Tackling the Communication Decline Hidden Behind 'Ease of Work': What We Learned About Organizational 'Distance' in the Remote Era Through the 'Engage Meal' Program

Dashboard Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Naoki Komeiji) introduced the 'Engage Meal' meal subsidy program in December 2024 to address the 'weakening of internal communication,' a challenge that arose while promoting flexible work styles for its employees. Now, approximately one year after the program's introduction, the company has conducted a survey of its employees and is releasing the results and future outlook.

The employee survey following the program's implementation revealed that while it has been highly successful in creating opportunities for interaction, challenges remain in fostering deep work-related discussions and a sense of belonging.

■ Background: A 'Culture of Hesitation' Replaces Invitations in Exchange for Flexible Work

Our company has promoted autonomous work styles not bound by location or time by introducing remote work and flextime systems. However, this has also contributed to a tendency for tasks to be completed individually, leading to the emergence of the following issues:

Entrenched Hesitation to Invite: 50% of employees responded that they 'feel hesitant to invite colleagues for a meal' (*1). The very freedom of the environment has made it difficult to find a reason to invite someone for a meal.

Concerns of Isolation: A sense of loneliness from remote work and the deepening of individual work created a situation where it was difficult for others to notice a colleague's mental distress due to an excessive workload.

Weakening of Organizational Strength: A sense of crisis over the formation of a culture where it's difficult to approach others casually because their personalities are not visible.

To break down these 'invisible walls' and re-strengthen our organizational capabilities, we launched 'Engage Meal,' which subsidizes the cost of meals for two or more people.

■ 'Engage Meal' Program Overview

Objective: To alleviate feelings of loneliness, promote mutual understanding, and strengthen organizational capabilities.

Details: Actual meal expenses for two or more employees are reimbursed, up to a limit of 5,000 JPY per person every three months.

Operation: Can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, for work-related meals, and both inside and outside the company.

■ Post-Implementation Results: 100% Experience 'New Interactions,' Breaking Down Psychological Barriers

The post-implementation survey revealed that the program's function as a 'catalyst' for interaction has exceeded expectations.

1. 100% Utilization Rate and its 'Ripple Effect into Private Life'

100% of eligible employees responded that they 'use it every time.' Notably, everyone answered that they 'were able to interact with members they don't usually talk to much,' indicating that the system serves as a powerful incentive to lower the barrier to conversation.

We received feedback from employees such as, 'Being able to talk during Engage Meal led to opportunities to go out for meals privately,' suggesting that the company program acts as a 'trigger' that develops into spontaneous relationship-building.

2. Deepening 'Mutual Understanding' that Improves the Quality of Work Collaboration

Specific episodes have also been shared showing that getting to know a person's character, beyond mere socializing, leads to smoother operations.

'It became easier to see the other person's values than during work, making me more conscious of things like, 'I should make requests to this person concisely,' or 'I should communicate with them in a softer manner.''

'Understanding the personality traits that aren't visible through regular work has changed the quality of our communication.'

In this way, 'unstructured dialogue' over a meal ultimately contributes to selecting the optimal communication methods at work.

[Survey Overview]

Survey Period: March 2026

Survey Organization (Conducted by): In-house survey

Target: All employees

Number of Valid Responses (Sample Size): 6

Survey Method (Aggregation/Calculation): Google Forms

■ Current Challenges: The Wall Beyond Socializing to 'Work Consultations' and 'Sense of Belonging'

On the other hand, this survey also clarified 'challenges that cannot be solved just by sharing a meal.'

Hurdle to Work-Related Consultation: A certain number of employees feel 'it's difficult to consult with colleagues about work-related problems or burdens.' While camaraderie is deepening, there is still a gap in translating this into 'mutual help' in actual work.

'Eventization' of Communication: The three-month cycle is becoming fixed as a 'tri-monthly event' rather than fostering daily interaction.

Fostering a Sense of Belonging: Only 50% of employees reported an increase in their satisfaction with the company, indicating that further refinement of the system is needed to solidify the sense of being 'one team.'

■ Future Outlook

In response to these results, our company will embark on more in-depth organizational development, using 'Engage Meal' as a starting point.

Reviewing Frequency and Making it a Daily Habit: We will consider shortening the subsidy cycle and improving operations to make interactions more frequent and casual.

Setting Dialogue Themes and Output: We will create mechanisms for individuals to express their thoughts by setting up regular opportunities to discuss company-wide themes and expanding 1-on-1 meeting opportunities.

Improving Value Provided by Strengthening Organizational Capabilities: By transforming individual connections into robust organizational strength, we will speed up collaboration between teams and lead to the creation of solutions with more diverse perspectives.