Being a Great Place to Work Starts with Listening

As our parent company Wills Group enters its 100th anniversary this year, listening has become an even more intentional part of how we learn, improve, and grow together. One of the most important ways we do that is by asking a simple question of our team members: How are we doing?

This January, Dash In is preparing to launch our next Great Place to Work® survey. Our team has participated in this process since 2022, making this the fifth consecutive year team members have been invited to share confidential feedback about their experience at work. Over time, the survey has become a trusted way to understand what’s working well, where we can improve, and how we can continue to build a workplace where our people feel supported, respected, and heard.

Listening isn’t a one-time exercise. It’s part of how Dash In operates and how we continue to strengthen our culture as we grow. 

How the Great Place to Work Survey Works

The Great Place to Work^® survey gives team members a structured way to share feedback on workplace culture and their day-to-day experience at Dash In, Splash In, and Wills Group corporate offices. Team members complete the Trust Index™ Survey, a confidential survey administered by a third party.

The survey measures five core areas that shape a high-trust workplace: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and a sense of belonging. Team members respond to practical prompts about whether they can count on clear communication from leaders, fair treatment, recognition, and strong working relationships. Together, these dimensions show whether trust and inclusion are experienced consistently across the organization.

The process also includes a Culture Brief™, a company questionnaire that provides context on workplace policies, practices, and programs. This step helps explain how the organization supports team members across areas like benefits, development, and inclusion. Combined with team member feedback, it allows Great Place to Work to evaluate workplace culture from both perspectives.

Survey results are aggregated and benchmarked against other U.S. workplaces, giving leadership a clear view of what is working well and where attention is needed. Because the methodology and questions remain consistent year over year, results can be reviewed over time to identify patterns, strengths, and areas that warrant closer attention.

This structure makes the process useful. It turns individual feedback into insight that leaders can act on and gives the company a consistent way to track workplace culture.

What We’ve Learned Through Listening

Listening to our team through surveys and feedback has clarified what matters most to people at work and at home. That input has shaped several practices and programs that are now part of how Dash In, Splash In, and Wills Group supports its teams.

Flexibility is one example. Feedback across roles and locations has reinforced the importance of schedules that account for different responsibilities and life stages. As a result, flexible scheduling remains a priority wherever operations allow, helping team members better balance work, family, and personal commitments.

Team input has also influenced how benefits are structured. In recent years, the company has implemented additional benefits for full- and part-time team members, expanded paid parental leave, and introduced paid time off to volunteer. These benefits reflect what team members have consistently identified as meaningful forms of support in their day-to-day lives.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including Families in Motion, Women of Wills, and Veterans of Wills, add another layer to how the company listens. These groups help surface insights from team members across the organization and create an ongoing feedback loop that helps inform practical decisions around support, benefits, and workplace policies.

Listening has also informed the company’s approach to professional development. Team member feedback has emphasized the value of training, leadership development, and support for continued education. In response, as a company, we have continued to invest in structured training programs and tuition reimbursement that help team members build skills, prepare for new roles, and pursue long-term growth.

These outcomes reflect patterns reinforced across years of team member input. As Wills Group enters its 100th year, we are demonstrating how sustained listening translates into tangible decisions that support team members and strengthen workplace culture in practice.

Listening Into the Next Century

Listening is not an end in itself. What matters is what that listening makes possible.

When team members feel supported, respected, and heard, it shows up in how work gets done. It shows up in stronger teamwork, lower turnover, and more consistent execution. For Dash In and Splash In, it also shows up in the guest experience — in stores that run smoothly, teams that take pride in their work, and moments of service that feel thoughtful and reliable.

A strong workplace culture supports a stronger business, and a stronger business creates more opportunity to invest in communities, grow responsibly, and expand into new markets. As Dash In prepares for its next chapter — including continued growth in the Mid-Atlantic and expansion into North Carolina in 2026 — that connection between listening, performance, and progress matters.

External recognition reflects that work. Dash In and Wills Group have earned Great Place to Work^® certification four consecutive years and have been recognized as one of Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Retail™. These honors are based on team member feedback, and they affirm that the listening process is producing real results.