Onboarding is one of the most important moments in an employee’s journey, and contracts play a big role in this process. They outline job responsibilities, benefits, and compliance requirements. While managing these agreements can be time-consuming for HR teams, the effort pays off: 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for at least three years if they experience great onboarding, according to the Harvard Business Review.

When the contracting process is simplified, onboarding becomes smoother, enabling HR teams to focus on helping employees feel confident about their new role. This strong start doesn’t just help employees settle in—it lays the foundation for long-term engagement and retention.

Contracts continue to play a role in retention by building trust, setting expectations, and giving employees confidence at their first touchpoint.

As Forbes explains, “The onboarding process is your first and best opportunity to build a strong relationship with a new employee. When done well, it can improve retention and engagement significantly.” When contracts provide clarity from the start, they lay the foundation for a positive experience that continues well beyond onboarding.

Effective contract management supports retention by helping HR teams:

• Communicate benefits clearly, so employees know what they can rely on.
• Address workplace accommodations early, showing employees they’re valued and supported.
• Keep performance expectations transparent, so employees know what’s expected and how to succeed.

When contracts are well-managed, they give employees confidence and help HR create a culture of trust and support.

HR and legal teams often juggle a lot when it comes to managing contracts, from organizing agreements to ensuring they stay accurate and compliant. This work is time-consuming and can pull attention away from what matters most: supporting employees.

Contract intelligence changes that. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify how HR teams manage contracts. By centralizing agreements, flagging missing details, and automating repetitive tasks, it makes managing contracts faster and easier.

For HR teams, this means:

• Clarity: Quickly find key terms like start dates, benefits, or accommodations.
• Compliance: Stay up to date by identifying outdated or inconsistent clauses.
• Efficiency: Automate time-consuming tasks so HR teams can focus on people instead of paperwork.

Contract intelligence helps HR teams deliver better onboarding and retention strategies by taking the guesswork out of managing agreements.

• During onboarding, it eliminates delays by flagging incomplete documents and providing quick access to the details new hires need to feel confident from the start.
• For retention, it ensures benefits, accommodations, and performance expectations are clear and consistent, so employees feel valued and supported throughout their journey.

The Iowa Hospital Association transformed its contract management by centralizing agreements and eliminating silos that had previously caused inefficiencies. By implementing contract intelligence, the organization gained complete visibility into over 1,300 agreements and automated workflows that streamlined the review and approval process. These changes saved significant time and allowed teams to focus on more strategic tasks.

For HR teams, this kind of efficiency means having contracts and agreements readily accessible during onboarding and compliance preparation. With fewer delays and greater clarity, they can focus on creating a welcoming onboarding experience, strengthening employee relationships, and supporting organizational goals.

By simplifying processes and improving accessibility, contract intelligence equips teams to build future-ready organizations where employees feel supported at every step.

Contract intelligence is helping HR and legal teams simplify how they manage agreements, freeing up time to focus on building meaningful connections with employees. If this sounds like something that could benefit your team, we invite you to continue your learning journey. Explore what contract intelligence is and discover how it’s already making the contract and agreement process simpler, faster, and smarter by exploring customer stories.