Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | February 23, 2026 | Worcester Business Journal 29 BY DANIELLE JUREMA LEDERMAN Special to WBJ T he start of a new year is one of the most popular times for hir- ing. Annual budgets have been settled, and companies can assess what roles they need filled. With the Massachusetts Pay Trans- parency Act in full swing now, the era of salary secrets is coming to a close. e law's pay disclosure requirements, which went into effect last fall, require employers with 25+ employees in Massachusetts to disclose pay range information in job postings and to cur- rent and prospective employees under certain circumstances, all in an effort to pinpoint and close racial and gender wage gaps. Here are five rules to keep in mind. 1. Hiring for remote jobs. Covered employers are required to disclose the pay range for all positions where the primary place of work is in Massachu- setts. is includes positions that can be done remotely by telecommuting into a Massachusetts worksite and for remote workers working from Massachusetts. 2. Tipped or commission-based employees. When a position's hourly or salary wage includes piece rate or com- mission compensation, then the amount a company reasonably expects to pay for that piece rate or commission-based work needs to be included in the job posting's pay range. 3. Disclosing pay information to current employees. Companies are required to provide the pay range for the positions their employees currently hold upon their request. However, the company does not have to disclose pay ranges outside of this position. If the engineer asked how much their boss made, the compa- ny would not have to disclose that. 4. Who counts as an applicant? Any- one who applies to a specific position is an applicant under the law. 5. Penalties for noncompliance. Mas- sachusetts is the latest in a growing wave of states to embrace pay transparency laws, including Rhode Island, Con- necticut, Vermont, and New York. For Massachusetts employers, the message is clear: comply or face penalties. Danielle Jurema Lederman is a partner in the employment & labor practice at Worcester law firm Bowditch & Dewey. BY RICHARD FRENETTE Special to WBJ D id you know that Massachusetts provides for-profit employers with workforce training grants to improve employee skill sets? For the past 20 years, fund- ing through the Workforce Training Fund Program has helped hundreds of employers improve employee skills to remain competitive in their industries. The process of applying is fairly easy. For-profit businesses located within Massachusetts may apply for a WTFP grant, and employees payrolled within Massachusetts are eligible to participate regardless of their residence. e great news is the approval rating is nearly 100%, so if you qualify, your chance to receive funding is excellent. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; therefore, employers may apply anytime. Various levels of funding are available. WTFP grants can range from $10,000 to $125,000. Funding can be used for a variety of training programs. As the needs of businesses can vary, there are many training options. A partial list of popular programs is: • English as a second language • Equity, diversity, and inclusion • Executive leadership coaching & staff development • Artificial intelligence • Business development • Employer's core soware • Deltek administrative soware • Salesforce CRM soware • Project management Employers are often able to receive training from firms they know and trust. Many local training organizations work with the WTFP grant, which provides employers the opportunity to work with those they have relationships with and who know their culture and needs. e WTFP program provides employers with a 24-month period to complete the training program. Senior management buy-in is an important part of a successful WTFP grant. Although not required to obtain a WTFP grant award, senior man- agement buy-in ensures training will continue through the entire process. Senior management is best positioned to identify training topics to address overall strategic goals. Training can lead to improved com- petitiveness and profitability. e grant improves employee skills to address business opportunities and challenges leading to improved market compet- itiveness, profitability, and employee morale. Employers have the potential to experience six-figure gains in net profit and increases in gross revenue from efficiency gains and increases in gross revenue from improved business development. Which training topics should be selected. Training topics should not generally exceed three to ensure each topic has a sufficient number of hours to make a positive impact on employees. e best choice are topics most impact- ing important business issues, with a larger group of participants. e WTFP application requires something all successful training pro- grams have. Identifying specific business opportunities and challenges in great detail and detailed calculations of ROIs to demonstrate the value the workshops provide. Grants to fund your workforce training BY JILL MCSORLEY Special to WBJ B eing a new manager comes with its challenges. You may be stepping into a leadership role for the first time, or starting at a new company. Whether you have experience as a manager or not, the first few days and weeks can make or break your success in the role. New managers must know how to establish and respect boundaries immediately in order to form healthy relationships. Balance is key. As a new manager, it is easy to fall into bad habits while attempting to ensure that your team likes you. It is uncomfortable at first to be in charge of a new group of people, but important to remember they are also experiencing an uncomfortable change. "As a new manager you need to set the right tone. Too much friend- ship and you can easily come across as weak. Too much authority and you can easily alienate your people," Victor Lipman writes in an article for Forbes. It's a two-way street. Although it may feel natural to come in and attempt to solve issues right away, it may invalidate the work of your em- ployees and overwhelm them. Setting boundaries as a new manager is not only about boundaries for yourself, but recognizing the boundaries may be up for your peers. "Learning how to communicate in a way that supports and motivates, rather than solves, allows people to maintain the boundaries necessary for preventing exhaustion, detachment, and resent- ment," Leah Marone writes in an ar- ticle for Society for Human Resource Management. Recognize the limits. Becoming a manager is especially challenging if you were already an existing employ- ee of the company. You may have friendships with your coworkers and are comfortable sharing a more per- sonal side. "at means you want to let employees know that in your new role, you need to maintain confiden- tiality. You won't be able to answer all the questions all the time. At the same time, you want to assure them that you are obligated and committed to their confidentiality when they request it," Michele McGovern writes in an article for HRMorning. Setting boundaries as a new manager Rich Frenette is founder of Workforce Training Solutions, a Leominster-based company designed to help businesses achieve strategic staff development goals and improve profitability by securing state workforce training funds. Contact him at rich@wtsmass.com. Hiring in 2026 under the Mass. Pay Transparency Act Danielle Jurema Lederman ADVICE & OPINION KNOW HOW VIEWPOINT 101: W W W

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