Jeff Clabaugh | jclabaugh@wtop.com

May 14, 2025, 1:14 PM

More than half of companies that have done away with diversity, equity and inclusion policies or scaled them back say it was political pressure or public scrutiny that led to those decisions.

But one in seven companies who did so now say it was a mistake, according to a survey of 750 business leaders at organizations who’ve done so in the past six months.

Now, the survey indicates 20% of leaders at companies who’ve rolled back DEI policies say they are bringing back DEI initiatives, but quietly, not with public fanfare.

“Companies don’t want to seem performative, or even admit that they were wrong. They want to recruit more diverse talent. Bringing it back quietly, like putting information on their website, allows them to do it without making a big deal out of it,” said Julia Toothacre, career strategist at Resume Templates.

Some of those companies are renaming those initiatives to things such as “inclusive culture” or “culture of belonging,” not necessarily to hide their purpose, but to get away from the negative stigma “DEI” has now.

Toothacre also notes some irony in one of the common reasons companies are bringing back DEI policies.

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