Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT) and its wage and disbursements arm, rapid!, have joined the Workday Partner Program—a move designed to bring earned wage access (EWA) and next-gen payroll solutions directly into the Workday ecosystem.
The partnership positions Green Dot as both a Built on Workday and Innovation Connect Partner, which means seamless integration with Workday Payroll, HCM, and Absence. For employers, that translates into faster, cheaper, and more flexible payout options. For employees, it means the increasingly in-demand ability to access earned wages in real time.
Why It Matters
Payroll has long been one of the least innovative corners of HR tech—slow, costly, and outdated. But the rise of earned wage access is rewriting that script. Workers increasingly expect to be paid like they stream Netflix: on-demand, anytime.
The numbers back it up. A national survey of EWA users found:
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65% of workers say EWA is “very important” to them
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83% rate it as important as a retirement plan
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84% say it helps them pay most bills on time
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63% say it improves their perception of their employer
For HR leaders worried about retention, absenteeism, and employee financial stress, those stats are hard to ignore.
“Employees today expect agile, tech-forward solutions from their employers and seamless access to their earned wages,” said Crystal Bryant-Minter, SVP and GM of wage and corporate disbursement at Green Dot. “We are thrilled to partner with Workday to deliver a smooth experience for businesses and employees alike.”
What Employers Get
Through the partnership, Workday customers can tap into rapid!’s secure, scalable disbursement platform to:
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Deliver real-time earned wage access across employee groups
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Replace outdated payroll methods with secure digital payments
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Handle all payout types—W-2, 1099, tips, missed pay, termination, and bonuses
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Improve financial wellness while reducing turnover and absenteeism
With more than 7,000 businesses already using rapid!’s solutions, the integration with Workday significantly broadens reach. Green Dot’s underlying money movement technology and banking infrastructure ensure payments can be disbursed instantly to any U.S. account.
The Bigger Payroll Shift
This partnership highlights a bigger trend: financial wellness is becoming a frontline HR strategy. Once considered a perk, earned wage access is now viewed by many workers as non-negotiable—on par with retirement plans and life insurance.
For Workday, adding a partner like Green Dot strengthens its position in the payroll tech arms race against rivals like ADP, Paychex, and UKG, which are also pushing flexible pay options. For Green Dot, the partnership offers direct access to Workday’s massive customer base while reinforcing its role as a serious player in payroll modernization.
The bottom line: employers that ignore EWA may find themselves at a disadvantage in both recruiting and retention. With financial stress one of the top drivers of disengagement, flexible pay could quickly move from “nice-to-have” to table stakes.
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Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Public relations, investor relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire for secure and accurate distribution of market-moving news and multimedia. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX network. Business Wire’s global newsrooms are available to meet the needs of communications professionals and news media worldwide.
