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Stepping up for those who've stepped up for them

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Stepping up for those who've stepped up for them

Our goods friends and frequent collaborators at Colette Phillips Communications and Get Konnected! are looking to honor white males.
 
You read that right.
 
Building on a tradition Phillips began in in 2014, when Get Konnected! honored and celebrated 12 of Boston’s most committed white male allies under the banner ‘White men who can jump,’ she’s looking to publish a new list of male allies "who walk the talk."
 
“This is an exciting opportunity for you to celebrate and recognize the white male Diversity Equity & Inclusion allies and advocates in your respective companies, networks and spheres of influence” Phillips writes.
 
“We invite you to nominate a white male “includer” - boss, mentor, peer, sponsor, coworker or client who has made DE&I paramount to their personal and professional life,” she adds.
 
Go here to nominate an "Includer."
 
Big decision ahead for some Newton businesses
 
Newton businesses will need to decide by Saturday whether they still want employees and/or customers to wear face masks.
 
That's when, the city will join the growing number of communities that are, or have, ended its indoor mask mandate.
 
As of Saturday, individual businesses and employers will need to choose if they want to continue requiring masks in their establishments.
 
If you're a Newton business, I'd be interested in knowing what you've decided.
 
Watertown’s indoor mask mandate had not been lifted as of last night. Needham and Wellesley do not have indoor mask mandates in place but many small retailers and others still require masks.
 
File under: They don't teach you how to be happy at Harvard Business School
 
Oh wait, they actually do.
 
They just don't teach you how to get into the over-subscribed class.
 
?Coming soon to Watertown restaurants near you: mimosas
 
Restaurants in Watertown can apply to serve alcohol with Sunday brunch after the City Council adopted a change to licensing rules.
 
Operators will need to apply to both the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and the Watertown Licensing Board for a permit to serve on Sundays and some legal holidays from 10 a.m. to noon, reports the Watertown News.
 
The council also gave the licensing board the authority to impose fines and hand out warnings to liquor license holders, something only the council could do previously.
 
Other need to knows
     
  • The Foundation for MetroWest is accepting applications for its Emerging Leaders Academy for employees in the nonprofit sector serving the MetroWest region. The free ten-session academy provides a substantial and accessible introduction to leadership development. The program is best suited for those who are new senior managers or anticipate becoming senior managers in the near future. Details
 
  • Congresswoman Katherine Clark joins state Rep. Owens and Sen. Brownsberger in Watetertown at noon today to celebrate the American Rescue Plan's investment in Watertown's water infrastructure, including the removal of lead pipes Livestream here
Here's two ways to help our labor shortage
 
There’re many reasons why we have a labor shortage.
 
But the one we don’t talk about enough are the estimated 2 million immigrants who are missing from our workforce due to pandemic restrictions or policy restrictions set in motion by the Trump administration, writes the Globe’s Marcela García.
 
And it’s not just about hard to fills hourly wage jobs at restaurants, hospitals and school districts. Roughly half of those 2 million lost immigrants would have held college degrees according to a UC Davis study.
 
“Not only are we not finding people to walk the dogs, we’re also not having [immigrants] in the labs, in the clinics, in the engineering centers that push technology forward,” UC Davis economic professor Giovanni Peri tells García.
 
Also of note is Katie Johnston’s article, also in the Globe, about how employers are seeking workers "they might have previously passed over.”
 
“Companies are reaching out to applicants with criminal records and disabilities. They’re dropping drug testing and welcoming those struggling with homelessness. In some cases, college degrees and related job experience are no longer required,” she writes.
 
Johnston speaks to Harvard professor Joe Fuller about his ‘Hidden Workers’ study which Fuller discussed at a chamber event last year. If you're an employer searching for workers (who isn't?), I'd encourage you to watch the video.
 
Stepping up for those who've stepped up for them
 
Newton, Needham, Wellesley and Watertown nonprofits are stepping up this week in support of a group of businesses that have a long tradition of supporting them: Our restaurants.
 
The Boys & Girls Club Newton, Charles River Center, Plugged-in Band Program others have committed to using their websites, newsletters, social media feeds, emails or other channels to urge constituents and followers to dine in or take out.
 
 
 
 
 The idea came from Paul Stein, Executive Director at Schools for Children.
 
 “With the impact of the pandemic barreling along, we need each other’s support more than ever,”    Stein wrote in an email sent yesterday to the chamber’s 120 nonprofit members.
 
 “We, as nonprofits, have an opportunity to give back to businesses in a small but collectively   impactful way,” 
 
At Stein’s suggestion we’ve created a series of downloadable graphics (scroll down here) specifically for nonprofits to share part of the chamber’s month-long “Love Local: Support our Restaurants campaign.”  
 
“Our local restaurants have supported our region’s nonprofits through the good times – and not so good times,” Stein added. “Let’s thank them now and Love Local.”
 
And what should the rest of us do?
 
Get out there and eat, of course! Dine out. Take out. Buy gift cards. Recommend a favorite spot. Tip generously. Treat friends and clients. Order enough for tomorrow's lunch too. And try someplace new!
Go here to explore our directory of 90+ local restaurants that would greatly appreciate your business.
 
That’s today’s Need to Knows, unless you need to know why the guacamole you enjoyed at your Super Bowl party while watching 50 Cent rap upside down may be the last you’ll have for a while.
 
Greg Reibman (he, him)
President
Charles River Regional Chamber
617.244.1688
 
 
 
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