Finding a Workday alternative for mid-market businesses

A Workday alternative for mid-market organisations focuses on reducing administrative complexity and high implementation costs while providing the deep people insights usually reserved for global enterprises.

Key takeaways

• Mid-market businesses often find enterprise-grade tools like Workday too complex and expensive for their specific scale.
• True people intelligence requires a balance between automated recruitment and deep personality insights to build high-performing teams.
• Selecting a platform built for 60–1,000 staff ensures you aren't paying for features you'll never use.
• High-performing teams are built on eight core work activities, including Evaluating, Coordinating, and Pioneering.

For many HR leaders in the mid-market, there comes a point where spreadsheets no longer cut it. You need a system that can handle your growing headcount, but you aren't necessarily ready for the 'big ship' complexity of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. This is where the search for a Workday alternative for mid-market teams usually begins.

The challenge is that many tools designed for smaller startups lack the sophistication you need, while enterprise platforms feel like trying to drive a semi-trailer through a suburban street. You end up with a system that is too heavy, too expensive, and – most frustratingly – underutilised by your employees. At Compono, we believe that mid-market businesses deserve enterprise-level intelligence without the enterprise-level headache.

The complexity trap of enterprise software

Enterprise software is often built for organisations with tens of thousands of employees and dedicated teams just to manage the software itself. When a mid-market business adopts these tools, they often fall into the 'complexity trap'. You spend more time configuring modules and training staff than you do actually managing your people's growth and performance.

In a mid-market environment – typically 60–1,000 staff – agility is your greatest asset. You need to be able to pivot your hiring strategy, launch an engagement survey, or identify a leadership gap in an afternoon, not after a three-month consulting project. A Workday alternative for mid-market needs to offer a 'plug-and-play' level of usability while still delivering the data-driven insights that help you compete with the giants.

We often see teams struggle with 'feature bloat'. You pay for advanced payroll integrations across fifty countries when you only operate in two. You pay for complex hierarchical approval chains that just slow down your hiring managers. The goal isn't just to find a different software; it's to find a partner that understands the unique rhythm of a mid-sized business.

Recruitment that scales with your culture

One of the biggest reasons mid-market leaders look for alternatives is the recruitment experience. In a smaller team, every single hire has a massive impact on the culture. You can't afford a 'bad apple', but you also can't afford to let a role sit vacant for six months while you manually sifting through hundreds of resumes.

Modern recruitment should be about more than just tracking applicants. It should be about understanding the 'work personality' of the people you are bringing into the fold. For example, The Pioneer brings imaginative and adaptable problem-solving to a team, but they might struggle if they are dropped into a role that requires the rigid structure of The Auditor.

This is where the right platform makes a difference. Compono Hire helps you automate the heavy lifting of recruitment while using science-backed assessments to ensure every candidate is a cultural and functional fit. By focusing on the unique traits of your applicants, you can build a team that doesn't just do the job, but thrives in your specific environment.

Engagement beyond the annual survey

If you are looking for a Workday alternative for mid-market, you've likely realised that engagement is the engine of your business. In an enterprise setting, engagement is often reduced to a once-a-year 'pulse check' that results in a 50-page report nobody reads. In a mid-sized company, you need to know how people are feeling right now.

Engagement is closely tied to how well team members collaborate. Conflict often arises not because of personality clashes, but because of a lack of understanding of different work styles. If The Evaluator on your team is constantly pushing for data-driven results, they might accidentally steamroll The Helper, who is focused on team harmony and support.

A platform like Compono Engage allows you to see these dynamics in real-time. It moves beyond basic satisfaction scores and looks at the 'Compono Culture, Engagement & Performance Model'. This approach helps you understand the eight key work activities that define high-performing teams, ensuring that your people strategy is based on evidence, not just gut feel. You can learn more about this approach in our guide to The Compono Culture, Engagement & Performance Model.

Developing leaders in a growing business

Mid-market companies often have a 'squeezed' middle management layer. These are the people who were great individual contributors and have now been promoted to lead others. Without the right tools, they often default to a directive leadership style because it feels the most 'efficient' in a busy environment.

However, as we discuss at Compono, leadership exists on a continuum. Sometimes a team needs a democratic approach to spark innovation, and other times they need a non-directive approach to allow highly skilled staff to work autonomously. A true enterprise alternative should provide managers with the 'cheat sheet' they need to lead effectively without requiring them to have a PhD in psychology.

By using personality insights, you can show a manager exactly why a conflict is happening or how to motivate a specific direct report. Compono Develop provides these actionable insights, helping you turn your managers into leaders who can navigate the complexities of a growing business. This level of support is what separates a simple HR tool from a true People Intelligence Platform.

Choosing the right path for your team

When evaluating any Workday alternative for mid-market, ask yourself three questions: Will my team actually use this? Does it provide insights I can't get elsewhere? And will it grow with us without becoming a burden? If the answer to any of these is 'no', you're likely looking at the wrong tool.

The mid-market is a unique space. You have the ambition of a large company but the soul of a small one. Your software should reflect that. It should be sophisticated enough to handle your data but simple enough to stay out of your way. At Compono, we’ve spent over a decade researching what makes teams tick so that you don't have to.

Key insights

• Mid-market HR tools must prioritise ease of use and rapid implementation over endless customisation modules.
• High-performing teams require a mix of all eight work personalities to ensure both strategy and execution are handled effectively.
• The best enterprise alternatives focus on 'people intelligence' – using data to improve how humans actually work together.
• Leadership development in mid-sized firms should be personalised based on the manager's natural tendencies and the team's needs.

Where to from here?

• Explore: Compono Platform
• Talk to an expert: Book in a 15-minute chat to get a walkthrough of Compono.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a Workday alternative better for the mid-market?

A mid-market alternative is typically designed for faster implementation and lower administrative overhead. While enterprise systems require dedicated consultants to maintain, mid-market platforms like Compono are built for HR teams to manage themselves while still receiving deep people intelligence and recruitment automation.

Is it difficult to switch to a new people intelligence platform?

While moving systems is a significant step, mid-market platforms are designed for agility. The focus is on a fresh start with modern workflows, allowing you to establish better hiring and engagement processes going forward without the 'clutter' of legacy enterprise systems.

How does personality testing help with mid-market hiring?

In mid-sized teams, cultural fit is paramount. Personality assessments help you identify if a candidate's natural work style – such as being a Doer or a Campaigner – aligns with the specific needs of the role and the existing team dynamic, reducing the risk of costly mis-hires.

Can a mid-market platform handle complex reporting?

Yes. Modern platforms provide sophisticated analytics on recruitment performance, employee engagement, and team composition. The difference is that mid-market reporting is often more 'actionable', providing clear insights that leaders can use immediately to improve team performance.

Does Compono integrate with other business tools?

Compono is designed to sit at the heart of your people strategy, providing the intelligence that fuels your hiring and development. It focuses on delivering a seamless experience for both HR teams and employees through the People Intelligence Platform.