governance crisis, increasing audit risks and operational inefficiencies. Workday tenant consolidation became essential to restore control and scalability.

Solution

How Hexaware Delivered a Scalable, Future-Ready Solution

Hexaware’s Integrated Approach and Specialized Services

Hexaware partnered with the client to deliver a holistic transformation, leveraging its Enterprise Platform Services. The approach unified Workday M&A Migration, Workday HCM transformation, Workday data migration, Workday integration services, Workday payroll migration, and Workday tenant consolidation into a single, strategic program. Proprietary M&A migration tools and reusable frameworks enabled rapid, accurate delivery at scale.

Executing the ANZ Merger with Precision

Hexaware led the migration of over 5,000 ANZ employees into the global Workday environment. Using advanced migration tools, the team achieved 90% data accuracy and transitioned more than 50 integrations, ensuring clean, reliable data and uninterrupted downstream operations.

Rebuilding Payroll and Integrations

The end-to-end Workday payroll migration from Preceda to Dayforce involved re-architecting 60+ integrations and layering specialized QA throughout. Hexaware’s Workday integration services ensured every system touchpoint was rebuilt for scalability and reliability, safeguarding payroll accuracy for thousands of employees.

Transforming HR Processes Without Disruption

Simultaneously, Hexaware delivered a comprehensive Workday HCM transformation—redesigning job architecture, Termination, Change Job, and other workflows. Recruitment, performance management, and security models were aligned to the new operating model, all while maintaining uninterrupted service for 15,000+ employees.

Consolidating Tenants and Standardizing Operations

Hexaware harmonized multiple Workday tenants and regional configurations, establishing consistent governance, release management, and tenant hygiene standards. This Workday tenant consolidation eliminated configuration drift and created a unified, scalable HR platform.

Enabling AI-Driven Efficiency and Global Support

AI-powered capabilities were introduced to accelerate testing and streamline document management. A global Application Managed Services (AMS) support model was established to ensure ongoing functional and technical support across all regions and business units.

Benefits

Tangible Business Benefits: Metrics That Matter

90% Data Accuracy in ANZ M&A Migration

Hexaware’s proprietary migration tools and rigorous validation delivered 90% data accuracy, providing a trustworthy foundation for unified HR operations and reliable downstream integrations.

30% Faster M&A Execution Accelerates Integration

Reusable frameworks and migration tools enabled a 30% reduction in M&A execution time, allowing the client to integrate new acquisitions swiftly and realize business synergies sooner.

45% Reduction in Development Effort via Templates

Standardized integration patterns and reusable templates cut development effort by 45%, freeing resources for strategic initiatives and reducing future change costs.

50% Reduction in Tenant Maintenance Costs

Workday tenant consolidation halved maintenance costs, transforming a fragmented landscape into a streamlined, efficiently managed platform.

40% Lower Data Harmonization Costs Across Regions

Standardized data models and migration processes reduced harmonization costs by 40%, eliminated manual reconciliation, and boosted data confidence.

30% Less Integration Development Effort

Hexaware’s Workday integration services reduced integration development effort by 30%, enabling faster, more reliable system connections and greater business agility.

Enhanced Agility and Talent Retention

The global AMS support model improved operational agility, stabilized release cycles, and allowed HR teams to focus on strategic work, resulting in improved talent retention.

Summary

Unified, Scalable, and Innovation-Ready: The Client Today

A Foundation for Continuous Growth and Innovation

Today, the client operates a unified, scalable Workday environment that supports over 20,000 employees worldwide. Multiple tenants have been consolidated, and standardized workflows now deliver consistent, reliable HR services across all regions.

AI and Automation Drive Daily Operations

AI-powered testing and document management are now embedded in daily operations, accelerating quality assurance and reducing manual effort. The organization is positioned to absorb future change—whether from new acquisitions, regulatory shifts, or evolving workforce needs—with unprecedented efficiency.

Ongoing Partnership and Future-Ready Operations

Hexaware continues to provide global AMS support, ensuring the Workday environment evolves alongside the business. With proven frameworks for Workday M&A Migration, integration services, data migration, and payroll migration, the client is equipped for sustainable growth and continuous innovation.

From M&A Complexity to Workforce Agility with Workday and Hexaware

Discover how Hexaware’s Workday M&A Migration and HCM transformation services can help your organization achieve seamless HR integration, scalable operations, and future-ready capabilities. Visit our Workday Services page to learn more about our expertise in Workday data migration, tenant consolidation, and integration services for driving business success.