This article provides Contract Managers with instructions on how to Assign or withdraw a contract through the contract module and understand the different status's of contracts.
⚠️To be able to access the contract module a user must have a Contract Manager security profile applied to their account.
How to Assign a Contract
To assign a contract:
1. Click on Contracts in the left navigation bar.
2. Click on Assign in the top right of the screen.
3. Search and select the employee name. Search and select the contract template to be assigned (this would already be in the contract library).
4. If an (optional) approver is required, click on + Add approver button. Search and select by name. These users must review and approve the contract before it can be sent to the assigned user for acceptance.
5. To proceed to the next step, click on the Next button in the bottom right
6. Modify the contract body if needed and fill out any custom placeholders required. Enter a start date. To proceed to the next step, click on the Next button.
7. On the final creation step:
Preview the contract content.
Modify the File name if required.
Submit the contract workflow.
How to Approve a contract
Once a contract workflow has been submitted the approvers listed will need to review and approve this. To approve a contract:
1. Click on Contracts in the left navigation bar.
2. Click on View.
3. Review the contract.
To approve the contract, click on the Approve button. Click Approve in the pop-up box to confirm the contract has been read and verified:
b. To reject the contract, click on the Reject button and provide the reason the pop-up box:
4. Once all approvers have performed these steps the contract will appear for the assigned user when they sign into the system.
When can you withdraw a contract?
Contract Managers have the ability to withdraw contracts when they are in one of the following statuses:
Pending Approval: Contract is awaiting approval via the approval workflow
Pending employee response: Contract is awaiting action from the assigned employee
Waiting for Notification: User account has not yet been activated or notified
How to withdraw a contract
1. Click on Contracts in the left navigation bar.
2. Locate the contract you wish to withdraw
3. Click on the ellipsis menu next to the View button and select Withdraw
4. Enter a withdraw reason if applicable and select Withdraw
5. Once withdrawn the contract will appear under the Active tab and can be further Edited or Archived
📝Editing the withdrawn contract allows the Contract Manager to submit the contract again using updated details such as Contract Template, Approver/s and Contract Content.
Reason for withdrawing
The Contract Manager has the option to enter a reason for withdrawing a contract, which can be viewed from the Contract Management page or when editing the contract once withdrawn. If a reason has been provided, a 'View Comment' option will be available to the Contract Manager.
The withdrawal reason can be viewed under the View History Log option in the Assignments page
Or when editing the assignment
📝If no reason has been provided for withdrawing a contract, the 'Show Comment' option will not appear.
Notifications
Each notification can be setup under Administration → General → Notifications and will trigger once a contract has been withdrawn.
Notification trigger name | Description | Trigger action |
Contract Workflow - Withdraw - Employee | An email sent to the Employee to advise them that their Contract has been withdrawn. | A contract is withdrawn at 'Waiting for Employee' status. |
Contract Workflow - Withdraw - Contract Manager | An email sent to the Approver to advise them that the Contract which is awaiting their approval/was approved has been withdrawn. | A contract is withdrawn at any of these statuses:
|
Contract Workflow - Contract Approver Approved | When contract approver approves the contract approval request | Contract approver has approved the contract request |
Contract Workflow - Contract Approver Rejected | When contract approver rejects the contract approval request | Contract approver has rejected the contract request |
Contract Workflow - Employee Accepted | When employee accepted the contract(s) | Contract has been Accepted by the Employee |
Contract Workflow - Employee Rejected | When employee rejected the contract(s) | Contract has been Rejected by the Employee |
Contract Workflow - Waiting For Contract Approval | When contract manager creates a new contract for approval or pass the workflow to next approver | When a contract is assigned to an employee and one or more approvers are added to the workflow. |
Troubleshooting Common Issues
An employee's name isn't appearing when I try to assign a contract.
This usually happens for one of two reasons:
The employee already has a contract assigned to them that is awaiting action (e.g., waiting for their approval or a manager's approval). An employee can only have one active contract workflow at a time. Check the 'Active' and 'Completed' tabs in the Contracts module to find the pending contract. It must be withdrawn, accepted, or rejected before a new one can be assigned.
The contract template you're trying to use has a different 'Category' than the employee's user type. For example, a contract set to 'Onboarding' can only be assigned to an onboarding user, not a 'General' user. To assign it to any user, change the template's category to 'Common'.
The 'Accept' button is greyed out for an employee.
For an employee to accept a contract, they must complete three steps on the acceptance page:
1. Download the contract document.
2. Type their full name exactly as it appears in their profile.
3. Tick the “I understand and agree” confirmation box.
It is also recommended that employees accept contracts on a desktop or laptop computer rather than a mobile device for the best experience.
An employee can't see their assigned contract.
If an employee reports this, their first step should be to log out and log back in. If the contract still doesn't appear on their home screen, ask them to try the following:
Clear their browser's cache and cookies.
Navigate to another page in ELMO, such as their 'Profile', which should trigger the contract pop-up.
Use the direct link to the contract approval page:
[YourElmoURL]/contract/approval.
A contract's status is 'Waiting for Notification'.
This status means the user's account has been created but they haven't been sent their activation email yet. To resolve this, navigate to Administration → General → Users, find the user, and click Notify User from the actions dropdown. For onboarding users, you can do this via Administration → Onboarding → Onboarding Users.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I issue the same contract to many employees at once?+
Currently, contracts must be assigned individually. There isn't a bulk-assignment feature available in the module.
Can I edit a contract after I've sent it for approval?+
No. Once a contract is submitted for approval, it cannot be edited. If you find a mistake, you need to withdraw the current workflow, make your corrections, and then re-assign it.
How can I view contracts for employees who have left the company?+
To see contracts for inactive users, navigate to Administration → General → Security Profiles. Edit the security profile that has contract access (e.g., Contract Manager), go to the Filter tab, and tick the Inactive checkbox. Remember to click Confirm in the Summary tab to apply the changes.
Can managers see their team's contracts?+
By default, managers cannot see their employees' contracts. You can grant them access by adding them to the Contract (Read Only) security profile. Be aware that this profile typically grants access to all user contracts, not just their direct reports. To restrict access, you would need to apply specific filters (e.g., by department or position) within that security profile's settings.
How do I add an electronic signature to a contract?+
To enable eSignatures, add the ::SIGNATURE:: placeholder to your contract template where you want the signature to appear. When the employee accepts the contract, a box will appear allowing them to either draw or type their signature.
Can approvers also electronically sign the contract?+
No, the eSignature feature is only for the employee who is accepting the contract. Approvers can leave comments during the approval process, but their signature is not captured on the document. The approval itself is recorded in the contract's activity log.
Why did the date on the contract change after it was signed?+
The standard ::DATE:: placeholder updates every time the contract status changes (e.g., when created, approved, and accepted). If you need the creation date to remain static, it's best to create a custom placeholder (e.g., @@ISSUEDATE@@) and manually enter the date when you assign the contract.