Good morning,

A new study contrasting remote workers with those who are hybrid or fully onsite, exposes a paradox.

Fully remote employees are the most likely to be “engaged in their work,” Gallop found, perhaps “because they have autonomy in their work.”

“This freedom allows them to play to their strengths, reach a flow state more easily and use their time more efficiently.”

But then there’s this: Remote workers “are also more likely to report experiencing anger, sadness and loneliness than hybrid and on-site workers.”

“They are more likely to report experiencing a lot of stress the previous day than on-site workers, while having about the same stress level as hybrid workers.

“These differences hold true even when accounting for income,” Gallop adds.

Explore why here.

At least one person in ICE custody after incident on Newton/Watertown line

Fig City News broke a concerning story this week about a standoff on the Newton/Watertown line between several masked men, identifying themselves as “federal officers” and wearing insignia saying “POLICE” and “HSI” (Homeland Security Investigations), and “two Latino men” in a locked car.

“For over 20 minutes, the car doors and windows remained locked, and the officers spoke and yelled through the glass at the two men,” writes Bruce Henderson, whose reporting was based on eyewitness accounts and two videos.

“Then about 8:19 a.m., the officers broke through the two windows on the right side of the car.”

WBUR’s  Simón Rios later added many details, confirming that the driver was in ICE custody. Information about the passenger was unknown.

Watertown Police told Watertown News they were not involved.  Newton Police, initially issued a similar statement. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and Chief of Police George McMains later issued this statement to Fig City.

GBH News reports that ICE has been “detaining and arresting people in the Boston area in far greater numbers this past week.”

Immigration resources for employers and employees

• MIRA's Know Your Rights webpage with slides, recordings and posters in multiple languages.
• Pathways for Immigrant Workers, offers pro-bono legal services to employers who are providing jobs but cannot afford green card sponsorship.
• What to Do if Immigration Comes to Your Workplace from the National Immigration Law Center.
• ICE Detainee Locator System to locate a detainee currently in ICE custody or who has been in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s custody for more than 48 hours.

Needham Town Meeting approves housing articles

Needham’s first week of annual Town Meeting saw several housing articles move forward, including approval of the minimally compliant “Base Zoning Plan,” enabling the town to meet the MBTA Communities law requirements.

Two affordable housing proposals totaling $6 million were also approved:

• Charles River Center’s proposed 86-unit East Militia Heights development, reserving about half the homes for residents with intellectual disabilities.
• Funding the renovation of 46 existing affordable units at Seabeds Way.

Needham Observer has more.

For those keeping score: Ashby, Georgetown, Groton, Groveland, Marblehead and Millbury also recently adopted MBTA-C plans.  So far, 129 communities have adopted multifamily zoning under this law.

Up next: Plastics

Next week Needham Special Town Meeting will take up two plastic-related proposals.

• The Chamber supports Article 13 (Skip the Stuff), which would reduce restaurants’ waste and costs by requiring them to provide takeout utensils and condiments only upon request.
• We oppose Article12,  banning the sale or distribution of black plastic.

Tax break considered to support muti-family housing

Could a sales tax break on construction materials help create more affordable housing?

It certainly wouldn’t hurt.

The tax credit is one of 50-plus ideas in the Healey administration’s Unlocking Housing Production Commission report (page 23) and it’s something the state Senate will consider later this month as part of its budget deliberations.

The commission suggested offering the breaks to projects in which at least 15% of units are affordable or in communities where the median household income is less than 120% of the state average.

The idea, of course, is to help lower the ever-escalating cost of housing production, including most recently tariffs on lumber, steel and other building materials.

“I have asked affordable housing developers about this [and] the initial feedback is that this proposal would absolutely have an impact,” CHAPA CEO Rachel Heller tells the Globe’s Jon Chesto.

“To get 220,000 homes built in the next 10 years and preserve the homes we’ve got, we need to pull every lever we’ve got.”

Friday grab bag

• The BBJ reports that three of the state’s five most educated zip codes are in our chamber’s footprint: 02481 (Wellesley Hills), 02468 (Waban/Newton), and 02461 (Newton Highlands).
• After some 40 years in business, the tiny Shogun Restaurant in West Newton has closed.  For many years it was among the few places to find sushi, shumai, gyoza, yakitori, udon, sukiyaki, donburi, and other Japanese dishes in the burbs.
• The Mosesian Center for the Arts’ 20th Anniversary Celebration is on May 22.
• Get Konnected!’s CEO C-Suite Speed Mentoring returns May 27, featuring small-group sessionswith top executives, networking, and cocktails. Use promo code “GKPartner” for 50% off registration.
• Boston is finally getting a Michelin Guide! (BBJ)
• John Grugan, who worked for the Charles River Center in Needham for 35 years, including 16 years as president and CEO, passed away last week.
• Tech enthusiasts and cybersecurity professionals will explore trends, share knowledge and network with industry experts at the 2025 Cybersecurity Summit at MassBay Community College’s Wellesley Hills campus on May 22.

Have you reserved your seats yet?

A reminder to reserve your seat at our “Spring Business Breakfast: 2025 Economic Outlook,” presented by Eastern Bank, next Wednesday (May 14) at the Needham Sheraton Hotel.

• Here’s your chance to hear from Ashley Stolba, the state’s interim Secretary of Economic Development, who will be making her first public comments to any chamber or business organization since Gov. Maura Healey appointed her to the position last month.
• Also speaking will be the dynamic former Secretary of Economic Development, Yvonne Hao, who will be making her first in person comments to a business group since she stepped down to focus on family issues.
• And Dr. Mary Burke, a principal economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (and a popular chamber presenter for many years) will offer critical insight into how employment growth in Massachusetts has stalled, the effects of uncertain federal policies, and several downside risks that could have an outsized impact on our state.

Register

Newton-Wellesley says good-by to Buddy

Finally today, Newton-Wellesley Hospital held a retirement party last month for its beloved facility dog, Buddy, who is heading to an early retirement.

And that’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know if drinking and smoking was ever allowed at Needham Town Meeting (which, back in the day, included Wellesley too.)

Take mom some place local this weekend.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.