We feel furious and we feel helpless
And that’s the names and faces of the 21 victims of the 27th school shooting this year, the 213th mass shooting of 2022. And it’s only May. Just days after a white supremacist slaughtered ten Black people at the Buffalo supermarket; two years after the cruel murder of George Floyd; and a decade after the Newtown school massacre, we feel furious and we feel helpless.
Greg Reibman
Could employers be selling the wrong RTO, um, benefits?
We’ve all heard the arguments for getting workers to return to the office. It fosters innovation. Encourages collaboration. Supports teamwork. Allows for those informal conversations. Nurtures careers, mentoring and professional development. And on and on. But here’s one more selling point for in-person work that most employers likely aren’t touting but may still be on some employees’ minds:
Greg Reibman
I hear that train a comin'
A plan that would transform public transit on Newton's north side just took a big step forward. Gov. Charlie Baker has included $85 million toward the reconstruction and expansion of the MBTA commuter rail stations in Auburndale, West Newton and Newtonville as part of his $1.7 billion supplemental budget.
Greg Reibman
Two things you told us in our business outlook survey
Looks like we need to flatten yet another COVID curve. And -- once again -- things feel unsettled. But not, perhaps, the uncertainty surrounding whether or not workers will one day be returning to the office. Here's why:
Greg Reibman
Tell your employees to take a hike
A study out of Texas A&M found evidence that employees who spent time outdoors before and after work were in better moods when they arrived at work, which fueled higher work effort later in the day. “Contact with nature improves people’s moods, sharpens people’s cognitive abilities, makes them more cooperative, reduces burnout and enhances employees’ productivity,” writes Anthony C. Klotz professor of business administration at A&M's Mays Business School in the Wall Street Journal.
Greg Reibman
Nothing makes sense right now
When I talk with business owners these days, there seems to be one common thread: Nothing makes sense right now. There’s so much uncertainty. Once predicable business trends are unpredictable. It’s never been harder to forecast. COVID is common. Inflation is rampant. The stock market is setting the wrong kinds of records. An untethered dictator has ignited a global conflict. Baby formula and other things we’ve long taken for granted are scarce. Millions are voluntarily quitting the workforce. Basic human
Greg Reibman
This sector still need our support
Restaurants are packed. Customers are back. So life is rosy again for our restaurants, right? Not exactly. While a recent spike in COVID cases doesn’t seem to be keeping customers from dining out, the two-and-a-half-year struggle for survival in the hospitality sector has far from abated.
Greg Reibman
Fuller goes downtown to support downtowns
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller was on Beacon Hill yesterday, urging lawmakers to adopt Gov. Charlie Baker’s $3.5 billion economic development bill. And it’s easy to see why Fuller and other municipal officials support Baker's bill. In particular, they like the bill's emphasis on providing funds to revitalize local downtown commercial districts.
Greg Reibman
The hot trend in the job market? Un-retirement
The April jobs report is due out today. It's expected to show that more workers continue to rejoin the workplace, although the pace is slowing. As of March there were still nearly two available positions for every unemployed person. One major area that contributed to the labor shortage was the loss of millions of older Americans who stopped working during the pandemic.
Greg Reibman
I believe this qualifies as real money
You know that old quip attributed to the late Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois: “A billion here, a billion there; pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” Dirksen was discussing the federal budget. But right now, it applies to Massachusetts.
Greg Reibman
