Top Places to Work in Massachusetts 

It’s been pretty doom and gloom in the world of work this year. But at the 175 Massachusetts companies that made the Globe’s Top Places to Work list, there are bright spots galore. For the 18th year, the Globe teamed up with Energage, which surveyed more than 120,000 Massachusetts employees at 314 organizations. 

Bad bosses and missing managers 

Bad bosses have always been a problem, the Globe’s Jessica Bartlett writes. And it’s getting worse. In a 2024 survey, 60 percent of workers said they’d fire their supervisor. Those managers are probably being overworked, Aaron Pressman writes. As burnout coincides with a shrinking workforce, fewer employees want to become managers.

Suiting up for the office

Business etiquette is in serious need of improvement, the Globe’s Catherine Carlock writes. Young workers more accustomed to online interactions are now getting primers on face-to-face interactions. On top of that, employee evaluations are becoming more frequent , more motivational, and more focused on the company itself, business reporter Marin Wolf writes.

Companies are rethinking DEI 

The backlash to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives went into overdrive under President Trump. And yet, for some who have been doing racial and gender justice work for decades, this moment does not signal the end of DEI, but a crucial need for its reinvention, Yogev Toby writes. 

PERSPECTIVE

Boston is a winter city. It’s time we acted like one. 

Writer Miles Howard has taken a novel approach to the winter getaway: While friends escape to warmer climes, he headed to Canadian cities where it’s colder and more ferocious than what Bostonians love to complain about. And with each return to Boston, he became more conscious of Boston’s lack of winter spirit. 

CONNECTIONS

Hands and hearts

The earliest memories of her father, composer Paul Sheftel, are at the piano, Giulia L. Sheftel writes. From her dad, she learned not only about phrasing and articulation, but also about patience, humility, and perseverance. His reminders became personal mantras: Don’t go too fast. Don’t do too much. Learn from your fumbles. 

MISS CONDUCT CLASSICS

Swap-tional
Should you enforce a spending minimum on a Yankee swap to avoid sub-par gifts? Miss Conduct shares her ideas.

LOVE LETTERS

Single-minded
One writer is perplexed that her son and his long-term girlfriend won’t get married. See what Meredith thinks.

Submit your relationship questions. And check out the Love Letters podcast here.

DINNER WITH CUPID

“I do not kiss and tell. We will see what he discloses.” Will these two dancers be in harmony or out of sync?

Go on an in-person or virtual blind date. We'll pick up the tab. Fill out an application.

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