Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of CIOs who still think email will be the most common way to communicate internally through 2020, according to respondents in two surveys conducted by Robert Half Technology: 79

Percentage of office workers who agree: 53

Ranks of in-person meetings, email, instant messaging and phone calls on the list of communication channels most effective for planning, strategizing and follow-up, as cited by office workers from various industries and roles: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of women who would consider a partner's credit score a major influence in a potential relationship, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 20

Percentage of men who said the same: 7

Percentage of Americans who think credit scores are never an important factor in a relationship: 19

Percentage of respondents who believe in waiting until after dating a few months to divulge their personal finances: 37

Source: Bankrate.com.

Ranks of credit card debt, overeating, social media and bad credit on the list of things people would like to declare independence from, according to WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of Americans who think the government tracks our credit card spending: 47

Source: WalletHub.

Among more than 18,000 citizens from 25 countries, percentage who rated the influence of the U.S. on world affairs as positive (a drop from 64 percent in October), according to an Ipsos survey: 40

Ranks of Canada (81 percent), Australia (79 percent), Germany (67 percent), the United Nations (64 percent), France (59 percent) and the European Union (57 percent) on the list of countries and groups of nations rated by global citizens as having a positive influence on world affairs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Percentage of home cooks for whom internet food and recipe sites have grown to become the top recipe source, according to a survey by the Meredith Corp. on behalf of Allrecipes.com: 58

Percentage of digital home cooks who trade recipes: 75

Percentage of home cooks who report planning most meals the same day as the meal (up 10 percent from 1999): 63

Source: Meredith Corp.

Percentage of Americans who support medical aid in dying, including 55 percent of weekly churchgoers and 60 percent of conservatives, according to a Gallup poll: 73

Source: Gallup Organization.

Rank of toys on the list of the largest durable dog and cat pet care categories with sales crossing the $1 billion threshold in 2016, according to Packaged Facts: 1

Percentage share of sales accounted for by dogs: 75

Percentage of dog owners who agree they enjoy pampering their pet with new toys: 88

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of manufacturers who said they are more optimistic about the U.S. economy compared to last year, according to the 2017 Manufacturing Report from professional services firm Sikich LLP: 66

Percentage of respondents who claim addressing workforce challenges is a top priority: 49

Percentage of companies that conduct IT risk assessments: 63

Source: Sikich.

Percentage of Americans who make at least one or more common mistakes when cleansing their face, according to a national survey by CeraVe: 80

Percentage of consumers who report they feel uninformed about proper skin cleansing methods: 60

Percentage of consumers (66 percent of men and nearly 40 percent of women) who use bath wash or hand soap to cleanse their face: 52

Percentage who use only water: 35

Source: CeraVe.

Idle Thought

"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of recent college grads who wish they had picked a different field of study now that they are in the job market, according to a survey by Ameritrade: 29

Percentage who would choose a major in a higher-paying field: 22

Percentage of grads who said they would have studied harder: 26

Percentage who would have earned money while in school: 19

Percentage who would spend less money/accumulate less debt: 24

Source: TD Ameritrade.

Number of interest rate hikes already in the books this year (with another expected by the end of the year), according to WalletHub: 2

Percentage of Americans who don't know when the Fed last raised rates: 44

Percentage of Americans who think rate hikes make existing mortgages more expensive (90 percent of mortgages have fixed rates): 50

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of executives who said the top reason highly skilled professionals would choose one employer over another is the promise of meaningful work, according to a KornFerry survey: 68

Percentage who said better compensation is the top reason these professionals would choose one employer over another: 4

When asked why skilled professionals would leave an organization, percentage of executives who said the top reason would be a lack of their organization's willingness to recognize the value of their expertise: 53

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage more days than their peers that workers with substance use disorders miss (and up to six weeks of work annually), according to analysis from the National Safety Council, NORC at the University of Chicago, and Shatterproof: 50

Percentage of employers who view prescription drug use as a threat to safety: 39

Percentage who feel it is a problem: 24

Within the construction, entertainment, recreation and food service businesses, number of times higher than the national average the rate of employees with substance use disorders: 2

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of finance professionals who believe strong analytical skills are a critical competency in their profession, according to research by the Association for Financial Professionals: 54

Despite the fact that finance professionals consider leadership and people skills to be important competencies, percentage who believe that finance professionals at their own organizations lack these specific skills: 40

Source: Association for Financial Professionals.

Percentage of professionals who said their work-life balance has improved from three years ago, according to the Robert Half Management Resources survey: 52

Percentage who reported their manager is very or somewhat supportive of their efforts to achieve this balance: 91

Percentage who said their boss sets a good or even excellent example: 74

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of Americans who report that some of their favorite outdoor memories have occurred right in their own yards, according to a survey conducted by Harris on behalf of TruGreen: 65

Number of Americans this represents: 162 million

Average number of hours Americans spend per week in their yards during the summer: 12

Percentage of Americans who consider flowers blooming to be the first sign of spring: 35

Source: The Harris Poll.

Ranks of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion "The Imp" Lannister and Sansa Stark on the list of favoured candidates for the "Iron Throne," according to an Ipsos survey: 1, 2, 3, 4

Trailing even further behind her brother -- rank of incumbent Cersei Lannister, who ascended the throne amidst some controversy following the unexpected deaths of most of King's Landing: 6

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Average amount of money the youngest adult generation reports spending per month on groceries, compared to $724 for those 37 and older, according to research by bankrate.com: $797

Average amount millennials spend per month on gasoline, versus the $211 per month spent by those older than them: $254

Average monthly spend by millennials on both dine-in and takeout meals, against $182 for older generations: $233

Source: Bankrate.com.

Idle Thought

"One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay 'in kind' somewhere else in life." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh, writer

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Average amount of time per day that office professionals said they squander using their mobile device for non-work activities in the office, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 56 minutes

Amount of time per day that workers admitted to clocking on personal tasks: 42 minutes

All in all, amount of time per workweek the average employee could be wasting on activities unrelated to the job: 8 hours

Source: OfficeTeam.

When asked the best way to invest money not needed for more than 10 years, percentage of U.S. adults who replied real estate, according to a survey by bankrate.com: 28

Percentage who picked cash investments: 23

Percentage who favored the stock market: 17

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who admit they do not get enough sleep to mitigate critical risks that can jeopardize safety at work and on the roads, including the ability to think clearly, make informed decisions and be productive, according to a study by the National Safety Council: 43

Estimated percentage of workplace injuries that could be attributed to fatigue: 13

Percentage of all fatal car crashes -- 6,400 deaths each year -- that are attributed to a drowsy driver: 21

Source: National Safety Council.

Rank of "continued cultural bias" on the list of the top reasons for the dearth of women CEOs, according to a survey by Korn Ferry in conjunction with The Rockefeller Foundation: 1

Percentage of executives who say developing women leaders is important because "greater gender diversity makes companies perform better": 51

Percentage who say it allows companies to attract the best available talent regardless of gender: 47

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of students/parents who say that paper and packaging is relevant in their daily lives, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Paper and Packaging Board: 79

Percentage of college students who agree: 86

Ranks of writing the information down by hand, reading the information on paper and listening to the information on the list of most effective ways to learn: 1, 2, 3

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs CJ.

Percentage of U.S. workers who would not apply to a company experiencing negative press, according to the latest CareerBuilder survey: 71

Percentage of workers who have left a company because of negative publicity: 6

Percentage of employers who have experienced positive press who have seen higher morale among employees: 42

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Ranks of Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama and West Virginia on the list of states with the most at-risk youth, according to research by WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of North Dakota, Utah, New Hampshire, Iowa and Minnesota on the list of states with the fewest at-risk youth: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

Estimated number of people who were afflicted with depression in 2015 (4.4 percent of the global population), according to the World Health Organization: 322 million

Percentage rise in the past decade (an increasing number of experts and medical practitioners are considering whether our addiction to technology might be contributing to the rise in depression observed throughout the world, but most notably in the United States and the United Kingdom): 19

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

While car companies and even countries have recently pledged to go all-in on electric vehicles, expected percentage gain by electric cars in the share of vehicles on the road by 2025, according to a new study released by the Fuels Institute: 2

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of companies that let all employees fulfill continuing professional education requirements while on the clock, according to a survey from Robert Half Finance and Accounting: 26

Percentage who allow it dependent on if the employee has a proven track record for success: 24

Source: Robert Half Finance and Accounting.

Idle Thought

"I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice." -- Joyce Carol Oates, writer

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)