Workday and Compa partner to accelerate the shift from compensation surveys to software

When Charlie Franklin spent a decade managing compensation programs, he wished for better market data. Now, as CEO of Compa, he's building it — and partnering with Workday to reshape how companies approach pay decisions.

In our latest webinar, Charlie and Workday's Head of Product Strategy Emily Walker shared exclusive details about Compa’s new partnership with Workday — one that promises to make legacy surveys a thing of the past.. 

The vision? Replace static annual data from surveys with software-delivered market intelligence, available directly in Workday's enterprise platform.

Get Charlie and Emily’s thoughts on our exciting new partnership below, and watch the recording here at any time.

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Speed wins in today's market

"Speed wins," Emily stated plainly, capturing the urgency driving this partnership. She painted a picture of rapid market changes — from economic uncertainty to the rise of AI roles — that make traditional comp surveys feel like reading yesterday's news.

Charlie agreed, sharing his own frustrations from years in compensation: "When I finally got the data back, I'm like ‘I cared about that in April, it’s now November’." This lag between needing market insights and actually getting them leaves comp teams perpetually behind the curve.

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Breaking free from annual cycles

The Workday-Compa partnership takes aim at one of compensation's most entrenched practices: annual comp surveys. "Traditional annual compensation surveys are outdated," Emily explained. "It's not quick enough to keep pace with these changes that are happening."

Rather than asking compensation teams to manually submit data once a year, the integrated solution automates data exchange between Workday and Compa. This continuous flow enables lightning fast market insights while freeing comp professionals to focus on strategy rather than data preparation.

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Making every pay decision better

Emily explained how integrated market data will also support manager decision-making: "Having more real-time data to say, ‘What's my budget? How much money do I have? If I promote this person, what's going to happen? What are the trade-off decisions I need to make with my team?’"

Workday’s partnership with Compa addresses this by bringing market data directly into key decision points:

• Offer workflows display current market rates
• Job architecture systems update automatically with market changes
• Promotion and internal mobility decisions are informed by up-to-date data
• Location-based pay strategies draw from current market conditions

For comp teams managing global workforces, this integration means faster, more informed decisions about entering new markets or adjusting pay across regions. The partnership also supports companies navigating pay transparency requirements and equity considerations.

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Skills take center stage

A surprising theme emerged around skills-based compensation. While Charlie described himself as "the biggest skills skeptic," he revealed how Compa's approach won him over by being fully automated and market-driven.

"You can take that cluster of skills and see what current market prices are based on level-to-match data in the market," he explained. This capability proves especially valuable for emerging roles (e.g. AI) where traditional job matches don't exist.

The skills focus extends beyond just pricing jobs. Emily highlighted how skills data can inform workforce planning: "Many of us are going into cycles where we're planning for next year. How can compensation teams really have a seat at the table and be prepared with data to inform them based on gaps that you see in the skills you need for your organization?"

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The future of pay practices

Both Charlie and Emily hinted at broader changes ahead for comp practices. Annual merit cycles, which Charlie called "brutal for everybody," may give way to more frequent market-based adjustments.

"We really view this year as the big stay," Emily noted, referencing Workday's recent hiring trends report. This shift in employee behavior demands new approaches to retention and internal mobility — areas where up-to-date market data could prove essential.

The partnership also aims to modernize how companies handle stock compensation and benefits. Charlie emphasized the importance of better equity data: "Companies are competing on crazy program design margins, like vesting schedules and unit types. Some are doing things like switching to cash, changing their frequencies. It's really a wild west and you have to have better data on that."

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Beyond market data

The partnership aims higher than just providing better data. It seeks to elevate compensation teams into strategic business partners. As Charlie explained, compensation teams are "managing literally billions of dollars of spend on its most precious asset, its people."

Emily reinforced this view: “Another big win is being able to be more competitive. And having that confidence of having more competitive job offers right within the flow of work — competitive by geo, competitive by internal versus external candidates. “

This strategic elevation comes at a time when compensation teams face unprecedented challenges. From rapid economic shifts to new workforce models, the need for updated market insights has never been greater. The Workday-Compa partnership positions compensation teams to meet these challenges with better tools and more timely data.

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What's next for Workday and Compa

Companies can expect to see the first demonstrations of the integrated solution in early 2025. The integration will be included at no extra cost for existing customers of both platforms.

"We're absolutely committed to this and we're really excited," Emily shared. Charlie echoed her enthusiasm, describing the partnership as "a full circle moment" that could fundamentally change how companies approach compensation.

The partnership signals more than just a technical integration — it represents a shift in how companies think about compensation data. By replacing surveys with software-delivered market intelligence, Workday and Compa aim to give compensation teams the tools they need to keep pace with today's rapid market changes.

In Charlie's words: "When we're successful, comp teams are going to be far more sophisticated investors in their workforces and produce outcomes that get really exciting for how much faster businesses will be able to move and compete in markets."

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Watch the full recording here to learn all about our partnership with Workday, and read the announcement here.

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