As the new school year began last September, a reported 865,000 women did not return to work, and research reveals that as many as 2.4 million women departed the workforce since February 2020, as compared to 1.8 million men. This was a massive turnaround from months earlier when it was reported that for the first time in history, women represented the majority of the workforce across America, holding 50.4% of all jobs in 2019.

We all need to be concerned about this exodus of women from the workforce, which McKinsey & Company has called “an emergency for corporate America.” Companies and employers need to double down on efforts to hire, retain and advance women employees while also embracing greater flexibility during the pandemic and beyond.

However, Jean Case writes that we can’t afford to wait for every employer to take action. Many women face unique challenges to advancing in the workplace that we can, to some degree, begin to tackle. Check out these three principles that are meant to guide women to get ahead at work, both today and also down the road when a return to traditional employment will undoubtedly serve up new barriers for working women.