Average frequency with which employees are disrupted by social media and/or emails while at work, according to a survey by CWR partners for Sapience: 10.5 minutes

Percentage of average day that is taken up by reading emails: 30

Source: CWR Partners.

Percentage of Americans who associate collaborative leadership styles with women, according to a study by Pershing LLC: 70

Percentage of respondents who attribute "traditional" leadership approaches, such as giving orders and employing the reward/punishment model, with men: 77

Source: BNY Mellon.

Percentage of graduates who think college adequately prepared them for work in the real world, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com: 57

Percentage of recent grads who are not currently living with their parents: 71

Of those living with parents, percentage who are charged for rent or other household expenses: 34

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Ranks of conflicting priorities and lack of communication or miscommunication on the list of the most common sources of conflict with other departments, groups or teams, according to a survey commissioned by AtTask: 1, 2

Percentage of workers who say lost productivity is among the most common consequences of conflict with other teams: 39

Percentage of workers who say they often feel like there are "too many cooks in the kitchen": 63

Percentage who say there is often confusion at their company over who is doing what: 64

Source: AtTask.

Year that National Geographic, one of the nation's longest-running and most prestigious magazines, printed its first issue (127 years ago), according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1888

Estimated number of periodical publishers in the U.S. today: 8,000

Annual revenue generated by these publishers: $39 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of Lanikai Beach, Kailua (Oahu), Hawaii; Ka'anapali Beach, Lahaina, (Maui), Hawaii; and Siesta Key Public Beach, Siesta Key, Florida, on the list of the top 10 beaches in the United States, according to TripAdvisor: 1, 2, 3

Number of the top 10 beaches that are in Hawaii: 7

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of adults, on average, who agree the best way to get more people involved in positive social change is to show them how their actions can make a difference, according to Walden University's Social Change Impact Report: 92

Percentage of social change agents -- people who have ever engaged in social change -- for whom exposure to social change starts at home: 92

Source: Walden University.

In response to the question "Women asking men out: hot or not?" percentage of men who answered "hot," according to a poll by Lavalife.com: 95

Percentage of women who also answered in the affirmative: 64

Source: Lavalife.com.

Percentage of American adults who trust the federal government to handle personal information confidentially and securely, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 40

Percentage of Americans who trust social networking sites with their personal information: 26

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Gen Z (roughly ages 11 to 20) who expect to own their first home three years earlier than the median age of first-time homeowners today, according to the findings of a national study by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate: 28

Before they purchase their first home, percentage who plan on earning an advanced college degree: 60

Percentage who plan on getting married: 59

Percentage who plan on having children: 21

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC.

Idle Thought

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'" -- John Greenleaf Whittier, poet

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

Percentage of global workers who associate vacationing with overall happiness, according to a survey by Expedia: 80

Percentage of respondents who somewhat or strongly agree with the statement, "Regular vacations are important for general health and well-being": 91

Percentage of workers who say the chance for more vacation time would motivate them to switch jobs: 56

Source: Expedia.

Rank of statistics as the fastest growing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) undergraduate degree in the United States over the last four years, according to an analysis of federal government education data conducted by the American Statistical Association: 1

Source: American Statistical Association.

Percentage of CFOs who say they are willing or much more willing to renegotiate salary with skilled job candidates, according to a survey by Robert Half International: 41

Percentage of CFOs who say they have had difficulty finding people with the requisite skills: 68

Source: Robert Half International.

Year that the first telephone directory in the U.S. was published in New Haven, Connecticut, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1878

Number of subscribers on the list: 50

Estimated number of retail establishments in the U.S. selling landline and cellular phones, with annual receipts from such sales at over $10 billion: 22,000

Percentage of occupied households in the U.S. that have telephone service: 97

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of companies that have deployed tablets, according to a survey regarding the use of tablets to aid sales-related activities among 700-plus global business-to-business marketers and salespeople: 23

Of the 77 percent of respondents whose companies have not, percentage who said their companies have no plans to implement them: 83

Percentage of all respondents who believe such devices help, or would help, improve sales activities: 75

Source: Davies Murphy Group Inc.

Average household income among "affluents," defined as adults aged 18 and older living in households with at least $100,000 in annual household income in 2014, according to the Ipsos Affluent Survey USA: $197,400

Percentage rise in liquid assets to an average of $592,000, compounding the 9 percent growth seen from 2012 to 2013: 7

Affluent average net worth: $1.02 million

Source: Ipsos Affluent Survey.

Percentage of men and women around the world who say, "flirting is just playful fun," according to a survey from Zoosk.com: 41

Percentage of men who think that women are the biggest flirts: 60

Percentage of women who think that men are more flirtatious: 53

Source: Zoosk.

Percentage of Americans who say news in the U.S. should involve more reporting and fewer "talking heads," according to the results of The Harris Poll: 89

As to the importance of an impartial press, percentage who feel it's essential that journalists be completely unbiased: 84

Source: Harris Interactive.

In addition to quality, service, convenience and value, the cornerstones of a positive restaurant dining experience, percentage of casual-dining restaurant patrons who say that an appealing ambiance influences their decision to visit a particular concept, according to a white paper using data from Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics: 91

Source: Technomic.

Of the 196 countries worldwide, number that have religious imagery on their flags, according to Pew Research: 64

Number that are associated with Christianity: 31

Number that are associated with Islam: 21

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Idle thought

"The luck of having talent is not enough; one must also have a talent for luck." -- Hector Berlioz, composer

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

Percentage of workers who think people become less courteous as they climb the corporate ladder, according to a survey by Accountemps: 70

Source: Accountemps.

Amount of money the average person is planning to spend on candy, cards, gifts and more this Valentine's Day, up from $126.03 last year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: $130.97

Projected total spending: $18.6 billion

Percentage who will give flowers, with total spending expected to top $1.9 billion: 37

Percentage who will treat their special someone to jewelry, spending more than $4.4 billion on diamonds, gold and silver: 20

Source: National Retail Federation.

Number of American men who have a hidden bank account or credit card, according to Creditcard.com: 4.4 million

Number of American women who have a hidden bank account or credit card: 2.8

Percentage of men who say it is OK for their partner/spouse to make a purchase of $500 or more without their knowledge: 31

Percentage of women who say the same: 18

Source: Creditcards.com.

Number of stadium seats that were empty when the first Super Bowl was held in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1967, according to Convergex: 30,000

Cost of a ticket: $12

Median online price a week prior to this year's Super Bowl: $5,684

Source: Convergex.

Projected average amount that diners plan to spend to celebrate Valentine's Day, 63 percent more than the typical check average of $85 per couple, according to a survey released by OpenTable: $139

Percentage of respondents who say talking and texting at the table is the biggest dining faux pas a date can commit: 58.5

Source. OpenTable.

Amount Americans estimate that the federal government wastes of each tax dollar, according to a survey by Gallup: 51 cents

Amount Americans estimate that state governments waste of each tax dollar: 42 cents

Amount Americans estimate that local governments waste of each tax dollar: 37 cents

Source: Gallup Organization.

Decade when Percy Spencer of the Raytheon company, working on a military radar device, noticed that his candy bar had gotten soft, and, intrigued, experimented with irradiating some kernels of popcorn, which promptly burst: 1940s

Year the first consumer model microwave ovens were introduced, costing only a little less than a new car ($1,200) and requiring professional installation: 1955

Today, percentage of homes across the country that have microwave ovens: 90

Estimated annual value of the manufacturing of microwave ovens and other electric cooking range business: $2.5 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of American adults who agree that "doing what's right regardless of personal consequences" is the trait that makes a person most worthy of admiration, according to a Harris poll: 76

Of those who admire a specific U.S. president, percentage who do so because they "command the support and respect of others": 66

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of families with heads ages 55 to 64 who are carrying some debt (averaging $73,211), according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute: 78.5

Percentage of income that is devoted to debt: 10

Source: EBRI.

Ranks of Orlando, Las Vegas, New York City and Miami on the list of the most popular domestic destinations for the 2014-2015 winter season, according to members of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA): 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Cancun, Rome, London and Paris on the list of the most popular international destinations for the 2014-2015 winter season: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: American Society of Travel Agents.

Idle Thought

"The truth isn't always beauty, but the hunger for it is." -- Nadine Gordimer, Nobel laureate

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