“DEI is being used as the boogeyman [because of] this idea that something’s been taken away from what we have set as the norm: white cis men,” says Virginia Cumberbatch, the CEO and co-founder of Rosa Rebellion, who is working to reshape DEI in America’s creative spaces. “It’s the idea that DEI has taken away from me: it’s taken away from my economic power, it’s taken away from my cultural power.”

The new executive order also encourages federal agencies to “relentlessly combat private sector discrimination”. It paints a bleak picture of what’s to come for the US workforce, which saw major private employers like Walmart, Ford and Harley-Davidson jump the DEI ship towards the tail end of the Biden-Harris administration.

With so many reported benefits of DEI – including improvements to financial performance, innovation and adaptability – the rationale that has led to its abolishment raises more questions than answers. Perhaps if companies asked more questions when deciding to adopt DEI practices, we’d see less of them backing away from their commitments today.

Hayley Bennett, founder of DEI consultancy HTVB Consulting, says: “Organisations will come to me and we’ll work to create their shared vision for this kind of work. I ask what it is that they actually want to achieve with DEI, and the answers will range from ‘We want to play our part in creating a more just and equal society’ to ‘We just want to make sure that we are not breaking the law when it comes to discrimination legislation.’

Why are so many employers ditching diversity and inclusion policies?