Contracts &
Onboarding FAQs

Our services often involve a lot of work at the start of your agreement. This can include site visits, set-up of your documents and systems, and training for you and your team. Creating the foundation of your HR and Health & Safety infrastructure from scratch, and tailoring it to your business, is an extremely resource-heavy process and one we take great care with.

In many cases, we will not have recovered these costs if a contract ends much earlier than planned.

A longer-term contract also lets you spread the cost of that work over several years instead of paying a large amount up front, like you might do with a one off consultant or accreditation body. It also means we can plan our own staffing and support for you over the full period of your contract.

If you prefer a shorter contract, in many cases that is possible, but the monthly price is usually higher because the costs are spread over a shorter time.

Many clients choose auto‑renewal because they want continuous protection and support without needing to go back through internal sign‑off and budget approval every time the contract ends.

Autorenewal helps make sure there is no gap in cover if, for example, a claim or complex employment issue comes up near the end of your term. It also keeps your services running smoothly so your policies, risk management and advice do not suddenly stop. You can also lock in a renewal at the same price as your original contract (excluding RPI increases, and providing you maintain the same services and your employee numbers have remained within the generous growth allowance).

Most of our clients choose to keep auto‑renewal in place because of these benefits.

You can give notice at any time from the start of your contract up until six months before the end of your fixed term.

Because Citation contracts are typically 3 years or longer in duration, this gives lots of opportunity to let us know you don’t want to automatically renew.

If you give notice in this window, your contract will run to the end of the agreed term and then come to a manual renewal instead of auto‑renewing. You may then choose to renew, change, or end your services at that point.

You can give notice in writing by email or letter.

Yes. You can ask us to turn off auto‑renewal while you continue to use the service for the rest of your fixed term.

If you do this, you will still receive the same day‑to‑day support, but you will not roll straight into a new term at the end of your contract. You may also lose some benefits that come with auto‑renewal, such as locking in the same price as your original contract (minus RPI increases), a seamless renewal process and the ability to keep the same terms without fresh negotiation.

Consumer style cooling off periods (for example 14 days to change your mind) don’t usually apply to B2B contracts like ours.

That is because the law treats contracts between businesses differently from contracts with individual consumers. If you are unsure about any part of your agreement before you sign, we strongly recommend you ask questions and make sure you understand the terms that will apply to your business.

No. Our terms and conditions are kept as clear and short as we reasonably can. They usually cover only a small number of pages. Like any contract, they are designed to protect both your business and ours. We always recommend that you read the terms and conditions in full before signing any agreement, and ask your salesperson or usual contact if anything is unclear.

If your contract is set to auto‑renew and you haven’t given notice, your service will renew for a further term as set out in your agreement. This helps keep your cover continuous and avoids any breaks in support.

If you have given notice in time, your contract will instead go through a manual renewal process. We will discuss your options with you, which may include renewing on the same terms, changing your services, or ending the relationship at the end of the fixed term. You will lose benefits like locking in your original contract cost (minus RPI).

If you are unsure what will happen at your renewal, please contact us well before the last six months of your term so we can talk you through it.

Once your contract is signed and approved, our Client Success team will get in touch right away to welcome you and understand your goals and needs.

They will talk with you about your business, the services you have bought, and any key risks or priorities you already know about. They will also explain the next steps in your onboarding, such as training, system access and any site visits.

Onboarding times can vary depending on:

• how many services you have bought (for example HR, health and safety, ISO, etc.)
• how big and complex your organisation is
• how quickly we can arrange meetings and training with your team.

Some clients with simpler needs can move through the early stages quite quickly, while larger or multi‑site organisations may take longer so we can do things properly. In all cases, we aim to get you up and running as soon as possible while keeping quality and safety in mind.

Your welcome contact will explain what to expect for your specific package.

We aim to give you access and arrange your first training session soon after your contract is activated, often within the first few days.

You will usually:

• receive login details
• complete a simple set‑up “wizard” to add key details about your business
• be offered live 1-1 training or webinars so you can learn how to use Atlas day to day.

Our aim is that you can start using Atlas as soon as possible, while we complete other parts of your onboarding (like setting up your documentation).

If your package includes HR or Health & Safety documentation, we will arrange an initial meeting or site visit (in person or virtual) with a consultant.

They will:

• review your current documentation (if you have any in place)
• help identify any gaps
• support you in putting in place documents and practices that fit your business and meet legal requirements.

A specialist documentation team will work on drafting or updating your core documents, such as handbooks, contracts and policies. Your Client Success contact will keep you updated as this work progresses.

To get the best from your service, there are some things you will need to do, such as:

• providing information about your business, staff and sites
• attending training sessions or webinars
• logging in to Atlas and adding key details
• reviewing and approving draft documents.

The more time and attention you put in at the start, the more value you are likely to get from the service over the life of your contract.

You will have:

• a Client Success contact or team to coordinate your onboarding and be your first port of call for questions
• access to dedicated trainers for Atlas and other digital tools
• access to advisory teams (through the HR and Health & Safety advice lines) once your service is live
• access to consultants for site visits, consultations and documentation

We also offer regular webinars, guides and other learning resources to help you and your team use the service confidently.

Our services sit somewhere between a software subscription and a traditional consultancy or insurance style protection.

You are not only paying for access to a system; you are also paying for expert advice, tailored documents, risk management and support when things go wrong. That is why contract lengths and terms may differ from simple month to month software licences.