diff --git a/kernel/workqueue.c b/kernel/workqueue.c
index 5cfc04dd05ad..1659cd4a36c6 100644
--- a/kernel/workqueue.c
+++ b/kernel/workqueue.c
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ struct workqueue_struct {
 	int			saved_max_active; /* WQ: saved max_active */
 
 	struct workqueue_attrs	*unbound_attrs;	/* PW: only for unbound wqs */
-	struct pool_workqueue __rcu *dfl_pwq;   /* PW: only for unbound wqs */
+	struct pool_workqueue	*dfl_pwq;	/* PW: only for unbound wqs */
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SYSFS
 	struct wq_device	*wq_dev;	/* I: for sysfs interface */
@@ -635,23 +635,6 @@ static int worker_pool_assign_id(struct worker_pool *pool)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static struct pool_workqueue __rcu **
-unbound_pwq_slot(struct workqueue_struct *wq, int cpu)
-{
-       if (cpu >= 0)
-               return per_cpu_ptr(wq->cpu_pwq, cpu);
-       else
-               return &wq->dfl_pwq;
-}
-
-/* @cpu < 0 for dfl_pwq */
-static struct pool_workqueue *unbound_pwq(struct workqueue_struct *wq, int cpu)
-{
-	return rcu_dereference_check(*unbound_pwq_slot(wq, cpu),
-				     lockdep_is_held(&wq_pool_mutex) ||
-				     lockdep_is_held(&wq->mutex));
-}
-
 static unsigned int work_color_to_flags(int color)
 {
 	return color << WORK_STRUCT_COLOR_SHIFT;
@@ -4341,11 +4324,10 @@ static void wq_calc_pod_cpumask(struct workqueue_attrs *attrs, int cpu,
 				"possible intersect\n");
 }
 
-/* install @pwq into @wq and return the old pwq, @cpu < 0 for dfl_pwq */
+/* install @pwq into @wq's cpu_pwq and return the old pwq */
 static struct pool_workqueue *install_unbound_pwq(struct workqueue_struct *wq,
 					int cpu, struct pool_workqueue *pwq)
 {
-	struct pool_workqueue __rcu **slot = unbound_pwq_slot(wq, cpu);
 	struct pool_workqueue *old_pwq;
 
 	lockdep_assert_held(&wq_pool_mutex);
@@ -4354,8 +4336,8 @@ static struct pool_workqueue *install_unbound_pwq(struct workqueue_struct *wq,
 	/* link_pwq() can handle duplicate calls */
 	link_pwq(pwq);
 
-	old_pwq = rcu_access_pointer(*slot);
-	rcu_assign_pointer(*slot, pwq);
+	old_pwq = rcu_access_pointer(*per_cpu_ptr(wq->cpu_pwq, cpu));
+	rcu_assign_pointer(*per_cpu_ptr(wq->cpu_pwq, cpu), pwq);
 	return old_pwq;
 }
 
@@ -4455,11 +4437,14 @@ static void apply_wqattrs_commit(struct apply_wqattrs_ctx *ctx)
 
 	copy_workqueue_attrs(ctx->wq->unbound_attrs, ctx->attrs);
 
-	/* save the previous pwqs and install the new ones */
+	/* save the previous pwq and install the new one */
 	for_each_possible_cpu(cpu)
 		ctx->pwq_tbl[cpu] = install_unbound_pwq(ctx->wq, cpu,
 							ctx->pwq_tbl[cpu]);
-	ctx->dfl_pwq = install_unbound_pwq(ctx->wq, -1, ctx->dfl_pwq);
+
+	/* @dfl_pwq might not have been used, ensure it's linked */
+	link_pwq(ctx->dfl_pwq);
+	swap(ctx->wq->dfl_pwq, ctx->dfl_pwq);
 
 	mutex_unlock(&ctx->wq->mutex);
 }
@@ -4569,7 +4554,9 @@ static void wq_update_pod(struct workqueue_struct *wq, int cpu,
 
 	/* nothing to do if the target cpumask matches the current pwq */
 	wq_calc_pod_cpumask(target_attrs, cpu, off_cpu);
-	if (wqattrs_equal(target_attrs, unbound_pwq(wq, cpu)->pool->attrs))
+	pwq = rcu_dereference_protected(*per_cpu_ptr(wq->cpu_pwq, cpu),
+					lockdep_is_held(&wq_pool_mutex));
+	if (wqattrs_equal(target_attrs, pwq->pool->attrs))
 		return;
 
 	/* create a new pwq */
@@ -4587,11 +4574,10 @@ static void wq_update_pod(struct workqueue_struct *wq, int cpu,
 
 use_dfl_pwq:
 	mutex_lock(&wq->mutex);
-	pwq = unbound_pwq(wq, -1);
-	raw_spin_lock_irq(&pwq->pool->lock);
-	get_pwq(pwq);
-	raw_spin_unlock_irq(&pwq->pool->lock);
-	old_pwq = install_unbound_pwq(wq, cpu, pwq);
+	raw_spin_lock_irq(&wq->dfl_pwq->pool->lock);
+	get_pwq(wq->dfl_pwq);
+	raw_spin_unlock_irq(&wq->dfl_pwq->pool->lock);
+	old_pwq = install_unbound_pwq(wq, cpu, wq->dfl_pwq);
 out_unlock:
 	mutex_unlock(&wq->mutex);
 	put_pwq_unlocked(old_pwq);
@@ -4629,13 +4615,10 @@ static int alloc_and_link_pwqs(struct workqueue_struct *wq)
 
 	cpus_read_lock();
 	if (wq->flags & __WQ_ORDERED) {
-		struct pool_workqueue *dfl_pwq;
-
 		ret = apply_workqueue_attrs(wq, ordered_wq_attrs[highpri]);
 		/* there should only be single pwq for ordering guarantee */
-		dfl_pwq = rcu_access_pointer(wq->dfl_pwq);
-		WARN(!ret && (wq->pwqs.next != &dfl_pwq->pwqs_node ||
-			      wq->pwqs.prev != &dfl_pwq->pwqs_node),
+		WARN(!ret && (wq->pwqs.next != &wq->dfl_pwq->pwqs_node ||
+			      wq->pwqs.prev != &wq->dfl_pwq->pwqs_node),
 		     "ordering guarantee broken for workqueue %s\n", wq->name);
 	} else {
 		ret = apply_workqueue_attrs(wq, unbound_std_wq_attrs[highpri]);
@@ -4866,7 +4849,7 @@ static bool pwq_busy(struct pool_workqueue *pwq)
 		if (pwq->nr_in_flight[i])
 			return true;
 
-	if ((pwq != rcu_access_pointer(pwq->wq->dfl_pwq)) && (pwq->refcnt > 1))
+	if ((pwq != pwq->wq->dfl_pwq) && (pwq->refcnt > 1))
 		return true;
 	if (!pwq_is_empty(pwq))
 		return true;
@@ -4950,12 +4933,13 @@ void destroy_workqueue(struct workqueue_struct *wq)
 	rcu_read_lock();
 
 	for_each_possible_cpu(cpu) {
-		put_pwq_unlocked(unbound_pwq(wq, cpu));
-		RCU_INIT_POINTER(*unbound_pwq_slot(wq, cpu), NULL);
+		pwq = rcu_access_pointer(*per_cpu_ptr(wq->cpu_pwq, cpu));
+		RCU_INIT_POINTER(*per_cpu_ptr(wq->cpu_pwq, cpu), NULL);
+		put_pwq_unlocked(pwq);
 	}
 
-	put_pwq_unlocked(unbound_pwq(wq, -1));
-	RCU_INIT_POINTER(*unbound_pwq_slot(wq, -1), NULL);
+	put_pwq_unlocked(wq->dfl_pwq);
+	wq->dfl_pwq = NULL;
 
 	rcu_read_unlock();
 }