As Clemson University prepares for its own Workday journey, we’re learning from those who’ve been there before. We sat down with Kimberly Spears-McNatt, Clemson’s Associate Vice President for Public Safety, who experienced a Workday implementation during her time at The Ohio State University. She shared her insights on what worked well, what surprised her most, and how the transition ultimately transformed the way her team worked.
Experience at Ohio State University
Q: Can you tell me a little about your role at Clemson?
A: Currently, I serve as the Associate Vice President for the Department of Public Safety at
Clemson University. Working with my team, we are responsible for safety and security which includes Police, Fire & EMS, Emergency Management and Tiger One.
Q: If different, what was your role at Ohio State?
A: I have proudly served in law enforcement for 30+ years and previously served as Chief of Police for The Ohio State University Police Division.
Q: What was the most significant change in your day-to-day work when Workday launched at Ohio State University?
A: January 2021, we transitioned to Workday. What really stood out were the Cost Centers, which helped with payroll, purchasing and budgeting. It eliminated a lot of redundancies when entering information. For example, once you enter your Cost Center’s information, everything else is basically auto populated*. Since our cost center was tied to the Police Division’s budget and financial reporting, it made it easier to track spending and how resources were allocated.
*Editor’s note: cost center and budget information is auto populated based on parameters built into the system; changes can be made if an expenditure does not align with the defaulted values.
Q: How did Workday influence collaboration or communication within your team at Ohio State?
A: With the university having 40,000 plus faculty and staff members, Workday helped streamline communication. I was instantly able to see which items were pending with procurement and purchasing while eliminating the need to send follow-up emails or chase people down for updates. It also showed clear approval paths for each transaction, which made it easier to ask questions or follow the request from start to finish.
Looking Ahead to Clemson’s Workday Implementation
Q: How do you see Workday helping your department streamline some of the tasks you handle today?
A: Workday will help streamline the process for approving purchases across the Department of Public Safety. In addition, Workday will help my team monitor overtime costs.
Q: How do you think having everything in one system will impact your daily work or the way you support others?
A: It will help with efficiency by having everything in one system. My team will instantly see the status of approvals, leave requests, and transactions without sending e-mails or making follow-up calls.
Q: What benefits do you think faculty and staff will notice first once Workday is in place?
A: Workday allows individuals to monitor spending via cost centers and view budget impacts immediately, if they are responsible for multiple cost centers or areas.
Reflections & Advice
Q: What lessons or best practices from the Ohio State implementation might be helpful as Clemson prepares for go-live?
A: Each department has its own structure, responsibilities, and workflows. Recognizing this, the Workday rollout will need trained staff available during and after the go live period to provide support.
Change can be challenging but hearing from someone who’s already been through it reminds us that it’s also an opportunity for growth and improvement. A big thanks to Kimberly for sharing her experience and perspective! Stay tuned for more stories from across the university as we move forward together on Clemson’s Workday journey.
