Social Justice Series: Creating a Positive Company Culture Through DEI

“Because we care.”

That is the core concept of Big Y Foods’ mission, and its DEI programming goes a long way toward fulfilling that mission, said the company’s Senior Manager of DEI, Yami Madho. During her Social Justice Series presentation to students—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Today’s Workplace—Yami discussed the importance of DEI initiatives in creating a positive company culture, driving overall success, and increasing innovation.

“We care about our people. We care about our communities,” she said. “The Big Y family delivers a personal connection. Our DEI mission is to ensure an inclusive and belonging culture that is both fair and equitable. Fair in that everyone gets the tools and resources they need, but equitable in making sure we meet the individual needs of everybody—because not everyone needs the same book; not everyone needs the same piece of paper.”

With more than 10,000 employees, Big Y Foods is one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England. It is regularly recognized by Forbes as a Best-in-State Employer in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and Big Y was named one of America’s greatest workplaces for diversity and women by Newsweek in 2023. 

During her talk, Yami led students through an activity that turned out to be more difficult than they expected. She asked them to create “two truths and a lie” about themselves but with an extra twist. They were to weave diversity, equity, and inclusion into their statements. Then, their peers would have to guess which of the three statements was the lie. Afterward, Yami observed that many students chose the “easy” answer. 

“We tend to go with the safe comment. That is why sometimes things like diversity, equity, and inclusion do not take place, because we are fearful of the conversation and do not want to offend anybody,” Yami shared. “A lot of it is knowing how to ask a question and have an honest and true dialogue with someone you do not know. You start with a foundation of trust.”

Also in attendance was Big Y’s Senior Vice President of Retail Operations and Customer Experience, Canterbury Trustee Nicole D’Amour Schneider ’93, P ’20, ’22, ’23, who explained to students why Big Y’s status as a privately owned company was key to the success of its DEI programming.

“We do not answer to anybody but ourselves, and that has helped us in our journey to incorporate equity, belonging, and inclusivity into our culture,” she said. “It is not about checking a box, metrics, or answering to stockholders. It is just who we are and how we care about our people. If we create an environment that makes employees want to be here and feel like they belong, they become a part of the team—and the magic starts to happen.”

Yami stressed the importance of ensuring people know their voices are heard at Big Y. “We have a cultural initiative called ‘My Big Y Voice,’ which is an opportunity for anybody at any level of the organization to share their thoughts and ideas,” she said. “We then react to the information and report what we are doing with it.”

D’Amour Center Director and Theology Teacher Joshua Leeuw made his voice heard in praise of Yami and Big Y. “I thought her talk was fantastic,” Josh said. “She showed our students the values of a company that cares about its employees and how DEI plays a crucial role in their workplace culture.”

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