2024 was a tough year for progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Not long after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, companies began making subtle changes to DEI policies and programs that catered to underrepresented workers, seemingly in response to escalating legal attacks and conservative backlash. Tech employers started downsizing DEI programs and shedding staff as part of layoffs. Some organizations tried to move away from the language of DEI and stopped using terms like equity.But last year, amid pressure from conservative activists like Robby Starbuck, many companiesincluding major employers like Walmart, McDonalds, and Fordtook more drastic measures, disbanding employee resource groups, nixing representation goals, and ending participation in an annual index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. In the last week, Big Tech has also made more aggressive cuts to diversity programs, with Meta eliminating its DEI team altogether. Some companies, like Costco, have stood their ground despite public pressure, while Walmart is now facing pushback from investors for its reversal on DEI. Still, theres no doubt corporate America is scaling back its commitment to DEIor at a minimum, rebranding the work to protect against legal liability. But if youre a leader who is truly invested in fostering a diverse workforce, you can still find ways to be a better advocate and ensure women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups advance in the workplace.Look at the dataSome employers have now eliminated representation goals for senior leadership, while others no longer consistently publish diversity reports. Even if thats the case at your company, there are other metrics that can help measure who is being promoted into or considered for those roles, according to DEI leader and workplace strategist Mita Mallick. You can also ask whether the company has evaluated how women and men are rated on performance reviews, or if there are any pay inequities that have gone unaddressed. Another important data point is the rate of attrition for women and other underrepresented workers, which can give you a sense of whether certain employees are leaving the company in higher numbers.Dig into employee engagement surveysIn the last year, a number of companies have opted out of surveys like the Human Rights Campaigns Corporate Equality Index, which many workers value as a sign that an employer is supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. But plenty of companies still rely on employee engagement surveys and other internal polling to get a pulse on their workforce. If youre trying to understand how certain workers are being affected by cuts to diversity programsand what you can do about it as a leaderthis could be a good place to start.If your company has scaled back initiatives that specifically supported women, you can get a sense of what the impact has been, Mallick says. Are women lacking sponsorship to help them advance their careers? Are they feeling stuck in their careers, being promised promotions that dont materialize? Are they receiving little to no feedback from their boss?Support employee resource groupsEmployee resource groups can be a crucial community for underrepresented workersso much so that some companies have started compensating leaders for their work. But this is yet another area where employers have been making some major cuts as they pull back on DEI, in some cases revamping these groups to focus solely on professional development or opening them up to all workers. In workplaces that have maintained these groups, however, theres room for leaders to better support themwhether through dollars or mentorship.We need more men to step up and serve as an executive sponsor for womens resource groups, Mallick writes. We need senior leaders to offer dollars from their own budgets to help sponsor events when DEI budgets are being slashed.