This month’s haul of statistics from the ResponseSource Press Release Wire included so much research around employment and careers that we regrettably had to leave quite a few out. A few highlights included:

1) Research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that an impressive 97% of employees at 15 FTSE 100 companies felt that their organisations were committed to gender diversity. The study identified that promoting existing female talent is better for diversity than simply recruiting more women – although only just over a quarter of women felt they had benefited personally from diversity initiatives: http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93118/company-culture-central-to-boosting-gender-diversity

2) In a similar vein, Université Paris-Saclay has concluded that mothers are paid 3% less at work per child:
http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93004/mothers-paid-3-less-at-work-per-child

3) Lack of diversity is a problem in the boards of larger (500+ employees) companies, according to the people who work there. 37% say there are no women on the board at their organisation, 58% say there is no-one under the age of 40 and 55% say there is no ethnic diversity. This lack of connection may be a reason 39% of workers couldn’t name a single member of their boards, in a survey for technology firm eShare: http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93008/invisible-uk-boards-must-do-more-to-engage-with-employees

4) One recipe for creating a happy workforce is flexible working, according to time management solutions provider hfx. 70% of organisations admit that the availability of flexible options influenced whether or not a candidate accepted a job offer. Fortunately 85% of organisations were offering flexible working in some way, including flexitime, job-share or compressed hours:
http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93057/hfx-survey-shows-demand-for-flexible-working-is-on-the

5) Making the most of your existing employees was also a focus for Alexander Mann Solutions, who found that 25% of senior HR professionals believe that improving lateral hiring internally was the best strategy for talent retention, rising to 86% in the healthcare sector where skills shortages are particularly acute:
http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93072/the-best-people-already-work-for-you-but-you-don

It’s not all work, work, work though…

6) On a lighter note, the average person in the UK has kissed seven people in the past that their partner knows absolutely nothing about, and 44% are still in touch with their first kiss. Lip care brand lipivir has lots more stats here: http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/92988/a-quarter-of-brits-still-in-touch-with-their-first

7) Fans of big wet kisses of the non-human variety might be pleased to hear Natures Menu’s research, which showed only 26% of dogs suffer from bad breath. Sadly two thirds of our dogs do have a health issue of some kind including allergies, dental or stomach problems: http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93113/60-of-uk-dogs-are-pawly-due-to-poor-nutrition

8) Poor old Fido certainly deserves some loving care since 9.1 per cent of us have bought a dog as a result of being burgled, according to a survey by Everest. A cheaper and less messy solution might be for more of us to check our existing security – 31 per don’t routinely lock our windows. Almost 3% of those surveyed had even moved house because they felt unsafe after being burgled: http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93114/complacent-brits-risking-their-wellbeing-through-careless-home-security

9) Reasons for moving house brings us to stats about house-buying from Landmark Valuation Services and Countrywide Surveying Services. Their research found many buyers are confused about valuations and surveys, with 35% incorrectly believing mortgage valuations serve to confirm the agreed purchase price for the buyer and a worrying 20% took the word of the vendor or estate agent… http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93096/survey-identifies-homebuyers-lack-of-understanding-regarding-property-surveys-and

It’s not just estate agents you can’t trust, everyone’s at it

10) Those perfect jawlines, flawless complexions and curiously even eyebrows on social media are helped along by a £1 billion-and-growing cosmetics market driven by “the selfie generation”, says IRI. It says the average millennial is expected to take 25,700 selfies in his or her lifetime, leading to a boom of nearly 30% in one year on eyebrow products alone:
http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93076/selfie-generation-helps-create-1bn-uk-cosmetics-market

11) And the hair is no more natural than the faces: Wella Professionals says 94% of women admit to home colouring their hair themselves and 40% of women say the first thing they notice about somebody else is their hair: http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/92965/a-statement-of-colour

12) Even when we raise our thoughts to higher things, we can’t resist a bit of airbrushing. MSC Cruises UK commissioned research about what we claim to have done, seen or eaten to make ourselves sound more cultured, and found 1 in 5 people claim to have visited somewhere they think will make them sound more interesting. There are 100 examples of the most popular culture claims plus some stats about how much culture we really consume – too many to go in to here but just be wary of anyone going on about kale, The Colour Purple or The Cherry Orchard: http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/92945/brits-tell-fibs-to-appear-more-cultured

13) Finally, if you’re about to confess to one of the above alternative facts, you might want to wait until you actually get to New Zealand (or Skegness). Online travel agentTravel Republic says that 1 in 5 find their friends and family are more likely to open up when they get away, and 13 per cent have waited until a holiday to start a difficult conversation.  An incredible 95% are content with the life changes they decide on during a holiday, from starting a family to getting a tattoo: http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/93032/to-propose-to-pen-a-novel-and-to-quit-your

In these posts we’ve been taking a closer look at some of the original research within stories ResponseSource Press Release Wire – but we can’t cover everything and there’s much more to be found on our archive at http://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/ – try a search next time you need background or some bullet points for a news story or blog post.

Scratchy (left) and owner Chris Packham: we’re sure both of them have lovely breath, unlike 26% of dogs (image courtesy of Natures Menu)