Toothfairy urges flexible, health-led benefits as retention tool 

Toothfairy is making the case for modern, flexible employee benefits as a core lever for retention. The digital dentistry provider, argues that dental access, wellbeing support and visible career development now matter as much as base pay in a tight labour market. 

In a long-form guide published on 28 October 2025, Toothfairy links retention to five pillars; onboarding, career development, recognition, benefits and wellbeing and feedback, setting out practical actions for employers from structured 90-day onboarding plans to regular “stay” interviews. The guide frames retention as a business risk, noting the operational cost of turnover and the drag on productivity when teams backfill, recruit and train replacements. 

The company says UK employers face a challenging backdrop, citing figures that put average staff turnover at 15 per cent in spring 2025 and claim that replacing an employee typically costs six to nine months’ salary. It also points to survey findings that 63 per cent of UK leavers cite a lack of learning and advancement, and that 48 per cent of workers are considering quitting within a year, statistics Toothfairy uses to argue for visible development pathways and routine, forward-looking coaching conversations. 

A central argument is that compensation alone is no longer decisive. Toothfairy advocates flexible, choice-based benefits aligned to life stages, hybrid work, enhanced leave, mental health support and practical health perks, positioning on-demand dental care as a high-value option alongside financial wellbeing tools and personalised learning budgets. The guide contrasts “traditional” benefits with a “modern” menu approach, encouraging employers to let staff select what they value rather than offer one size fits all. 

Recommended leadership behaviours include inviting dissent in meetings, normalising “smart failures” to encourage innovation, and making recognition timely, specific and public, ranging from peer shout-outs to LinkedIn recommendations and occasional time off after intense projects. Toothfairy argues that frequent, two-way feedback via pulse surveys, suggestion channels and stay interviews, helps resolve small issues before they become reasons to leave. 

On development, the guide calls for clear progression maps (including specialist tracks, not just management), targeted skills training, mentorship schemes and cross-functional projects. It urges employers to celebrate promotions and qualifications publicly to make growth feel tangible and to signal that the organisation is a place to build a career. 

To make the business case, Toothfairy cites headline statistics asserting that 93 per cent of employees are more likely to stay when employers invest in career growth, and that two-thirds of candidates would accept lower pay for a stronger benefits package. While the guide does not detail underlying sources in the text provided, the thrust is consistent with a broader shift towards personalised benefits and culture-first retention strategies across the UK market. 

For the workplace wellbeing community, the takeaway is twofold: first, retention is won or lost in everyday practices, manager check-ins, visible development and psychological safety, rather than annual cycles; second, benefit design should prioritise flexibility and practical value, with health access (including dentistry) embedded alongside mental, financial and family support.