Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

On the mind

By Times Wires
Published November 30, 2007

Biz tidbits from surveys

Companies spread cheer among workers

However memorable, or unmemorable, company holiday parties may be, they are becoming increasingly popular. A survey by American Express Co. found that 86 percent of businesses are planning an event this year.

- Three out of four companies will hold team lunches, dinners and special events.

- More companies - 53 percent - will host in-office parties, rather than at a hotel or party space.

- Invitations will be extended to spouses and friends at 46 percent of the businesses polled.

- Beyond holiday parties, 43 percent of surveyed employers are planning group activities such as volunteering in a soup kitchen.

- Gift exchanges are planned for 41 percent of companies.

- Of employees surveyed, 27 percent say they find holiday parties "fun and interesting"; 48 percent said they "can take it or leave it"; and only 4 percent said the parties are "to be avoided at all costs."

- A majority of companies - 92 percent - said they would also be giving year-end gifts, while only 64 percent of employees said they expect one.

Boomers' babies show boosted ambition

Members of the new generation entering the work force may be more ambitious and savvy than their parents, according to a joint study between Yahoo HotJobs and Robert Half International. The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and included 1,007 Web interviews of employed people ages 21 to 28.

- Generation Y - broadly defined as those born between 1979 and 1999 - is interested in saving for retirement, finding a solid health care plan and establishing partnerships with their bosses.

- 60 percent of Gen-Yers want to hear from their managers at least once a day.

- 46 percent consider their career prospects better than previous generations'.

-Nearly three out of four said they will likely go back to school to obtain another academic degree or certification.

Recession-resistant retail? Pet goodies

Pets rule at the holidays, especially dogs, and that helps keep many retailers' registers ringing. U.S. retail sales may be weak, energy prices way up and housing prices way down, but experts say pets largely defy such indicators.

- Americans are expected to spend an estimated $48.7-billion on their pets in 2007, nearly twice the amount of a decade ago and growing at more than 7 percent a year, according to Packaged Facts, a consumer research company in Rockville, Md.

- Fifty-six percent of dog owners and 42 percent of cat owners bought holiday gifts for their pets last year, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

[Last modified November 30, 2007, 01:03:37]