Percentage of women who would rather have their homes dusted by their beloved than receive a box of candy, according to SC Johnson's Love Affair With Cleaning survey: 56

Percentage of women age 35 to 44 who said a clean bathroom beats out a bouquet of flowers: 45

Percentage who would choose a kitchen cleanup instead of a dinner out: 21

COMPANY HOOKUPS

Percentage of workers who said they would consider dating a co-worker, according to a Spherion office romance survey: 36

Percentage of workers who reported that their company does not have a policy on workplace romance: 57

Percentage of workers who reported that they have had a workplace romance: 39

Percentage of workplace romances that have resulted in marriage: 22

PAU HANA PLANS

Percentage of U.S. corporate executives who plan to pursue hobbies, travel or golf during their retirement years, according to a survey conducted by Gray Hair Management: 70.4

Percentage who are planning a post-retirement relocation: 50.7

Percentage who said climate is the biggest reason for their planned relocation: 38.5

WEIGHING WORKLOAD

Percentage of employees who report feeling overworked, according to a Sirota survey: 22

Percentage who say they are bored: 14

Percentage of employees with "about the right amount of work" who feel they are an important part of their companies: 61

Percentage of those with "too little work" who agree: 34

BE MY VALENTINE

Year that Pope Gelasius set aside Feb. 14 to honor Saint Valentine, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's "Facts for Features" series: 496

Decade in which Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for sending the first valentine cards: 1840s

Number of locations in the U.S. producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2005: 1,198

Number of people these establishments employed: 38,718

CASHING IN ON CANADA

Estimated number of visits Canadians made to the United States in 2006, according to the latest study by the Travel Industry Association of America: 40 million

Estimated amount they spent: $13.5 billion

Estimated cost to the American economy of a 5 percent decline in Canadian visits: $700 million

MADONNA'S MOOLA

Amount earned by Madonna in a 12-month period, ending in June 2007, through concert ticket sales, merchandise revenue, album sales and ancillary products such as clothing, perfumes and endorsements, making her the top-earning female musical artist, according to a study by www.Forbes.com: $72 million

Amounts earned, respectively, by Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Shakira and Beyonce Knowles in 2007: $60 million, $45 million, $38 million, $27 million

Rank of Britney Spears ($8 million): 14th

WORKPLACE WELLNESS

Percentage of employees who say they are highly motivated to eat right, according to a study conducted by ComPsych Corp.: 42

Percentage who say they would likely use an employer-sponsored wellness program if it were offered: 67

Percentage who say they would be interested in such a program: 87

Percentage of employees who say that health and lifestyle have a significant impact on productivity: 74

Rank of lack of energy among the top hindrances to productivity cited by workers: No. 1

SOMETIMES GREEN

Percentage of U.S. companies that report having a formal or informal environmental responsibility policy, according to a study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management: 50

Ranks of implementation cost (85 percent), maintenance cost (74 percent), lack of management support (43 percent), lack of employee support (25 percent) and concern for workplace efficiency (20 percent) among the top barriers to creating a workplace environmental plan, cited by HR professionals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

IDLE THOUGHT

"It is not how old you are, but how you are old."

— Jules Renard, writer

Contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.