Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of consumers who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving in the comfort of their own home this year, according to a survey by Campbell Soup Co.: 65

Compared to a typical year, percentage of consumers who will celebrate Thanksgiving with fewer people: 50

Percentage who said mashed potatoes is one of their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes: 77

Source: Campbell Soup Co.

Percentage of people globally who now say that people will need to be more comfortable working remotely and in highly digital environments, according to the results of a survey conducted by Pearson: 90

Percentage who say that new kinds of jobs will arise from the pandemic, with almost 75% of people rethinking their own career path because of COVID-19: 82

Source: Pearson.

Percentage of Americans who plan to travel for Thanksgiving this year -- down 21 percentage points from 2019, according to a survey by Cars.com: 47

Of those not traveling, percentage who said COVID-19 impacted their plans: 59

Percentage of Thanksgiving travelers who will travel by car to their destination, with most trips happening close to home: 72

Source: Cars.com.

According to an Oracle retail survey, percentage of customers who are ready to venture back into stores this holiday season: 20

Percentage of holiday shoppers who plan to split purchases between online and brick-and-mortar shops: 47

Percentage who plan to make it as close as the parking lot, opting to retrieve orders curbside: 16

Source: Oracle.

Percentage of Americans who expect to plan and prepare their very first holiday meal this Thanksgiving, according to a survey conducted by Shipt: 25

Percentage who also indicated that COVID had shifted their holiday plans, likely having an impact on there being many first-time Thanksgiving meal preparers: 60

Source: Shipt.

Percentage of employees who would quit or look for another job after COVID-19, if no longer allowed to work remotely, according to Owl Labs/Global Workplace Analytics' Report: 50

Percentage who would stay, but be less willing to go the extra mile: 54

Out of employees who said they would stay, percentage who would expect a pay increase to make up for the additional costs: 44

Source: Owl Labs.

Percentage of American adults who said they will spend less money this year this holiday season, according to a survey by Debt.com: 66

Percentage who said their reasons were noneconomic: 60

Percentage who said, "I feel less pressure to buy gifts because of virtual celebrations": 37

Percentage who said, "I don't expect loved ones to spend much on me due to the pandemic": 23

Source: Debt.com.

Percentage of professionals who said they participate in virtual meetings -- spending nearly one-third of their workday (30%) on camera with business contacts or colleagues, according to a survey by Robert Half: 76

Percentage who said they've experienced video call fatigue since the start of the pandemic: 38

Percentage who noted that the practicality and novelty of videoconferencing has worn off over the past eight months: 26

Source: Robert Half Finance and Accounting

Percentage of respondents to a Conference Board survey who expect that 40% or more of their employees will work remotely (at least three days per week) up to 12 months post-pandemic (up from 5% prior to the pandemic), according to research for the Conference Board: 33

From October through December 2020, percentage of companies who plan to restructure the organization: 13

Percentage who plan to cut bonuses: 11

Percentage who plan to conduct permanent layoffs: 9

Percentage who plan to defer pay increases and bonuses: 8

Source: The Conference Board.

Percentage of small business decision-makers who say they will require an increase in sales and/or some manner of assistance to remain in business through the end of the year, according to a CreditCards.com report: 53

Ranks of increased sales, government assistance and a loan on the list of requirements that small businesses need to survive: 1, 2, 3

Source: CreditCards.com.

Idle Thought

"It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards." -- Baltasar Gracian, philosopher and writer

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

Percentage of employees who are willing to take a pay cut of up to 5% to work remotely, according to Owl Labs/Global Workplace Analytics' Report: 31

Percentage who would be willing to take a pay cut of up to 10% to work remotely: 26

Estimated percentage of employees who are worried that staying remote could negatively affect their career: 50

Source: Owl Labs.

Percentage of American adults with private health insurance who said they'd be willing to receive a vaccine against COVID-19 when it is released, according to EBRI and Greenwald Research's Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey: 55

Percentage who said they are not willing: 25

Percentage who said "it depends" or "not sure": 21

Source: EBRI.

Ranks of clothing and fashion, electronics and technology, and personal care products and services on the list of the types of gifts Americans hope to receive this holiday season, according to a survey by 5w Public Relations: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who plan to buy gifts online and in store: 61

Percentage who plan to shop online only: 18

Percentage who plan to shop entirely in store: 9

Source: 5W Public Relations.

Percentage of companies that say they are willing to hire 100% remote workers anywhere in the U.S. or internationally, compared to 12% who were receptive to that approach before COVID-19, according to research by the Conference Board: 36

Compared to just 25% of companies before the pandemic, percentage of companies that are now willing to hire remote workers: 88%

Percentage that still prefer that employees live within commuting distance to the office location: 50

Source: The Conference Board.

Percentage of adults between the ages of 25 and 34 who reported that their office had no plan in place to deal with an emergency, according to research by Zogby: 54

Percentage of adults who report they wouldn't know what to do should an emergency occur in school or the workplace: 55

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of people who believe their company should be doing more to protect the mental health of their workforce, according to a study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence: 76

Percentage who noted their companies have added mental health services or support as a result of COVID-19: 51

Source: Oracle CX.

When asked about holiday plans, percentage of Americans ages 70 and older who said they won't see family in person or haven't made plans to do so, according to a survey commissioned by Aloe Care Health: 50

Percentage who stated definitively that they won't be seeing family in person this year: 29

Percentage of Americans aged 70-plus who would like to have daily communication with family: 43

Source: Aloe Care Health.

Percentage of U.S. employees working from home who say they work as productively or better at home, according to a survey by Weber Shandwick and United Minds: 70

Percentage who say they have the tools and resources they need: 85

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Percentage of people who say they will not change holiday gift-exchanging plans because of social distancing, according to research by Tophatter Inc.: 41

Percentage of people who said they don't think the pandemic will change their holiday shopping plans much, if at all: 44

Percentage who said they are buying fewer gifts because they have less money or are on a tighter budget than years past: 30

Source: Tophatter Inc.

Idle Thought

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer." -- Zora Neale Hurston, folklorist and writer

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

Percentage of Americans who plan on traveling to visit family for the holidays -- with more than two-thirds reporting they will be traveling by car or RV, according to an RVshare survey: 47

Though 55% of people are less confident about their holiday travel plans compared to last year, percentage who have already decided they will not be flying over the holidays: 80

Source: RVshare.

Percentage of same-gender newlyweds who took a "buddymoon," compared to 23% of different-gender newlyweds, according to research by Brides.com: 42

Percentage of same-gender newlyweds who said they never wanted to marry prior to meeting their partner, compared with just 9% of different-gender newlyweds: 23

Percentage of men who deemed their wedding day a lifelong dream, compared to 27% of women: 32

Source: Brides.com.

Ranks of updating their resumes, reaching out for career help, developing new skills through free training and exploring a career change on the list of top actions to improve career prospects, according to a survey by Champlain College Online: 1, 2, 3, 4

When asked questions about the current employment and economic landscape, percentage of respondents who agreed that staying current and developing new skills is a requirement in today's competitive job market: 78

Source: Champlain College.

Percentage of remote workers who admit to bad behavior while participating in virtual brainstorm meetings from home (and 1 in 10 have used the bathroom while on a call), according to a study released by Lucid: 62

Percentage of remote workers who met with their colleagues in person against company protocol over the past few months: 17

Percentage of the folks in the C-suite who were the worst offenders: 43

Source: Lucid Marketing.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have reused online passwords, the most common questionable behavior when ensuring personal data security, according to a new report from Bankrate.com: 80

In the past year, ranks of saving passwords on a computer or phone, saving payment information on a computer or phone, using public Wi-Fi and using an ATM somewhere other than a financial institution on the list of questionable behaviors: 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of U.S. adults who have received a false fraud alert concerning one of their credit or debit cards: 43

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. workers who are contemplating professional or lifestyle changes that will impact the workplace going forward, according to a survey by Weber Shandwick and United Minds: 61

Percentage who say they plan to work from home full or part time in the future: 41

Percentage of workers with children who say they plan to work from home full or part time in the future: 52

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Percentage of women who have been discriminated against due to their hairstyle, according to research by All Things Hair: 44.3

Percentage who have been told their hairstyles are not professional: 46.5

Percentage of women who feel pressured to wear their hair differently at work: 52.3

Source: All Things Hair.

Percentage of people across the world who feel that life will never be the same again, an increase of 5% since April, according to Cigna's latest research: 18

Percentage of people in the United States who say the same: 25

Percentage of people in Mainland China who say the same: 5

Source: Cigna Corp.

Percentage of Americans who are spending more time at home than ever before, with the resulting behavior changes creating unforeseen health consequences, like physical pain, constipation and even hemorrhoids, according to research commissioned by Preparation H: 80

Percentage of respondents who reveal they've experienced new aches and pains due to how inactive they've become since the quarantine began: 60

Percentage of Americans who feel they are now living a more sedentary lifestyle: 63

Source: Preparation H.

Of those parents already schooling from home during COVID, percentage who are home-schooling with a parent/caregiver as the primary educator, according to a survey by homeschoolExpert.com: 21

Percentage who are schooling online through a public school: 74

Percentage who are schooling online through a private school: 5

Source: Homeschool Expert.

Idle Thought

"An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc." -- Henri Matisse, artist

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