Save Money, Build Loyalty & Keep Your Team Happy
Recruitment is loud. Retention is quiet. One drains your bank account, the other saves your business.”
Why keeping great people matters more than replacing them — especially in wellbeing.
By Samantha Newton, HR Consultant, Ethical Practice Advocate & unapologetic HR Queen
Why This Series Matters
The wellbeing sector isn’t built on tech, premises or stock. It’s built on people. Clients don’t just buy treatments or classes, they buy the connection with the practitioner who delivers them. When staff leave, it’s not just a gap on the rota, it’s a fracture in trust.
Recruitment is noisy and costly. Retention is quiet but powerful. Yet too often, businesses chase the former and neglect the latter. This series is here to flip that script.
Why Listen to Me?
Because I’ve been called in when the cracks show. From yoga studios to health clinics, I’ve seen owners scrambling after their best people walked out, and clients quietly followed. I’ve also helped rebuild cultures where staff stay, not because of fat pay packets, but because they feel valued, trusted, and part of something that matters.
“I’m not here to make you more corporate. I’m here to make you more sustainable.”
I’m not your clipboard-waving corporate HR rep. I’m the one who knows how to translate structure into soul-led businesses, helping you keep your team loyal without breaking the bank. That’s my lane. That’s why they call me the HR Queen.
What Happens When It Goes Wrong
A yoga studio I worked with lost two teachers in a fortnight. The owner thought replacements would solve it. Instead:
- Membership dropped 20% as clients followed their favourite teachers.
- Remaining staff had to cover double shifts, leading to burnout and resentment.
- The owner spent sleepless nights rewriting rotas and chasing cancellations.
“In wellbeing, client loyalty doesn’t sit with the brand. It sits with the practitioner.”
This wasn’t just a staffing problem. It was a client trust problem, a financial problem, and a credibility problem.
Photo by Edmond Dantès
What Happens When It Goes Right
Contrast that with a massage clinic I supported. They didn’t have big budgets, so we focused on low-cost retention wins:
- A rota system built around staff preferences.
- Peer-to-peer recognition, colleagues publicly thanking each other in team meetings.
- A policy that guaranteed every therapist one free treatment a month.
The results? Zero turnover for 12 months. Client bookings rose because the same familiar faces stayed put. Staff felt valued, and loyalty spread outward, from employees to customers.
“Retention isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about small, consistent actions done well.”
Retention Beats Recruitment Every Time
Replacing staff is expensive. Ads, interviews, inductions, training, it all drains time and money. Studies put the cost of turnover at 30–50% of a year’s salary. In wellbeing, that’s a retreat deposit or a year’s rent flushed away.
Recruitment is like a leaky tap: drip, drip, drip, until you realise you’ve lost half your budget down the sink.
The Real Secret? It’s Not About Money
Here’s the twist: most people in wellbeing don’t join for the money alone. They join for purpose, recognition, and balance. If you can create a culture where staff feel seen, trusted and connected to the mission, they’ll stay, even when you can’t offer the biggest pay cheque in town.
Photo by Diva Plavalaguna
Sole Traders, Listen Up
If you’re a one-person practice, retention matters just as much. Maybe you’re not “retaining staff,” but you are retaining contractors, collaborators, and your own energy. Every time you lose a team member or partner, you carry the full weight of replacing them. That churn drains you, and your clients feel it too.
Reflect Before You Act
- When did you last lose a staff member you secretly knew you couldn’t afford to lose?
- How much did you spend on recruitment in the past 12 months?
- What would it feel like if your staff turnover halved next year?
What to Action Today
- Write down the true cost of recruitment in your business last year (ads, time, training).
- Ask one staff member: “What keeps you here? and really listen.
- Identify one retention win you can double down on.
Free Resource
Want to keep your best people without overspending?
👉 Email sam@magentacorehrsolutions.co.uk for my free Retention Quick Wins Checklist.
Summary
Recruitment is flashy, but retention is where the real business protection lies. In the wellbeing world, your people are your product. Lose them, and you risk losing clients, revenue and reputation. Keep them, and you gain stability, loyalty, and growth.
“Retention is the quiet power that keeps your business alive.”
Let’s Get Your House in Order
If you’re tired of the revolving door, this is exactly the kind of problem I help wellbeing businesses solve. Together, we can cut the hidden costs, protect your team, and create a culture that makes people want to stay.
Here’s what working with me gives you:
✅ Peace of mind that your best people won’t walk out tomorrow
✅ Practical, human-first strategies that work in small businesses
✅ A practice you can grow without burning out or bleeding money
Book your free 15-min HR SOS call. Because if you’re going to do meaningful work, you need meaningful protection.
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“Your energy is sacred. So is your team. Guard both.”
About the Author: Samantha Newton
