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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-05-01
Set Up Step Progression Notifications

Set Up Step Progression Notifications

Security, in the Core Compensation functional area:
  • The
    Process: Within Grade Increase
     domain to access the
    Edit Step Progression Configuration
     task.
  • The
    Worker Data: Step Progression Target
     domain to view an employee's
    Next Step Progression Target
     date in the
    View Compensation
     task.
Configure the default definition and business process security policy for the
Within Grade Increase Notification
 business process. See Edit Business Processes and Edit Business Process Security Policies.
Workday enables you to keep managers informed of upcoming automatic step progressions with notifications for both eligible and ineligible workers. In these notifications, managers can grant or withhold workers’ automatic step progression.
Workers are considered eligible if they:
  1. Meet the configured
    Performance Rating Threshold
    .
  2. Spend the required time in their current step.
  1. Access the
    Edit Step Progression Configuration
     task.
    As you complete the
    Within Grade Increase
     section, consider:
    Option
    Description
    Step Progression Notification Time Frame (in days)
    Enter the amount of calendar days you want Workday to check ahead for scheduled step progressions to notify you of.
    Example: You want to be notified of step progressions scheduled to occur 60 days in the future.
    Performance Rating Threshold
    Select the minimum performance rating an employee must achieve to be considered eligible for automatic step progression.
    Quality Step Increase Reason Code
    Step Progression Effective Date
    Select the option for when the automatic step progression will take place. This date is reflected on the
    Next Step Progression Target Date
     field in the Compensation section of a worker’s profile.
    Example: An employee is eligible for step progression on a Thursday, and pay periods begin on Mondays. You select the
    Start of Next Pay Period
     option to automatically progress the employee to the next step on the following Monday.
    Enable Action for Eligible Within Grade Increase Notifications
    Select this check box to display the
    Grant
     and
    Withhold
     options on the step progression notification for eligible workers.
    If you don't select this check box, managers will still receive a step progression notification for eligible workers; however, eligible workers will progress automatically through the within grade increase cycle without requiring a manager’s approval.
    Step progression notifications for ineligible workers will always display the
    Grant
     and
    Withhold
     options.
    Override Eligible Within Grade Increase Notification Header Text
    Override Ineligible Within Grade Increase Notification Header Text
    Enter the header text you want to display on step progression notifications for eligible and ineligible workers, depending on your organization’s requirements. If left blank, Workday displays the default header text.
    The default header text for ineligible notifications is:
    Action Required - Within Grade Increase Ineligibility Confirmation.
    The default header text for eligible notifications is:
    Your employee is scheduled to receive an upcoming Within Grade Increase on [date].
  2. Access the
    Schedule Within Grade Increase Notification
     task.
    Configure when and how often managers receive notifications of upcoming worker step progressions.
Users configured in the security policy of the
Within Grade Increase Notification
 business process will receive 2 types of step progression notifications in their
My Tasks
 inbox based on your schedule and business process configuration: 1 for eligible workers who meet the performance threshold and time spent in their current step, and 1 for ineligible workers who do not meet these criteria. Users can grant or withhold the step progression of a worker who does not meet the criteria. If you’ve selected the
Enable Action for Eligible Within Grade Increase Notifications
 checkbox, users can grant or withhold the step progression of an eligible worker who meets the criteria.
If a manager withholds a worker’s step progression, the worker is removed from automatic step progression, and the
Next Step Progression Target
 field in the Compensation section of their profile will be empty.
If a manager takes no action on the step progression notification of an ineligible worker, the worker is excluded from automatic step progression, and the
Next Step Progression Target
 field in the Compensation section of their profile will be empty. If a manager takes no action on the step progression notification of an eligible worker, the worker is included in automatic step progression whether or not you have selected the
Enable Action for Eligible Within Grade Increase Notifications
 checkbox.
A worker automatically progresses to the next step when:
  1. A manager grants their step progression on the step progression notification.
  2. Your automatic step progression schedule runs on or after the worker's
    Next Step Progression Target Date
    .
To remain up to date on all upcoming scheduled step progressions, you configure the notification schedule to notify you on the first of every month of worker step progressions scheduled to occur within the next 30 days. You've configured the business process to notify you of both eligible and ineligible employees. Employees who receive a performance rating below 3 do not automatically progress to their next step, and you can grant or withhold their progression.
Run the
All Within Grade Increase Notification Events
 report to view a complete list of notification events.
Workday recommends you schedule automatic step progression to occur daily to progress approved workers’ steps as soon as they’re eligible for step progression.
Reinstate the automatic step progression of workers whose step progression was withheld. You can reinstate workers’ automatic step progression through:
  • The
    Request Compensation Change
     process.
  • The
    Request Step Progression Date Override
     process.
  • Any other compensation business process that includes the
    Guidelines
     tasklet.
After you reinstate a worker’s automatic step progression, they receive a new progression start date that will in turn populate their
Next Step Progression Target Date
 with an updated date.
You can manually override a worker's
Next Step Progression Target Date
. See Set Up Step Progression Date Override