The manager sync plugin allows manager relationships to sync automatically from Workday into Deel via the HRIS field mapping interface. Once configured, Deel's manager field stays up to date without manual intervention, keeping org charts accurate and ensuring approval workflows, such as time-off route to the correct manager.
In this article
- Before you begin
- How it works
- Step 1: Audit existing manager profiles
- Step 3: Trigger a sync and validate
- Troubleshooting
- Known limitations
Before you begin
Before starting the manager sync setup, make sure you have completed the required parts of the common connection setup. If you haven't done this yet, go to How to connect Workday GPC to Deel first.
Parts 1 and 2 of the common setup must be complete before continuing:
- Part 1: Connecting Workday to Deel - creating an ISU, setting up security groups, an API client, tokens, and connecting to Deel
- Part 2: Setting up DCoD - integration system, external payroll vendor, and vendor mapping
The Global Payroll - People Data Sync plugin must be enabled, and at least one sync must have run.
How it works
When a sync runs, Deel reads the manager.providerId value from each employee's Workday record and looks for a matching Deel profile with that employee number. If a match is found, the manager relationship is set automatically in Deel.
| Scenario | Result |
| Both employee and manager are synced from Workday | ✅ Manager is automatically assigned in Deel |
| Manager exists only as a manually created Deel profile | ❌ Manager cannot be matched — the relationship will not sync |
Step 1: Audit existing manager profiles
Before enabling the sync, check whether any current managers in Deel were created manually rather than synced from Workday.
Manually created manager profiles will not be matched by the sync. These profiles will need to be migrated to Workday-synced profiles before the sync can auto-assign their direct reports. Work with your Deel representative if you need assistance with this migration.
Step 2: Map the manager field
- In Deel, go to the HRIS field mapping interface.
- Scroll to the Manager section at the bottom of the screen.
- Map the manager.providerId field from Workday to Deel's manager field.
- Save your changes.
The Manager section is a hard-coded section in the mapping UI. It will not auto-populate. You must configure it manually.
Step 3: Trigger a sync and validate
- From the integration's main page, click Sync Workday GPC to trigger a manual sync.
- Check a sample of workers to confirm their manager assignments have populated correctly in Deel.
- Validate against your org chart to catch any mismatches.
Troubleshooting
A manager is not being assigned to their direct reports
Check whether the manager's profile in Deel was manually created rather than synced from Workday. This is the most common cause. Manually created profiles cannot be matched by the sync.
The organisation has a mix of Workday-synced and manually created managers
Manually created manager profiles will not be matched. The client needs to either migrate those managers to Workday-synced profiles or accept that those relationships will not sync automatically.
A manager relationship was set manually in Deel and then updated in Workday
As long as both profiles are Workday-synced, the next sync will update the relationship in Deel to reflect the change in Workday.
Does manager sync affect payroll?
No. The manager field is not a Global Payroll field. This feature only affects Deel HR features such as org charts and time-off approval routing.
Known limitations
- Manually created manager profiles in Deel cannot be matched via the sync, even if the employee number matches
- Manager sync is only available for clients on the Workday DCoD integration path
- Payroll-related manager logic is out of scope for this feature