Employees can ask for what they need in plain language, then Sana checks the company's policies, permissions, and approvals, and brings in the right Workday agents to get the work done.
For example, a business leader can ask Sana inside Microsoft Copilot to model a planning decision. Sana checks permissions, uses company data to compare the options, and saves the chosen plan to Workday with a full audit trail. If approval is needed, Sana gathers the context first and gives the manager a clear recommendation to act on.
Employees no longer have to file a ticket, chase an answer, or figure out which system to open, and companies are able to stay in control of their data, policies, and approvals. It is the next step beyond the self-service capabilities already available in these tools, from getting an answer to getting the work done.
"People shouldn't have to leave a conversation to access HR or finance domain AI agents, or to get the work done," said Joel Hellermark, chief AI officer, Workday. "Wherever that conversation happens, Sana brings the same understanding of a company's people, money, and rules that it has inside Workday, and the same team of agents to act on it."
Sana Applies Company Rules Before Acting
Sana is more than a connector. Third-party AI tools and platforms never get raw access to Workday data – they can now access this data through Sana, and Sana does the reasoning, applies each company's own permissions, approvals, and policies, and carries out the work so actions are lawful by design and recorded, regardless of the tool it started in. Workday introduced self-service capabilities in these tools earlier this year, giving employees a fast way to ask a question and get an answer. With Sana, these experiences now move beyond answers:
- An employee asks for a specific outcome, and Sana coordinates the right Workday agents and tools behind the scenes to complete the work, without requiring the employee to know which agent handles what.
- Sana can also spot certain issues before an employee asks for help. For example, after a business trip, Sana can flag an unfiled expense in Claude, apply the company policy, and prepare the expense report for review. The employee can confirm it from the conversation and get back to work.
One Connection Brings Workday Agents into the Tools Employees Already Use
Customers do not need to connect every tool to every agent one by one. With Sana, a single connection brings agents – whether they are built by Workday, a customer, or a partner – into the tools and platforms employees already use.
When Workday adds a new capability, it shows up across connected tools without employees having to learn a new system. Policy checks and approvals stay anchored in Workday, so work can start in any connected AI tool while the company's controls remain in place.
Sana Keeps Complex Work Moving
Some work requires more than a single question and answer. Open enrollment, performance reviews, closing the quarter, and workforce planning all involve many people, steps, and decisions that unfold over time.
For that work, Sana provides a home experience where employees and managers can see what is happening, pick up where they left off, and keep the work moving. Work can start in any tool, move into Sana when a richer view is needed, and return to the employee's flow of work with context intact.
Availability
- Self-service with Sana is generally available today in Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise, Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. Sana will be available on those platforms in late 2026.
- Sana in Claude Cowork is available today in early access.
- Sana in Copilot Cowork is expected to be available in early access in late 2026.
For More Information
- Read about how Sana brings the agentic experience to every employee.
- Learn how Workday's Autopilot Agents get real work done across HR, Finance, and IT.
- Register and attend Workday Rising sessions in the digital program:
- Innovation Keynote [26-KEY2], Oct. 13 at 8:45am PT.
- AI: Strategy & Vision [26-PSVIT2745], Oct. 13 at 3:15pm PT.
About Workday
Workday operates at the heart of the enterprise – HR, finance, and IT – where the margin for error is effectively zero. By tightly coupling AI with the context, guardrails, and trusted processes that run the business, Workday goes beyond AI that assists with work to agents that are capable of driving measurable outcomes. More than 11,500 organizations worldwide, including more than 65% of the Fortune 500, trust Workday to deliver. 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 brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
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 only on currently available information and our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Risks include, but are not limited to, risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including our most recent report on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K and other reports that we have filed and will file with the SEC from time to time. Workday assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release, except as required by law.
Any unreleased services, features, or functions referenced in this document are subject to change at Workday's discretion and may not be delivered as planned or at all. Customers should make purchase decisions based on services, features, and functions that are currently available.
SOURCE Workday Inc.
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