What the Workday Lawsuit Means for UK & EU Teams

While most of the narrative around the recent Workday vs Mobley case is understandably focused on the U.S., I wanted to step back and look at it from a UK/EU perspective.

The case itself centres on alleged discrimination by Workday’s AI-powered hiring tools. Specifically against Black, disabled, and older applicants. It’s early days, but the legal framing is significant: algorithmic bias, accountability, and shared responsibility between vendor and employer.

Here in the UK and EU, those same issues are now codified in law.

• The EU AI Act came into force in August 2024.
• The ICO has already audited recruitment AI tools and published clear expectations around fairness, transparency, and lawful basis.
• AI systems used in hiring are explicitly classified as high-risk and that means both providers and users are in scope.

To help frame the conversation, I’ve put together a short briefing that explores what this case means for recruitment and HR teams here and what actions are needed across short, medium, and long-term planning horizons.