Not knowing who is -- or isn’t -- wearing pants is one thing.

 

But do you know what else your coworkers might be doing during your Zoom, Teams, or other virtual meetings?

 

According a new survey, they may be shopping.

 

Six out of ten surveyed Americans who primarily work from home told Digital.com they shop online during virtual work meetings.

 

The number is even higher – 71 percent – for workers age 18-24. 

 

On the other hand, just 37% of people 54 and older shop while talking shop.

 

When asked about the frequency of their online shopping, 22% of the 1,250 surveyed said they’re guilty of shopping during virtual meetings “all the time.”

 

(They apparently didn't ask who reads the chamber's morning newsletter during meetings, please keep doing that.)

 

Digital.com's CEO also offers seven suggestions for keeping employees engaged during virtual meetings including: only inviting participants that need to be there; allowing people to leave if they are no longer needed; and scheduling breaks for meetings that last longer than 1 hour.

 

 

Speaking of Zoom, the video conferencing platform will be adding a fundraising tool that could be a boon for nonprofits that may -- once again -- be forced to move their fall and winter galas online.

 

The charitable donation option will allow attendees to make real time pledges during an event, Marketplace reports.

 

That's not all: Once someone donates, they’ll get a virtual background showing they’ve donated.

 

Talk about peer pressure.

 

 

 

The SBA’s new online Direct Forgiveness Portal has processed hundreds of thousands of Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness applications in less than one month, according to Andy Medici with the Business Journals.

 

The portal works for loans under $150,000 and should be relatively easy to complete.

 

However some large lenders, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co., PNC Bank, TD Bank and Wells Fargo are not participating, so you’ll need to use their process instead.

 

Meanwhile, the SBA continues to make tweaks and changes to other programs. It recently — and temporarily — suspended a rule that requires small business contractors in its 8(a) Business Development Program to be physically located near potential project sites to be able to bid for the work.

 

The SBA is also speeding up approvals for its Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

 

 

The SBA is also offering a second round of grants to those who have already received one under its Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. Details.

 

And on Capital Hill, efforts continue to create a new relief fund for fitness clubs.

 

 

 

A Newton-based startup that matches seniors with licensed caregivers based on criteria like care needs, interests, personality and schedule, has raised over $1 million in funding to expand its senior care services, reports Hannah Green at the BBJ.

 

MeetCaregivers has a roster of more than 10,000 home health aides, certified nurse assistants and licensed practical nurses that serve clients in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

 

The new funding also means that MeetCaregivers, which was founded by CEO Florence Furaha who worked as a caregiver while in college, has joined a small contingent of Black women-owned companies with significant venture funding, adds Green.

 

Only 93 Black women nationally raised at least $1 million in outside funding last year, according to Project Diane. That number is up from 34 Black women in 2018.

 

 

An analysis of contracts between school districts and teachers’ unions by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (our chamber is an affiliate) found that changes made during the pandemic generally did not include broader changes to policy or practice that could have supported providing the best possible experience for students. 

 

“In general, the [memorandums of understanding] we examined were not leveraged to enact significant changes to help schools adapt to meeting student needs in a remote or hybrid environment,” writes MBAE Executive Director Ed Lambert.

 

Here's the report.

 
 

 
 

 

Wellesley Town Meeting will be asked to amend the zoning bylaws for outdoor dining in business and commercial districts without a special permit. The full text of Article 9 and the other warrant items for the Oct. 25 Special Town Meeting are here.

 

Also: The Swellesley Report has this fun gallery of signs found around toward related to masks, vaccines and, because it's Wellesley, French Ossetra.

 

 

Brookline finally agreed to allow the rescheduled Boston Marathon to run down Beacon Street.

 

The town's select board delayed its vote to grant the marathon its special permit because the race’s new Oct. 11 date overlapped with Indigenous Peoples Day, writes Abby Patkin at the MetroWest Daily News.

 

The delay sparked a series of meetings and discussions between the Boston Athletic Association, local leaders and Indigenous groups, resulting in commitments to honor Native history and celebrate Indigenous communities during one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

 

And this week, the select board unanimously granted the permit, Patkin reports.

 

Meanwhile, the BAA announced yesterday that runners will need to provide proof of vaccination or produce a negative test in order to participate. Masks will not be required while running through the scream tunnel, up Heartbreak Hill, or anywhere else along the 26.2-mile course.