Is your next hire hiding in plain sight?
Is your next hire hiding in plain sight?
Our businesses and nonprofits are desperate to hire.
There's just not any candidates out there, they say.
But a Harvard Business School study says there is a talent pool that could be the answer to many hiring struggles.
The study’s authors call them “hidden workers.”
“We called these workers ‘hidden workers’ because they are a talent pool in plain sight with the potential to be hired but for one reason or another are unable to make the transition into the workforce,” they write.
“…Accessing hidden workers however, requires a shift in attitude. Instead of filtering out those who do not fit, companies need to focus on who has the skills they urgently need. When companies adapt their one-size-fits-all hiring practices to a more targeted, skills-based approach, they open up a path to the untapped and oft-forgotten labor pool of hidden workers.”
Want to know more?
Next Thursday (Nov. 4) at 1 p.m., Harvard professor Joe Fuller -- the report’s lead author and head of the university’s Project on the Workforce -- will discuss the causes of the labor shortage and specific ideas as to what companies can do to address this challenge.
The other thing keeping business owners up at night
Inflation has surpassed the COVID-19 Delta variant as the biggest concern small-business owners face, reports Andy Medici for the Business Journals.
About 48% of small-business owners cited inflation as their top concern in September, up from 38% in August in a survey from Alignable.
About 85% of small-business owners have said that the cost of their supplies and inventory has increased compared to pre-COVID levels, according to Moody’s.
Globe weighs in on Newton's mayoral race
This morning the Globe’s editorial board endorsed re-electing Ruthanne Fuller for mayor in Tuesday’s municipal election.
Editors said Fuller “has been on the right side of the city’s fights over housing” and understands “that Newton has to do its part.”
They note that Fuller backed the Northland development, while her opponent Amy Sangiolo did not and has “taken a more skeptical approach to housing growth.”
But the editorial also urged Fuller “to be bolder in a second term."
“Although she favors more housing, Fuller has spent this campaign trying to reassure voters she wouldn’t push too hard to legalize multifamily housing in too much of the city. But the fact is that she — along with Newton’s city councilors — should be pushing.”
Read the full endorsement here.
Fuller and Sangiolo spent a good deal of the chamber's mayoral debate discussing housing and economic growth. View the video here.
Needham election in the on deck circle
While voters in Newton and Watertown go to the polls Tuesday, Needham is gearing up for a special election to fill a select board vacancy on Dec. 7.
The two candidates — Karen Calton and Kevin Keane — will participate in a forum this Tues. (Nov. 2) at 7 p.m. via Zoom. It's sponsored by Equal Justice in Needham, Progressive Needham, AAPI Alliance Needham, Chinese Friends of Needham, and Indian Community of Needham.
On Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., the League of Women Voters of Needham will host its forum. Register.
Heading from Boston to our burbs
Don’t overlook these tax credits
A tax credit reimbursing small business owners for time employees took off to get vaccinated has expired — but small businesses can still benefit, writes Andy Medici for the BBJ.
Originally, small businesses were given access to a credit they could claim for employees out sick with COVID. That credit was extended to allow small businesses to claim the credit for employees who took time off to be vaccinated or were sick.
There are complicated rules and prohibitions against double dipping these credits against the same payrolls as the PPP and the Employee Retention Credit that may require working with a financial advisor.
It’s also not too late for this and for the Employee Retention Credit, Medici adds. That tax credit — which can be complicated for small-business owners to navigate — officially expires at the end of this year but can provide a significant IRS refund.
Other need to knows
More than one way to curb this litter problem
Newton’s City Council is considering an ordinance that would ban the sale of nips at local liquor stores.
The goal, of course, is to curb trash.
The unintended consequence is it takes away sales from Newton store owners while nip customers will take their shopping to another and probably still toss their empties onto Newton’s streets and parks anyway, right?
Here’s another idea: Two bills before the state Legislature (including one by Newton Sen. Cindy Creem) would add nips to the bottles that can be redeemed for cash, reports Brian MacQuarrie at the Globe.
Complicating the effort to add nips to the list of redeemables, he notes, is that the tiny bottles can’t be recycled because they clog the machinery.
Finally, you need to know this date
We were really hoping to be breaking bread with everyone this fall at our annual Fall Business Breakfast, especially since it would have been our first since our expansion and rebranding as the Charles River Regional Chamber.
Instead, like so many others, we’ve decided to go virtual with our biggest event of the year… hopefully for the last time.
But I do hope you’ll join us Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. for this year’s virtual breakfast.
We have one of our planet’s most accomplished entrepreneurs lined up as our guest speaker (honest). I tell you who it is next week.
That’s today’s need to knows unless you need to know about the sandwich you've probably been eating for years (I lived on them as a kid), that's just been added to the dictionary.
Greg Reibman (he, him)
President & CEO
Charles River Regional Chamber
617.244.1688
P.S. Starting next week this newsletter will publish twice weekly -- Tuesdays and Fridays -- and other times on a, um, need to know basis. Happy Halloween! See you Tuesday.
There's just not any candidates out there, they say.
But a Harvard Business School study says there is a talent pool that could be the answer to many hiring struggles.
The study’s authors call them “hidden workers.”
“We called these workers ‘hidden workers’ because they are a talent pool in plain sight with the potential to be hired but for one reason or another are unable to make the transition into the workforce,” they write.
“…Accessing hidden workers however, requires a shift in attitude. Instead of filtering out those who do not fit, companies need to focus on who has the skills they urgently need. When companies adapt their one-size-fits-all hiring practices to a more targeted, skills-based approach, they open up a path to the untapped and oft-forgotten labor pool of hidden workers.”
Want to know more?
Next Thursday (Nov. 4) at 1 p.m., Harvard professor Joe Fuller -- the report’s lead author and head of the university’s Project on the Workforce -- will discuss the causes of the labor shortage and specific ideas as to what companies can do to address this challenge.
The other thing keeping business owners up at night
Inflation has surpassed the COVID-19 Delta variant as the biggest concern small-business owners face, reports Andy Medici for the Business Journals.
About 48% of small-business owners cited inflation as their top concern in September, up from 38% in August in a survey from Alignable.
About 85% of small-business owners have said that the cost of their supplies and inventory has increased compared to pre-COVID levels, according to Moody’s.
Globe weighs in on Newton's mayoral race
This morning the Globe’s editorial board endorsed re-electing Ruthanne Fuller for mayor in Tuesday’s municipal election.
Editors said Fuller “has been on the right side of the city’s fights over housing” and understands “that Newton has to do its part.”
They note that Fuller backed the Northland development, while her opponent Amy Sangiolo did not and has “taken a more skeptical approach to housing growth.”
But the editorial also urged Fuller “to be bolder in a second term."
“Although she favors more housing, Fuller has spent this campaign trying to reassure voters she wouldn’t push too hard to legalize multifamily housing in too much of the city. But the fact is that she — along with Newton’s city councilors — should be pushing.”
Read the full endorsement here.
Fuller and Sangiolo spent a good deal of the chamber's mayoral debate discussing housing and economic growth. View the video here.
Needham election in the on deck circle
While voters in Newton and Watertown go to the polls Tuesday, Needham is gearing up for a special election to fill a select board vacancy on Dec. 7.
The two candidates — Karen Calton and Kevin Keane — will participate in a forum this Tues. (Nov. 2) at 7 p.m. via Zoom. It's sponsored by Equal Justice in Needham, Progressive Needham, AAPI Alliance Needham, Chinese Friends of Needham, and Indian Community of Needham.
On Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., the League of Women Voters of Needham will host its forum. Register.
Heading from Boston to our burbs
- The people behind a popular Boston food truck are opening a brick-and-mortar spot in Newton Highlands. The Dining Car Cafe and Market is opening in the old Bread and Chocolate space in Newton Highlands, with plans to offer baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and prepared foods (Boston Restaurant Talk).
- Laughing Monk Cafe, a sushi restaurant, plans to expand beyond its Huntington Avenue location in Boston to Wellesley Square in January (Swellesley Report).
Don’t overlook these tax credits
A tax credit reimbursing small business owners for time employees took off to get vaccinated has expired — but small businesses can still benefit, writes Andy Medici for the BBJ.
Originally, small businesses were given access to a credit they could claim for employees out sick with COVID. That credit was extended to allow small businesses to claim the credit for employees who took time off to be vaccinated or were sick.
There are complicated rules and prohibitions against double dipping these credits against the same payrolls as the PPP and the Employee Retention Credit that may require working with a financial advisor.
It’s also not too late for this and for the Employee Retention Credit, Medici adds. That tax credit — which can be complicated for small-business owners to navigate — officially expires at the end of this year but can provide a significant IRS refund.
Other need to knows
- Tuesday is election day in Newton, Watertown, Boston and other communities and thanks to Blue Cross Blue Shield you can bike for free on a Blue Bike to your polling place.
- The Massachusetts Conference for Women and Massachusetts Restaurant Association will be awarding $5,000 grants to more than 60 woman owned restaurants. Apply here.
- Are you or do you know of a Latino-owned small business that wants strategic advising to stabilize and grow? Amplify Latinx is seeking applications for the PowerUp Latino Business Advancement Program.
- Do you have any frequent flyer points saved up? You can donate them to help Afghan evacuees reach their new homes through Miles4Migrants. The Tripadvisor Foundation is contributing funds towards flights and will match your contributions to help meet this challenge, up to $150,000.
More than one way to curb this litter problem
Newton’s City Council is considering an ordinance that would ban the sale of nips at local liquor stores.
The goal, of course, is to curb trash.
The unintended consequence is it takes away sales from Newton store owners while nip customers will take their shopping to another and probably still toss their empties onto Newton’s streets and parks anyway, right?
Here’s another idea: Two bills before the state Legislature (including one by Newton Sen. Cindy Creem) would add nips to the bottles that can be redeemed for cash, reports Brian MacQuarrie at the Globe.
Complicating the effort to add nips to the list of redeemables, he notes, is that the tiny bottles can’t be recycled because they clog the machinery.
Finally, you need to know this date
We were really hoping to be breaking bread with everyone this fall at our annual Fall Business Breakfast, especially since it would have been our first since our expansion and rebranding as the Charles River Regional Chamber.
Instead, like so many others, we’ve decided to go virtual with our biggest event of the year… hopefully for the last time.
But I do hope you’ll join us Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. for this year’s virtual breakfast.
We have one of our planet’s most accomplished entrepreneurs lined up as our guest speaker (honest). I tell you who it is next week.
That’s today’s need to knows unless you need to know about the sandwich you've probably been eating for years (I lived on them as a kid), that's just been added to the dictionary.
Greg Reibman (he, him)
President & CEO
Charles River Regional Chamber
617.244.1688
P.S. Starting next week this newsletter will publish twice weekly -- Tuesdays and Fridays -- and other times on a, um, need to know basis. Happy Halloween! See you Tuesday.
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